NCJ Number
110683
Journal
State Legislatures Volume: 13 Issue: 3 Dated: (March 1987) Pages: 12-16
Date Published
1987
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article examines different States' approaches to implementing separate lockup facilities for adults and juveniles.
Abstract
Twenty States in the United States have no law controlling the use of adult jails and lockups for children. Where statutes exist, their effectiveness varies substantially from State to State. Only about 15 States have statutes that strongly discourage or fully prohibit the jailing of juveniles. States participating in the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974 must meet a December 1988 deadline for total removal of children in jails, or suffer the loss of Federal funds. In 1986, California passed a law prohibiting confinement of minors in jails for adults. Previously, many of the children in its jails were runaways or castouts from their homes not accused of criminal violations. Some were small children and infants who were victims of neglect. Exceptions to the California law were that jails may be used for minors under adult court jurisdiction, and police and sheriffs' lockups can be used for minors over 14, but only for 6 hours immediately upon arrest. Alternatives to jails for children in different States have ranged from establishing secure rooms in group homes and detention screening systems to installing 'youth attendant' and shelter care programs for juveniles upon arrest.