Rethinking Juvenile Detention in New York City

On any given day, hundreds of juveniles are jailed in one of New York City's three secure juvenile detention centers. Children, most between the ages of 13 and 15, but some as young as 12, are confined in locked facilities while they await trial or placement. Virtually all are African American or Latino and come from the city's poorest neighborhoods. The decision to jail a young person is an extremely costly one—for the city as well as for the individual youngsters. This report analyzes the factors leading to the increased use of juvenile detention in New York City and presents recommendations to reduce the number of youth in secure detention, while simultaneously enhancing public safety and saving tax dollars.