NCJ Number
88485
Date Published
Unknown
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Strategies used to remove juveniles from adult jails include legislative approaches, the development of community-based alternatives, criteria set by the juvenile court regarding who is detained and who is released, and continuing education for juvenile court judges.
Abstract
Alternatives that have been developed by communities in the Michigan Upper Peninsula include home detention, family shelter with a paid youth attendant, and the use of a secure juvenile detention facility. Oklahoma City made the criteria used by juvenile court to determine who is detained and who is released much more specific, while Virginia implemented continuing education for judges -- resulting in a 40-percent drop in the number of juveniles detained in adult jails. South Carolina developed standardized criteria to be used by juvenile courts throughout the State, which resulted in a 65-percent drop in juvenile detention in adult jails. A private agency in Oregon was given a contract to find ways of keeping juveniles out of adult jails. It developed a 24-hour crisis care service in which juveniles who needed intervention services could receive them when they needed them. These children were often placed in a home with temporary adoptive parents for a few days so that issues could be resolved without having to detain them in jail. They received counseling for as long as was needed to resolve the crisis and to develop a strategy to help them with their long-term problems.