Prisons for Juveniles

Abstract

Abstract The nature of juvenile corrections has changed over the course of different eras in juvenile justice. Juvenile correctional facilities (prisons for juveniles) represent the most restrictive type of placement in the juvenile justice system. Security of the juvenile correctional facility and its staff and residents is a primary concern. Youth placed in juvenile correctional facilities are not representative of the general population of youth, with boys and minority youth (particularly African American youth) confined at disproportionate rates. Despite constitutional rights to reasonable safety, adequate medical and mental health care, rehabilitative treatment, and education for youth in confinement, juvenile correctional facilities vary widely in terms of the quality and extent of services and programming offered. States differ in terms of how placement, commitment length, and release decisions are made. Recent trends in juvenile corrections include moving away from large, congregate facilities in favor of small, regional facilities, and an emphasis on the adoption of evidence‐based practices, which research has shown to be effective in reducing offending.