While juvenile crime and incarceration rates are still alarmingly high, this article, published by the national juvenile justice network, states that the number of youth serving sentences in correctional facilities has declined in the past decade. This is especially true in what the article calls the nine "comeback states" which includes Ohio. While the overall average for youth in locked facilities may be declining, there are four states whose rates are an astound 87% higher than the national average.
One question to consider is what are we doing in Ohio that is so much different than those other four states? The article proposes five main differences between states that are advancing their juvenile justice systems and those that remain behind the curve. A few of the goals of the more advanced states' policies include increasing evidence-based alternatives to confinement, reducing schools' overreliance on the justice system to address disciplinary issues, and closing or downsizing youth confinement facilities.
As social workers, we know that there is always room for improvement. So if the number of youth incarcerated is slowly declining, what more can we do to ensure alternatives for prison?
See the full article here
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