NCJ Number
177057
Journal
Journal for Juvenile Justice and Detention Services Volume: 13 Pages: issue (Spring 1998)-48
Date Published
1998
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article describes the deplorable living conditions of juvenile offenders in overcrowded detention centers.
Abstract
Youth and staff in crowded juvenile facilities may be subjected to profound indignities and a range of physical and emotional harm. The article explores the human impact of crowding as actually observed in detention centers around the country through the eyes of juvenile advocates. It also includes data taken from actual court cases to detail the effects of crowding on the juveniles, the staff, the internal structure of facilities and on the physical maintenance of buildings. It paints a dismal picture of a system which is meant to humanely care for those youth who truly need to be securely confined, and shows how crowding and its effects are exacerbated by inappropriate detention decisions, systemic inefficiencies, and failure to consider other service or placement options. Notes