Nationally, on any given night, approximately 81,000 youth are confined to juvenile facilities and 10,000 children are held in adult jails and prisons. Approximately 1 in 10 young male high school dropouts is incarcerated or in juvenile detention. For African Americans, that number is 1 in 4. Research shows that just over two million youth under the age of 18 were arrested in 2008. Of these two million, about 95 percent had not been accused of violent crimes. In 2010, of the nearly 100,000 youth under the age of 18 who were serving time in a juvenile residential placement facility, 26 percent had been convicted of property crimes only, such as burglary, arson, or theft. Access to education both stems the tide of incarceration and improves inmates chances of re-acclimating to society after their release.
“Among the key changes was the serious youthful offender provision, also known as blended sentences. Youth offenders could be given dual sentences, one starting out in the juvenile system, typically a facility of the Ohio Department of Youth Services, followed by a potential term in adult prison hinging on the defendant’s behavior in juvenile lockup as well as their conduct on parole.“
The Canton Republic
June 9, 2019
Read More“The most recent suit, filed in 2003 by a woman whose nephew was a ward of the state, led to 13 years of court-ordered monitoring to document and address systemic abuse and dangerous conditions at DJJ facilities. The lawsuit was settled by consent decree in 2016, suggesting that problems had been solved and the system was on the path to improvement. But in the nearly three years since, the CJCJ report says, conditions haven’t changed — and some things have gotten worse.“
Huffington Post
February 19, 2019
Read More"Of the 22 children I cared for at our clinic on a single day last week, five were exposed to this serious health risk. A 6-month-old not rolling over yet. Two 7-year-olds – one was suddenly not doing well in school, and the other was exhibiting all the signs of ADHD. A remarkably sullen 11-year-old. A teen who was emotionally disengaged from everything she once found exciting. The public health crisis all these children share: having a parent in prison."
Philadelphia Inquirer
August 15, 2018
Read More"The study found young adults whose fathers had been incarcerated while they were minors were more likely to use hard drugs and watch more than 50 hours of TV a week than young adults whose parents hadn’t been incarcerated. Young adults whose mothers had been incarcerated were more likely to have sex in exchange for money, skip doctor visits and use the emergency department as their usual source of health care."
Nashville Channel 5
July 12, 2018
Read More"Nineteen speeches make up the 90-minute show – all verbatim extracts from interviews Smith conducted herself or speeches made in public, which explore the uniquely American phenomenon of the school-to-prison pipeline. She flits between young people caught at the harsh end, and teachers, judges, activists and politicians who see the problem from different personal and historical vantages."
The Guardian
June 12, 2018
Read More"In 2011, sweeping cuts were announced to public education, general assistance, and other critical social services. Despite massive movements demanding that the state fund schools, not prison expansion, politicians refused to stop construction."
Philadelphia Inquirer
June 5, 2018
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