The Impact of Detention on Crime, Rehabilitation and Public Safety
- Detention can increase recidivism
- Prior incarceration is a greater predictor of recidivism than carrying a weapon, gang membership or poor parental relationship
- Congregating delinquent youth together negatively affects their behavior and increases their chance of re-offending
- Detention pulls youth deeper into the juvenile and criminal justice system
- Alternatives to detention can curb crime and recidivism better than detention
- Detention can slow or interrupt the natural process of “aging out of delinquency”
- There is little relationship between detention and overall crime in the community
The Impact of Detention on Young People’s Mental Health, and Propensity to Self-Harm
- Detention makes mentally ill youth worse
- Detention puts youth at greater risk of self-harm
The Impact of Detention on the Education and Employment
- Detained youth with special needs fail to return to school
- Formerly detained youth have reduced success in the labor market.
The Larger Economic Impact of Detention on Communities
- Detention is expensive—more expensive than alternatives to detention
- Detention is not cost effective
- The rise of youth detention has been borne by youth of color
Excerpted from a publication by the the Justice Policy Institute. Source: Holman, B., and J. Ziedenberg. (November 2006). “The Danger of Detention: The Impact of Incarcerating Youth in Detention and Other Secure Facilities”, Washington, DC: Justice Policy Institute
Available: www.justicepolicy.org
