A Bi-Weekly Report on Significant Developments - for Leaders in Criminal Justice Administration

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Marglet

A bi-weekly leaders’ update on significant developments in juvenile justice, police practices, judicial processing, research, planning, and corrections. A Children’s Defense Fund study documents that juveniles remain commonly held in adult jails across multiple states, often for non-violent or no offenses, with wide policy variation and abysmal conditions. The report outlines major findings, urges prohibition of youth detention in adult lockups, and recommends federal and judicial action to end jail abuse.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Juvenile Justice

Report findings on juveniles in adult jails

Major findings by state and demographics

Conditions and legal compliance

Federal and state recommendations

Police

Measuring patrol effectiveness

Police executive research position

VOLUME 8A PUBLICATION OFNUMBER4THE NATIONAL COUNCILFEB.14,1977ON CRIME AND DELINQUENCY # A Bi-Weekly Report on Significant DevelopmentsFor Leaders in Criminal Justice Administration "the [New York Division for Youth]has closedsome 330 training school beds which had been utilizedfor PINS youngsters.By March,we will have closed 475institutional beds in all.”Peter B.Edelman (p.2). Juvenile Justice(1)·Hundreds of thousands ofjuveniles are still held in adult jails,according to Children'sDefense Fund survey·New York State training schoolsare emptied of status offenders. Police(2)·Measuring the effectiveness of special-ized patrols·New Police Executive Research Forum op-poses the IACP on proposed Justice Deptstatistics bureau. Washington Report(3)·Prospective candidatesfor the position of LEAA Administrator;Carlson maystay on at Bureau of Prisons. Judicial Process(4)·Experiment tests method tospeed the appellate process. Research,Reports(4)·Criminal justice spendingjumped 64%in the first half of the 1970's. Criminal Justice Planning(5)·Criminal JusticeCoordinating Councils hindered by LEAA red tape? ●Planning structures for medium-sized cities. Corrections(6)·Bureau of Prisons adopts per-manent policy easing news reporters'access to inmates ●Philadelphia signs agreement to improve institutionalconditions ·Commission recommends guidelines forresearch on prisoners. # JIVENILE JISTICE REPORT FINDS HOLDING OF JUVENILESIN ADULT JAILS STILL COMMON PRACTICE Based on an extensive study of local jails and policelockups in nine states,the Children's Defense Fund reportsthat throughout the country,often in violation of law,children are still being incarcerated in adult jails. In its study Children in Adult Jails,released lastmonth,CDF found that,"Children are in adult jails inevery state we visited....No region of the country wasimmune from the practice.Children were found in jailsin cities,medium size counties and sparsely populatedrural areas....On serious charges or for no reason at all.Held by police with no formal charges filed,awaiting ahearing,pending a court disposition,waiting to be trans-ferred to a juvenile facility or serving their sentence injail-children with all these characteristics were foundin jail.” The study,funded by the Edna McConnell ClarkFoundation,was directed by former New York Statefamily court judge Justine Wise Polier and former NCCDregional director Donald Rademacher. Judge Polier commented:"National estimates thatas many as half a million children are held in adult jailsannually are conservative because they fail to take intoaccount the many children hidden away in small jailswhich elude the Census-taker's map and tally.” Major Findings.Project staff visited 449 jails inFlorida,Georgia,Indiana,Maryland,New Jersey,Ohio,South Carolina,Texas and Virginia and interviewed dozensof sources.Salient findings included the following: ■In every state,jails held children.Overall,38%ofthe jails visited held children as a matter of policy,and an additional 14.7%said they occasionally held children.States varied considerably,from Virginia's 93%to Florida's 7.5%of jails which held juveniles. ●The overwhelming majority of children found inadult jails were not detained for violent crimes and couldnot be considered a threat to themselves or their commu-nities.Only 11.7%were charged with serious offensesagainst persons.Almost 18%of the jailed juveniles werestatus offenders.An additional 4.3%had committed nooffense at all but were held because they had no placeelse to go. ●While the majority of jailed youngsters were white,a disproportionate number-31.8%-were minority.Fourout of every five were male.Many younger children are inadult jails:34.2%were 14 and 15years old,and morethan 9%were 13 years or younger. ●The length of time and the reason children werein jails were often in violation of state laws.For example,some states permit jailing of juveniles o

FAQs

What does the Children’s Defense Fund report claim about juveniles held in adult jails?

The report states that juveniles are still incarcerated in adult jails across every state visited, sometimes in violation of law and for a wide range of situations, including pending hearings or lack of appropriate placement.

What proportion of visited jails held children, and how did states differ?

Overall, 38% of the visited jails held children as a matter of policy, and 14.7% did so occasionally. Reported rates varied greatly, from 93% in Virginia to 7.5% in Florida.

What recommendations does the report make to reduce or eliminate detention of youth in adult facilities?

States are urged to legislate an immediate, complete prohibition on holding youths under 18 in adult jails or lockups and to fund adequate alternatives. Federally, it calls for ending Bureau of Prisons contracting with local jails for juvenile detention and amending relevant legislation to prohibit jailing children.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Marglet