By Morgan McLeod
The U.S. Department of Justice’s recent release of the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement data for 2021 shows the one-day count of youth incarcerated in the juvenile justice system nationally fell to 24,894 in 2021, a level roughly equal to the prior year and a 60% decline from 10 years ago.
Josh Rovner, Director of Youth Justice at The Sentencing Project, issued the following statement regarding the new data:
“Given the many failures of youth incarceration, long-term declines are worth celebrating. However, the atypically low count for both 2020 and 2021 are likely a relic of the pandemic’s impact on youth offending and arrests rather than systemic reforms. With more children staying at home, youth arrests fell during the pandemic, shrinking the pathways into detention and commitment.
“Despite these declines in youth incarceration, roughly two in three incarcerated young people were held on nonviolent offenses.
“Permanent change requires minimizing the use of secure lockups for vastly more of our children and teenagers while supporting their needs at home.”
About The Sentencing Project
The Sentencing Project advocates for effective and humane responses to crime that minimize imprisonment and criminalization of youth and adults by promoting racial, ethnic, economic, and gender justice. Learn more at https://www.sentencingproject.org/
Morgan McLeod is Director of Communications with The Sentencing Project.