NCJ Number
240313
Date Published
2011
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This paper contrasts the conditions and services provided juveniles in Colorado's detention facilities for juveniles only and in the State's adult jails that also house juveniles; and it briefly outlines the objectives of the Colorado Juvenile Defender Coalition.
Abstract
In juvenile detention facilities, residents are grouped by age and risk, and there are strict behavioral rules accompanied by increased privileges for good behavior and punitive consequences for violations. Each day is spent in age-related school classes, guided feedback sessions with staff, organized recreation outside or in a gym, and participation in 12-step programs for substance abuse or other appropriate community group activities. In contrast, juveniles housed in adult jails are largely idle, but may receive GED classes for an hour a few times a week. There are no high school or special education classes. There is no adult staff present in juvenile pods to supervise or guide the residents. There is little recreation and no organized gym activities for juveniles. In most jails, juveniles can hear and see adult inmates throughout the day and night. Whereas juvenile facilities have rooms available for contact visits, juveniles in adult jails cannot have physical contact with visiting family members. Regarding solitary confinement, in the Denver County jail, juveniles are locked down in their cells for 22 hours a day, and every meal is served through a slot in the door. If girls are held in an adult jail, they face additional isolation segregated from both adults and juvenile boys. The Colorado Juvenile Defender Coalition, which prepared this paper, was created in 2008 to improve the quality of juvenile representation and the treatment of youth in Colorado's juvenile justice system.