NCJ Number
201808
Date Published
November 2001
Length
13 pages
Annotation
After critiquing Alameda County's (California) Needs Assessment and Master Plan regarding juvenile detention space and facility needs, the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) offers recommendations regarding the county's juvenile detention system.
Abstract
With the help of the Alameda County Probation Department, NCCD conducted a study of the needs of youth in the juvenile hall. The findings represent the response of 361 youth entering the detention center between February and May of 2000. Findings show that most of the youth entering the detention center have had troubled pasts, including the witnessing of violence, abuse and neglect, and school failure. Rather than focusing on expanding detention space for these youth, the county should use its resources to improve existing facilities and establish programs that address the needs of these youth. NCCD recommends that the county replace the juvenile hall, which is old and unsafe. Further, an emergency plan should be developed for the protection and removal of youth, given the current vulnerability of the building to earthquakes and other natural disasters. Also, the county should determine the number of secure beds necessary to serve the detention population, based on sound methodology, accurate data, and policy and program options that use the best detention and alternative practices. The county should use proven detention alternatives to reduce the unnecessary incarceration of certain populations of youth; e.g., youth awaiting placement, nonserious offenders, and specified probation violators. A high-level management position should be created in the Probation Department to move cases through the system more rapidly and reduce the inappropriate use of detention. 5 figures and 12 notes