The Crime Report — Juvenile Incarceration — Galsworthy Criminal Justice Reform Program

Juvenile Incarceration

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.

Why Handcuffing Schoolkids is a Path to Criminalization

“Earlier this year, a Pittsburgh family filed a federal lawsuit against the city’s school district after their first-grader was handcuffed in class. The seven-year-old, who was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, was handcuffed by a Pittsburgh school resource officer at an elementary school after throwing a tantrum in class, according to an account of the suit, which was filed as a class action in an alleged violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act.“

The Crime Report

November 7, 2019

EducationPhillip ReevesNovember 25, 2019The Crime Report, PittsburghComment

Youth Need Community-Based Treatment, Not Jails: Study

"Researchers contend that convicted youth who are served in the community are significantly less likely to re-offend than if they are confined—regardless of their offense type—making everyone in the community safer. Assigning young people to community-based supervision is also significantly more cost-effective than confinement, and it mitigates the disproportionate impact of confinement in the justice system on youth of color, authors wrote."

The Crime Report

September 5, 2018

Diversion ProgramsAnthony BradleySeptember 5, 2018The Crime Report

Juvenile Incarceration

Galsworthy CJR Program

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