Fall 2007

THE SUCCESSES OF DETENTION
The Impact of Supporting Youth in Secure Facilities

The Impact of Detention on Crime, Rehabilitation and Public Safety

1. Crime: Detention allows systems to collaborate in addressing criminogenic factors associated with delinquency at the community level.
2. Rehabilitation: Detention provides an integration of academic, mental health, programs, and security best practices that reduce further delinquent activity.
3. Public Safety: Detention can enhance public safety by providing a safe, secure environment for at-risk youth engaging in delinquent behavior.

The Impact of Detention on Young People’s Mental Health, and Propensity to Self-Harm

1. Detention provides mental health support services for youth who might otherwise not have access to these resources.
2. Detention provides youth who are at greater risk of self-harm with a safe and protective environment.

The Impact of Detention on Education and Employment

1. Detained youth with special needs have additional legal and regulatory protections to ensure access to continued educational services.
2. Detained youth are provided with life-skills and pre-vocational training that facilitates success in obtaining and retaining employment.

The Larger Economic Impact of Detention on Communities

1. Detention is valuable – public safety is directly related to the costs of criminal victimization.
2. Detention collaborates with community agencies to provide cost-effective alternatives for at-risk youth.
3. The rise of youth detention has been borne by the community.

In response to the VJJA’s published excerpt from the Justice Policy Institute's Dangers of Detention in the Summer 2007 edition of “The Advocate.”  Submitted thoughtfully by Ed Bowman, Programs Coordinator at Blue Ridge Juvenile Detention and Rachel Potter, Principal at Blue Ridge Juvenile Detention, in honor of the high quality of integrated services that Virginia’s detention facilities provide to youthful offenders.