NCJ Number
207826
Journal
Advocaey Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2003 Pages: 18-27
Date Published
2003
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This article discusses successes in juvenile detention reform in jurisdictions across the country.
Abstract
During the 1980’s and early 1990’s, the number of juveniles confined in juvenile detention facilities climbed rapidly due mainly to aggressive confinement practices and inefficient court systems. Many jurisdictions across the country have been revamping their juvenile justice systems to focus more on community-based alternatives to juvenile confinement. Bernalillo County, NM, has implemented a community custody program in which juvenile offenders are monitored closely in their own homes and neighborhoods by the county’s detention staff. Broward County, FL, also reduced its juvenile detention population by 65 percent between 1987 and 1992 by implementing home-based detention alternatives and faster case processing. Broward County’s success was based on the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), which was subsequently implemented in three other sites, including Chicago and Sacramento. Another juvenile justice reform undertaken in Bernalillo County resulted in a decrease in the number of youth detained for violating probation orders or missing court dates. Such reform efforts are being called for around the country and have the capability of reducing both juvenile detention populations and juvenile recidivism.