After reviewing the successes thus far in reducing the number of incarcerated youth nationwide, this report identifies remaining challenges, followed by an outline of key questions juvenile justice policymakers should ask about existing policies that bear on the confinement of youth, and key recommendations are presented for improving outcomes for youth involved with the justice system.
Having recognized the high cost and poor outcomes for incarcerated youth, States reduced the number of incarcerated youth by 53 percent between 1997 and 2013. The majority of youth with confinement sentences now reside in private or locally operated facilities; however, most States do not provide sufficient oversight of these facilities. State policymakers should determine how many youth are placed in private and local residential facilities, for how long, at what cost, and whether assessed reoffending risk for these youth warrants confinement rather than supervision in the community. Policymakers should also determine whether the contracts of facility providers require the provision of evidence-based programs and services proven to reduce recidivism. Ongoing ;program evaluation should also be required. In addition, recidivism rates and other outcomes for confined youth should be measured, so as to channel funding to those programs that are most successful in reducing recidivism. 2 figures