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Report: ‘Lock ‘em Up’ Approach to Juvenile Justice Doesn’t Work

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Tuesday, October 4, 2011   

PHOENIX - When kids act up, locking them up is the wrong thing to do, in most cases. That's the finding of
a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. It says decades of research, along with new data, indicate that putting kids behind bars doesn't keep them from committing crimes later on. The report shows that incarceration doesn't provide public safety benefits, wastes taxpayers' money, and exposes young people to violence and abuse.

Bart Lubow, director of the Juvenile Justice Strategy Group at the Casey Foundation, says that, in most juvenile cases, the "crimes" committed are minor.

"The majority are either charged with nonviolent offenses, or are there primarily for acts of defiance relative to an adult."

The report notes that several states are already moving away from relying on juvenile incarceration, mainly because of budget problems or scandals over abuse in institutions. It finds that more than 50 facilities have been shut down since 2007, nationwide.

Last year, Governor Jan Brewer proposed shutting down the State Department of Juvenile Corrections and transferring those responsibilities to the counties.

Beth Rosenberg, director of child welfare and juvenile justice with the Children's Action Alliance, says locking up fewer kids is the right idea, but the governor's plan would have simply cut the budget without supporting community-based programs that provide better results at a fraction of the cost.

"We need to be thoughtful and have a plan that involves a lot of people, including the community and other stakeholders, so kids are in the right place at the right time."

Rosenberg says juvenile jails don't necessarily work, particularly for children with mental health problems, who make up more than a third of the kids in the Arizona system.

"There are mental-health and substance-abuse programs in the community that should be working for kids. There are a number of evidence-based programs, particularly ones that work with families, to try to redirect kids and their families in terms of better outcomes for everybody."

Bart Lubow says that, since the research shows locking kids up hasn't paid off, whether that's in corrections centers or "training schools," it's time for states to adopt policies and invest in alternatives that focus on treatment and supervision.

"Comprehensive, well-thought-out strategies in state juvenile justice systems that will not only ensure there's fewer kids locked up, but that will ensure there's less crime, and less money spent, and that kids have better odds of being successful in adulthood."

He says that, for the few teenagers who are actually dangerous, large institutions should be replaced with small, treatment-oriented facilities.

The full report, "No Place for Kids, The Case for Reducing Juvenile Incarceration," is at www.aecf.org




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