NCJ Number
185164
Editor(s)
Laura Barnitz
Date Published
1999
Length
49 pages
Annotation
The author maintains that, with little regard for international principles and treaties outlining the ideal treatment of incarcerated children, governments routinely fail to apply these principles.
Abstract
The book calls attention to the gap between the promise of the world's highest standards of humane treatment and the real conditions experienced by incarcerated children. The book also contains examples of government and private programs that attempt to improve the treatment of incarcerated children. Following discussions of why children are incarcerated, what happens to children when they are incarcerated, which children are incarcerated and which are put to death, and the effects of incarceration on children, the book identifies three strategies for improvement: (1) Status offenses should not result in incarceration; (2) Community service programs may serve as alternatives to incarceration in some cases; and (3) Secure juvenile facilities should be monitored so that conditions respect children's fundamental human rights. 100 endnotes and 1 table