NCJ Number
153173
Editor(s)
I M Schwartz,
W H Barton
Date Published
1994
Length
196 pages
Annotation
National trends in juvenile detention policies and practices in the United States are reviewed in recognition of the fact that juvenile detention facilities confine more youth than any other type of juvenile correctional institution.
Abstract
Eleven essays assess the juvenile detention system and offer system improvement strategies. The essays indicate that juvenile detention facilities for youth who have been arrested and are awaiting trial tend to be overcrowded, inadequately staffed, and expensive to operate. The essays further show that juvenile detention has received less attention than training schools, diversion, and other aspects of the juvenile justice system. Policy, research, and practice perspectives on juvenile detention are offered that highlight the need to detain high-risk youth and provide less costly and less restrictive alternatives for low- risk youth. Strategies for reforming the juvenile detention system are discussed that focus on intake criteria, length of stay, confinement conditions, and the role of the judiciary. Essay topics specifically explore national trends in juvenile detention and determinants of juvenile detention rates and describe juvenile detention practices in California, Florida, and Pennsylvania. References, tables, and figures