{{Short description|Type of prison for people under the age of majority}} {{For|youth prisons in the UK|His Majesty's Young Offender Institution}} {{Redirect|Youth authority|the album by Good Charlotte|Youth Authority{{!}}''Youth Authority''}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}{{Use American English|date=November 2020}}{{Globalise|date=August 2024}}
[[File:HarrisCoJuvenileDetentionCenter.JPG|thumb|Harris County Juvenile Detention Center, Houston, Texas|right]]In the US criminal justice system, a '''youth detention center''' ('''YDC''') may also be referred to as a '''juvenile detention center''' ('''JDC'''),<ref name="Juvieabbreviations">Stahl, Dean, Karen Kerchelich, and Ralph De Sola. ''Abbreviations Dictionary''. CRC Press, 2001. [https://books.google.com/books?id=-TnjkhLA_q8C&dq=%22Juvenile+detention+center%22dictionary&pg=PA1202 1202] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614090543/https://books.google.com/books?id=-TnjkhLA_q8C&pg=PA1202&dq=%22Juvenile+detention+center%22dictionary&hl=en&ei=mDNzTPaUB4WClAfz8oW7AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA |date=14 June 2017 }}. Retrieved 23 August 2010. {{ISBN|0-8493-9003-6}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8493-9003-6}}.</ref> '''juvenile detention''', '''juvenile jail''', '''juvenile hall''', '''observation home''' and a '''remand home'''.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-05-01|title=Short Notes on Remand Homes (Observation Homes)|url=https://www.preservearticles.com/notes/short-notes-on-the-remand-homes-observation-homes/28864|access-date=2021-02-17|website=PreserveArticles.com: Preserving Your Articles for Eternity|archive-date=7 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307182916/https://www.preservearticles.com/notes/short-notes-on-the-remand-homes-observation-homes/28864|url-status=dead}}</ref> Colloquially it is often referred to as "'''juvie'''". A YDC or JDC is a prison for youth offenders under the age of 18, also legally referred to as minors or under the age of majority. Juvenile offenders are tried in juvenile court, which is a separate system for youth offenders. After arrest as well as depending upon many factors, such as the frequency and nature of their crimes, juveniles either await trial or placement in a long-term care program, with the goal of rehabilitation.<ref name="OJJDP 2006 Report">{{cite journal|author1=Snyder, H.|author2=Sickmund, M.|name-list-style=amp|title=Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 2006 National Report|journal=OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book|date=March 2006|pages=93–96|url=http://ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/publications/StatBBAbstract.asp?BibID=234394|access-date=9 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512114143/http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/publications/StatBBAbstract.asp?BibID=234394|archive-date=12 May 2012}}</ref>
Some juveniles are released directly back into the community and must undergo community-based rehabilitative programs. Those offenders who are determined by the court to pose a greater threat to society and to themselves are sentenced to a full-time, supervised juvenile detention center.<ref name="OJJDP 2005 Bulletin">{{cite journal |last=Austin |first=James |author2=Kelly Dedel Johnson |author3=Ronald Weitzer |date=September 2005 |title=Alternatives to the Secure Detention and Confinement of Juvenile Offenders |url=https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/Abstract.aspx?id=208804 |url-status=dead |journal=OJJDP Juvenile Justice Bulletin |issue=5 |pages=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223225619/http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=208804 |archive-date=23 February 2010 |access-date=9 October 2011}}</ref> If a juvenile is sent to a juvenile detention center, there are two types of facilities: secure detention and secure confinement.<ref name="OJJDP 2005 Bulletin" />
Secure detention means that juveniles are held for usually short periods of time in facilities in order to await current trial hearings and further placement decisions.<ref name="OJJDP 2005 Bulletin" /> By holding juveniles in secure detention, it ensures their appearance in court and also keeps the community safe.<ref name="OJJDP 2005 Bulletin" /> This type of facility is usually called "juvenile hall" ("juvie"), which is a holding center for juvenile delinquents.<ref name="Juvieabbreviations"/> On the other hand, secure confinement implies that the juvenile has been committed by the court into the custody of a secure juvenile correctional facility for the duration of a specific program, which can span from a few months to many years.<ref name="OJJDP 2005 Bulletin" />
Juvenile detention is not intended to be punitive<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Juvenile Justice System: The Impact of Rehabilitation on Juvenile Custody |url=https://bostonbar.org/journal/the-juvenile-justice-system-the-impact-of-rehabilitation-on-juvenile-custody/ |access-date=2026-05-20 |website=Boston Bar Association |language=en-US}}</ref>. The goal of secure custody is to provide the offenders with care consistent with the doctrine of ''parens patriae'', or "the state as parent". The state or local jurisdiction is usually responsible for providing education, recreation, health care, assessment, counseling and other intervention services with the intent of maintaining a youth's well-being during their stay in custody.<ref name="Laws: services and programs" />
Generally speaking, secure detention is reserved for juveniles considered to be a threat to public safety or the court process, though in many cases, youths are held for violating a court order. Status offenders, i.e., juveniles charged with running away from home, alcohol possession, and other offenses that are not crimes if committed by adults, may only be held for 24 hours or less,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ncc.state.ne.us/pdf/jail_standards/jail_bulletins/38.PDF|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727110347/http://www.ncc.state.ne.us/pdf/jail_standards/jail_bulletins/38.PDF|title=Jail Bulletin |archivedate=27 July 2011|website=www.ncc.state.ne.us}}</ref> while initial case investigation is completed, and other alternatives are arranged.{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}}
There does not currently exist a uniform, cohesive definition for juvenile residential treatment programs. Within the categories of secure detention and secure confinement for juveniles, the overarching name of these facilities is "residential programs". Five overarching types of residential programs where a juvenile may be placed while in court custody are:<ref name="OJJDP Residential Programs Guide">{{cite web|title=OJJDP Model Programs Guide: Residential|url=http://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/residential.aspx?continuum=residential|work=OJJDP Model Programs Guide|publisher=Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention|access-date=29 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927053204/http://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/residential.aspx?continuum=residential|archive-date=27 September 2011}}</ref> The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention found the five types of residential programs for juveniles to be a broad range, which included detention, corrections, camp, community based, and residential treatment.<ref name="OJJDP Residential Programs Guide" /> The wide variety in juvenile placement options is due to the lack of a uniform definition of these residential treatment programs.<ref name="OJJDP Residential Programs Guide" /> Without a federal, uniform definition, this creates a lack of uniformity across all 50 states and the diverse and often confusing names for centers for "secure detention" and "secure confinement" for juvenile offenders.<ref name="OJJDP Residential Programs Guide" />
==Services provided to the youth==
Many services are supposed to be provided to the youth at both detention centers and confinement facilities. Services vary from facility to facility, but in general the programs and services provided to the youth are geared toward the juvenile's needs.<ref name="Laws: services and programs">{{cite web|title=What are the Programs and Services Provided|url=http://children-laws.laws.com/juvenile-law/juvenile-detention/programs-and-services-provided|work=Juvenile Detention Laws|publisher=laws.com|access-date=10 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130127184537/http://children-laws.laws.com/juvenile-law/juvenile-detention/programs-and-services-provided|archive-date=27 January 2013}}</ref> At the core, juvenile facilities function as rehabilitative institutions for youth. Education is seen by many as the primary rehabilitative service that must be provided to detained youth.<ref name="OJJDP Bulletin 1994 pg 2">{{cite |last=Gemignani|first=Robert J.|title=OJJDP Juvenile Justice Bulletin|date=October 1994|pages=2}}</ref> Highly effective schools within juvenile facilities provide high school curriculum, opportunities for General Equivalency Diploma (GED) preparation, special education services, certified teachers, small student to teacher ratio, connection with families, and vocational training opportunities.<ref name="OJJDP Bulletin 1994 pg 2"/> Despite state and federal requirements, there are many problems with the educational systems in juvenile detention centers. Many institutions do not provide basic education services, and in others, children only receive a fraction of the state-mandated instructional time, and classes are not based on a coherent curriculum. (Katherine Twomey, The right to Education in Juvenile Detention Under State Constitutions, p. 766). Some facilities do not have designated classrooms, libraries, or even books, and the teachers are often poorly trained, and are not trained in how to deal with special needs of children in detention. (Id. at 767.) Despite these shortcomings, there have been very few consequences to states for violating the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, (Id. at 779.); therefore, states do not have much incentive to improve standards to achieve compliance.
===Mental health===
There is a long-standing connection found in research between youth who commit crimes and mental health concerns.<ref name="Mental Health pg 108-109">{{cite journal|last=Underwood|first=Lee A. |author2=Annie Phillips |author3=Kara von Dresner |author4=Pamela D.Knight|title=Critical Factors in Mental Health Programming For Juveniles in Corrections Facilities|journal=International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy|year=2006|volume=2|issue=1|pages=108–109|doi=10.1037/h0100771 |doi-access=free}}</ref> A remarkably high population of juveniles present serious mental health illness within juvenile facilities.<ref name="Mental Health pg 107">{{cite journal|last=Underwood|first=Lee A. |author2=Annie Phillips |author3=Kara von Dresner |author4=Pamela D.Knight|title=Critical Factors in Mental Health Programming For Juveniles in Corrections Facilities|journal=International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy|year=2006|volume=2|issue=1|pages=107|doi=10.1037/h0100771 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Since juvenile detention facilities operate on the foundation of rehabilitating the youth, different mental health programs are provided by facilities to help the youth rehabilitate. It is the expectation that juvenile detention centers and juvenile institutions provide mental health services to their residents.<ref name="Mental Health pg 108">{{cite journal|last=Underwood|first=Lee A. |author2=Annie Phillips |author3=Kara von Dresner |author4=Pamela D.Knight|title=Critical Factors in Mental Health Programming For Juveniles in Corrections Facilities|journal=International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy|year=2006|volume=2|issue=1|pages=108|doi=10.1037/h0100771 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The incarcerated youth population requires careful and structured intervention, which must be provided by the facilities.<ref name="Mental Health pg 108" />
Many different mental health treatment strategies exist for juveniles.<ref name="Mental Health pg 123">{{cite journal|last=Underwood|first=Lee A. |author2=Annie Phillips |author3=Kara von Dresner |author4=Pamela D.Knight|title=Critical Factors in Mental Health Programming For Juveniles in Corrections Facilities|journal=International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy|year=2006|volume=2|issue=1|pages=123|doi=10.1037/h0100771 |doi-access=free}}</ref> It is the responsibility of case management to decide what type of intervention strategy works best for each youth in their mental health treatment plan.<ref name="Mental Health pg 123" /> Mental health services that can be provided to the youth include, individual counseling, group counseling, crisis counseling, family intervention, medication management, and transition planning.<ref name="Mental Health pgs 123-125">{{cite journal|last=Underwood|first=Lee A. |author2=Annie Phillips |author3=Kara von Dresner |author4=Pamela D.Knight|title=Critical Factors in Mental Health Programming For Juveniles in Corrections Facilities|journal=International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy|year=2006|volume=2|issue=1|pages=123–125|doi=10.1037/h0100771 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
===Education=== Education is seen by many as the cornerstone of youth rehabilitation. Many landmark court cases, such as the 1981 case of ''Green v. Johnson'', have given way to juveniles receiving their educational rights while incarcerated.<ref name="Special Ed Laws Article pg 177">{{cite journal|last=Morris|first=Richard J.|author2=Kristin C. Thompson |title=Juvenile Delinquency and Special Education Laws: Policy Implementation Issues and Directions for Future Research|journal=The Journal of Correctional Education|date=June 2008|volume=59|issue=2|pages=177}}</ref> ''Green v. Johnson'' (1981) ruled that incarcerated students do not have to give up their rights to an education while incarcerated.<ref name="Special Ed website">{{cite web|title=Special Education in Correctional Facilities|url=http://www.edjj.org/Publications/pub05_01_00.html|work=Publications|publisher=The National Center on Education, Disability and Juvenile Justice|access-date=10 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425053235/http://www.edjj.org/Publications/pub05_01_00.html|archive-date=25 April 2012}}</ref>
Despite research stating the need for strong educational programs in juvenile detention facilities, there does not exist a uniform standard for education in juvenile facilities as education settings in juvenile facilities greatly vary across the country.<ref name="Disabilities in Correctional Facilities Website" /> The overseer of the school within the juvenile facility differs from state to state.<ref name="Disabilities in Correctional Facilities Website" /> Some schools within juvenile detention facilities are decentralized, some are centralized and run by school districts, and others are overseen by a State education agency.<ref name="Disabilities in Correctional Facilities Website" /> A Swedish ethnographic study of education in juvenile detention illuminates the struggles faced by staff and young people regarding schoolwork, including overcoming staff skepticism and dealing with pupils’ school sabotage.<ref>Wästerfors, D. (2025). Education in Youth Detention Homes: An Ethnographic Study of Schooling Against the Odds (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003582137</ref>
====Special education==== There is a large percentage of incarcerated juveniles who are diagnosed as students with special needs.<ref name="Disabilities in Correctional Facilities Website">{{cite web|title=Special Education in Correctional Facilities|url=http://www.edjj.org/Publications/list/osep_rehabsvrs-1999.html|work=Publications|publisher=The National Center on Education, Disability and Juvenile Justice|access-date=10 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425054237/http://www.edjj.org/Publications/list/osep_rehabsvrs-1999.html|archive-date=25 April 2012}}</ref> Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), youths with disabilities in correctional facilities are entitled to special education and related services regardless of incarceration status.<ref name="Disabilities in Correctional Facilities Website" /> The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) requires State Education Agencies to ensure that special education services are being provided at juvenile facilities.<ref name="Disabilities in Correctional Facilities Website" /><ref name="Special Ed Laws Article pg 174">{{cite journal|last=Morris|first=Richard J.|author2=Kristin C. Thompson |title=Juvenile Delinquency and Special Education Laws: Policy Implementation Issues and Directions for Future Research|journal=The Journal of Correctional Education|date=June 2008|volume=59|issue=2|pages=174}}</ref>
Being that there is a wide variety a short term or long term stay.<ref name="Special Ed Laws Article pg 177" />
There is a grave presence of juveniles who are classified as youth with disabilities.<ref name="Special Ed Laws Article pg 174" /> The disabilities most prevalent in incarcerated juveniles include intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, and emotional disturbances.<ref name="Leone pg 44">{{cite journal|last=Leone|first=Peter E.|title=Education Services For Youth With Disabilities in a State-Operated Juvenile Correctional System: Case Study and Analysis|journal=The Journal of Special Education|year=1994|volume=28|issue=1|pages=44|doi=10.1177/002246699402800104|s2cid=143082764}}</ref> Surveys and studies have found that a high number of incarcerated youth suffer from emotional disturbance disabilities as opposed to youth in general public schools.<ref name="Special Ed Laws Article pg 175">{{cite journal|last=Morris|first=Richard J.|author2=Kristin C. Thompson |title=Juvenile Delinquency and Special Education Laws: Policy Implementation Issues and Directions for Future Research|journal=The Journal of Correctional Education|date=June 2008|volume=59|issue=2|pages=175}}</ref> Even with key court decisions and acts, it has been found that a large number of juveniles held at both detention centers and confinement facilities are not being served the special education services they should be provided by law.<ref name="Special Ed Laws Article pg 185">{{cite journal|last=Morris|first=Richard J.|author2=Kristin C. Thompson |title=Juvenile Delinquency and Special Education Laws: Policy Implementation Issues and Directions for Future Research|journal=The Journal of Correctional Education|date=June 2008|volume=59|issue=2|pages=185}}</ref> It has been found that many juvenile detention institutions have struggling special education programs, especially for those centers that detain youth for short periods of time.<ref name="Leone pg 43">{{cite journal|last=Leone|first=Peter E.|title=Education Services For Youth With Disabilities in a State-Operated Juvenile Correctional System: Case Study and Analysis|journal=The Journal of Special Education|year=1994|volume=28|issue=1|pages=43|doi=10.1177/002246699402800104|s2cid=143082764}}</ref>
====Zero tolerance policies in juvenile court schools==== {{Original research section|date=April 2018}}
''Juvenile court schools'' provide public education for juveniles who are incarcerated in facilities run by county probation departments. These schools are located in juvenile halls, juvenile homes, day centers, ranches, camps, and regional youth education facilities and are operated by the county board of education. Even though court schools have the same school curriculum, they are often more strict in discipline that is more punitive than holistic. The most disadvantaged and "troubled" students are filling up schools in the juvenile justice system. These students are often further behind in credits and with more personal and structural problems than their counterparts at traditional schools.{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}} The majority of these teenagers struggle with learning disabilities, which ties with noticeable behavioral problems, and are experiencing emotional and psychological problems at home. Zero tolerance policies seem to be more strict in the juvenile justice system than in other traditional schools. In a juvenile court school, when a student violates a zero tolerance rule they automatically are prone to suspension and eventually going back to a detention center for its violation. In contrast, a student from a traditional school is more likely to get a second chance for its violation. Zero Tolerance policies are enforced in a greater manner in juvenile court schools than in other traditional schools.{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}}
The rules at juvenile court schools are strict and are based on zero tolerance policies. Zero Tolerance Policies may serve more to "push students further out of school and into the school-to-prison pipeline than to re engage them".<ref>journal Kennedy-Lewis, B. (2015). Second Chance or No Chance? A Case Study of One Urban Alternative Middle School. Journal of Educational Change, 16(2), 145.</ref> Students are being harshly punished for minor incidents that should be fixed without having to involve severe consequences. Zero tolerance policies have taken over the role of education. The definition of Zero Tolerance Policies is described in the article, A Study of Zero Tolerance Policies in Schools: A Multi-Integrated Systems Approach to Improve Outcomes for Adolescents, as "…a widespread application to minor offenses can be attributed to the "Broken Windows" theory of crime. This theory analogizes the spread of crime to a few broken windows in a building that go un-repaired and consequently attract vagrants who break more windows and soon become squatters".<ref>journal Teske, S. C. (2011). A study of zero tolerance policies in schools: A multi‐integrated systems approach to improve outcomes for adolescents. Journal of Child And Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 24(2), 88-97</ref>
Stephen Hoffman in his article, "Zero Benefit: Estimating the Effect of Zero Tolerance Discipline Policies on Racial Disparities in School Discipline" states that, "...zero tolerance discipline policies are associated with poorer school climate, lower student achievement, higher dropout rates…"<ref>Hoffman, S. (2014). Zero Benefit: Estimating the Effect of Zero Tolerance Discipline Policies on Racial Disparities in School Discipline. Educational Policy, 28(1), 69. </ref> At juvenile court schools, students are expected to follow a set of rules. The rules at the Court Schools differ from those at traditional schools; they are more punitive.
==Concerns and criticism== {{Warning | Some references in this section are outdated (15 years for the number of juvenile cases)}}
Two major concerns in regard to juvenile detention centers and long-term confinement facilities have been raised: overcrowding and ineffectiveness. As the number of juvenile cases has increased in the past 15 years, so has the number of juveniles spending time in secure and confined facilities.<ref name="OJJDP 2005 Report Pg 2">{{cite journal|last=Austin|first=James|author2=Kelly Dedel Johnson|author3=Ronald Weitzer|title=Alternatives to the Secure Detention and Confinement of Juvenile Offenders|journal=OJJDP Juvenile Justice Bulletin|date=September 2005|issue=5|pages=2|url=https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/Abstract.aspx?id=208804|access-date=10 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223225619/http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=208804|archive-date=23 February 2010}}</ref> As a result, the system has become overcrowded, often leading to a shortage of available beds.<ref name="OJJDP 2005 Report Pg 2" />
Overcrowding exists in many facilities for juveniles,<ref name="CJJ Fact Sheet">{{cite web|title=Conditions of Confinement for Young Offenders|url=http://www.juvjustice.org/factsheets.html|work=Fact Sheets|publisher=Coalition for Juvenile Justice|access-date=29 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027210829/http://juvjustice.org/factsheets.html|archive-date=27 October 2011}}</ref> and in overcrowded juvenile detention centers and correctional facilities increased violence can occur.<ref name="OJJDP 2005 Report Pg 2" /> Furthermore, overcrowding can lead to a shortage of necessary and promised programs and services in the facility.<ref name="OJJDP 2005 Report Pg 2" /> Underfunding an overcrowded facility can lead to a shortage of services for the youth, such as education and mental health services.<ref name="Laws: services and programs" />
Apart from overcrowding, the overall efficacy of juvenile secure facilities in the life of youth has been questioned.<ref name="OJJDP 2005 Report Pg 2" /> The high juvenile recidivism rate has caused many critics to question the overall efficacy of secure detention centers and confinement facilities.<ref name="OJJDP 2005 Report Pg 2" />
Some Youth Detention Centers have earned a street term known as "Gladiator Schools" by the wards who were incarcerated there. An oral history of stories from inside the California Youth Authority is documented by David Reeve (2017-2024). "[http://www.gladiatorschool.org Gladiator School: Stories from Inside YTS] (An oral history from those who were incarcerated in the California Youth Authority)".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Eric |first1=Licas |title=Brea photographer uncovers hidden history of one of California’s most violent youth prisons |url=https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2024-09-14/brea-photographer-uncovers-hidden-history-of-youth-training-school-one-of-californias-most-violent-youth-prisons |publisher=Los Angeles Times |date=September 14, 2024}}</ref>
==Systems== ===United States=== There were 45,567 total juveniles in detention facilities in 2016. 32,301 juveniles were in a public facility. 13,266 were in a private facility.<ref>JRFC Databook, accessed 22 August 2018.</ref> A Department of Justice survey found that about 12% of youth in juvenile facilities reported at least one incident of sexual abuse by staff or other inmates in a 12-month period, with some facilities reporting rates substantially higher than the national average.<ref>{{cite news |title=Survey of Juveniles Charged in Adult Criminal Court, 2012 |url=https://bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pdf/svjfry12.pdf |work=Bureau of Justice Statistics |access-date=February 13, 2026}}</ref>
====Connecticut==== In 1870, Long Lane School was built on donated land in Middletown.<ref>{{cite thesis |last1=Leavitt |first1=Sarah A. |title=Neglected, Vagrant, and Viciously Inclined: The Girls of the Connecticut Industrial School, 1867–1917 |date=1992 |type=BA thesis |publisher=Wesleyan University |doi=10.14418/wes01.1.467 |url=https://digitalcollections.wesleyan.edu/object/ir-195 |language=en|doi-access=free }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=March 2023}} However, it became the Connecticut Juvenile Training School (CJTS) in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cslib.org/agencies/longlaneschool.htm |title=Brief Descriptions of Connecticut State Agencies: Long Lane School |website=Connecticut State Library |date=July 2008 |access-date=6 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912014239/http://www.cslib.org/agencies/LongLaneSchool.htm |archive-date=12 September 2012 }}</ref> CJTS was a treatment facility dedicated to delinquent boys from age 12–17.<ref name="ct.gov">{{cite web|url=http://www.ct.gov/dcf/cwp/view.asp?a%3D2550%26q%3D314444#CJTS |title= Juvenile Services |date=August 23, 2012 |website=Connecticut Department of Children and Families |access-date=6 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015175448/http://www.ct.gov/dcf/cwp/view.asp?a=2550&q=314444 |archive-date=15 October 2012 }}</ref> There had been numerous controversies and scandals associated with CJTS between 1998 and 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/2005/08/02/a-chronology-of-failure-a-brief-history-of-the-connecticut-juvenile-training-school/|title=A Chronology of Failure A Brief History of the Connecticut Juvenile Training School|work=tribunedigital-thecourant |date=August 2, 2005 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20120907093127/http://articles.courant.com/2005-08-02/news/0508020086_1_smaller-regional-facilities-state-s-juvenile-justice-system-attorney-general-richard-blumenthal/2|archive-date=7 September 2012}}</ref> In 2005, Governor Jodi Rell attempted to close the facility, but it was instead reformed in 2008 by The Department of Children & Families.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Hu0gAAAAIBAJ&pg=4718,187945&dq=juvenile+training+school+change&hl=en|title=Rell to close Juvenile Training Center |work=The Day |via=Google News Archive Search |date=Aug 1, 2005 |first1=Cara |last1=Rubinsky |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405032326/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Hu0gAAAAIBAJ&pg=4718,187945 |archive-date= Apr 5, 2024 }}</ref> The new CJTS featured a therapeutic model which was developed with assistance from The Boys & Girls Clubs of America.<ref name="ct.gov"/> The school was shut down without replacement in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |agency=Middletown Press |title=State closes Connecticut Juvenile Training School in Middletown |url=http://www.connecticutmag.com/state-closes-connecticut-juvenile-training-school-in-middletown/article_346192c6-3f4c-11e8-bc43-236889be5bec.html |date=13 April 2018 |publisher=Connecticut Magazine |access-date=8 May 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508043725/http://www.connecticutmag.com/state-closes-connecticut-juvenile-training-school-in-middletown/article_346192c6-3f4c-11e8-bc43-236889be5bec.html |archive-date= 8 May 2019 }}</ref>
====District of Columbia==== The Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) is the District of Columbia's head juvenile justice agency and is responsible for placing DC community youth who are in its oversight in detention, commitment, and aftercare programs.<ref name="about DYRS">{{cite web|title= Who We Are|url=http://dyrs.dc.gov/DC/DYRS/About+DYRS/Who+We+Are|publisher=Department of Youth Rehabilitative Services|access-date=29 October 2011|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124142428/http://dyrs.dc.gov/DC/DYRS/About+DYRS/Who+We+Are|archive-date=24 November 2011}}</ref>
DYRS offers and operates a range of services and placements for their committed youth. The secure centers that DYRS operates are Youth Services Center (YSC) and New Beginnings Youth Development Center.<ref name="DYRS facilities">{{cite web|title=DYRS Facilities|url=http://dyrs.dc.gov/DC/DYRS/Youth+Services/DYRS+Facilities|publisher=Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services|access-date=29 October 2011|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124150515/http://dyrs.dc.gov/DC/DYRS/Youth+Services/DYRS+Facilities|archive-date=24 November 2011}}</ref> YSC is the District's secure detention center.<ref name="DYRS facilities" /> New Beginnings Youth Development Center is a secure confinement facility for the District's committed youth.<ref name="DYRS facilities" />
YSC is operated by DYRS as the District of Columbia's secure juvenile detention center, which was opened in 2004.<ref name="DYRS: YSC">{{cite web|title=Youth Services Center|url=http://dyrs.dc.gov/DC/DYRS/Youth+Services/DYRS+Facilities/Youth+Services+Center |publisher=Department of Youth Rehabilitative Services Facilities |access-date=29 October 2011|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502183023/http://dyrs.dc.gov/DC/DYRS/Youth+Services/DYRS+Facilities/Youth+Services+Center|archive-date=2 May 2012}}</ref> It is an 88-bed facility for male and female detained (not committed) youth who have been accused of delinquent acts and are awaiting their court hearings.<ref name="DYRS: YSC" /> YSC's meets the required needs of the youth it serves. Education services in YSC are provided by the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), which delivers a range of services to the residents.<ref name="DYRS: YSC" /> The facility also provides programs and services to meet the essential mental health, emotional, physical, and social needs of the youth.<ref name="DYRS: YSC" /> YSC provides a secure and humane environment and coordinates all court meetings and team meetings for its youth.<ref name="DYRS: YSC" /> Above all else, YSC makes certain that the protection of the legal rights of the juveniles are being upheld.<ref name="DYRS: YSC" />
New Beginnings Youth Development Center is another secure DYRS operation.<ref>{{cite web|title=New Beginnings Youth Development Center|url=http://dyrs.dc.gov/service/new-beginnings-youth-development-center|work=Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services|publisher=DC.Gov: District of Columbia Government|access-date=10 September 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911221945/http://dyrs.dc.gov/service/new-beginnings-youth-development-center|archive-date=11 September 2015}}</ref> The center is a 60-bed, all-male secure center for DC's most serious youth delinquents.<ref name="DYRS: New Beginnings">{{cite web|title=New Beginnings Youth Development Center|url=http://dc.gov/DC/DYRS/Youth+Services/DYRS+Facilities/New+Beginnings+Youth+Development+Center|work=DYRS Facilities|publisher=Department of Youth Rehabilitative|access-date=29 October 2011|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120229203511/http://dc.gov/DC/DYRS/Youth+Services/DYRS+Facilities/New+Beginnings+Youth+Development+Center | archive-date=29 February 2012}}</ref> The $46 million facility<ref name="OakHillEmptied">Pierre, Robert E. "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/28/AR2009052803747.html Oak Hill Center Emptied And Its Baggage Left Behind] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302072501/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/28/AR2009052803747.html |date=2 March 2017 }}." ''The Washington Post''. Friday 29 May 2009. Retrieved on 7 October 2010.</ref> opened in 2009<ref name="NewStart">" {{cite news | url = http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/052909_new_start_oak_hill_youth_center | title = New Start for Oak Hill Youth Center | first = Claudia | last = Coffey | location = Laurel, Maryland | work = My Fox DC | date = 29 May 2009 | access-date = 7 October 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091017023258/http://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/news/local/052909_new_start_oak_hill_youth_center | archive-date=17 October 2009}}</ref> in unincorporated Anne Arundel County, Maryland,<ref name="Map">"[https://web.archive.org/web/20101108092215/http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2009/05/29/GR2009052900126.gif GR2009052900126.gif]." ''The Washington Post''. Retrieved on 7 October 2010.</ref> near Laurel. New Beginnings replaced the Oak Hill Youth Center,<ref name="OakHillEmptied"/> which was located {{convert|.5|mi|km}} away<ref name="NewStart"/> in unincorporated Anne Arundel County.<ref name="Map"/>
The main goal of New Beginnings is to provide residents with 24-hour supervision as well as programs and services that allow for successful transitions back into the DC community.<ref name="DYRS: New Beginnings" /> The services provided include educational, recreation, medical, dental, and mental health programs.<ref name="DYRS: New Beginnings" /> DYRS created a partnership with the See Forever Foundation to provide the educational services of Maya Angelou Academy for the residents.<ref name="DYRS: New Beginnings" /> Behavioral health staff oversee the mental health programs.<ref name="DYRS: New Beginnings" /> The facility is a 9–12-month program, which is modeled after the very successful Missouri Model.<ref name="DYRS: New Beginnings" />
Maya Angelou Academy was founded in 2008, first at Oak Hill Youth Center, and now is the education program serving DYRS committed youth at New Beginnings Youth Development Center.<ref name="MAA on SFF">{{cite web|title=Maya Angelou Academy|url=http://seeforever.org/the-schools/maya-angelou-academy|work=Maya Angelou Schools|publisher=See Forever Foundation|access-date=31 October 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907145716/http://seeforever.org/the-schools/maya-angelou-academy|archive-date=7 September 2011}}</ref> Maya Angelou Academy is part of the Maya Angelou Charter School Network in the DC area.<ref name="MAA on SFF" /> The academy provides a safe, structured, and intensive learning environment to the youth it serves at New Beginnings Youth Development Center.<ref name="MAA on SFF" />
====Pennsylvania==== PA Child Care is a detention center in Pennsylvania, US. It was part of the kids for cash scandal in which judges were given kickbacks in exchange for imposing harsh sentences on youth offenders so that the detention centers would get business.<ref name="wsj-frank">{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123854010220075533|title=Thomas Frank Says 'Kids for Cash' Incentivizes the Prison Industry|last=Frank|first=Thomas|date=1 April 2009|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=2009-08-25|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205023343/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123854010220075533|archive-date=5 February 2015}}</ref>
==Canada== {{See also|List of youth detention incidents in Canada}} Youth detention in Canada is governed by the federal Youth Criminal Justice Act. Facilities are administered by provincial and territorial governments. Historically many of these centers were known as "training schools" which operated under the Juvenile Delinquents Act (1908–1984). Many former residents have come forward with allegations of physical, sexual, and psychological trauma, leading to multi-million dollar settlements.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.ourwindsor.ca/news/they-say-they-suffered-cruel-and-sadistic-abuse-as-kids-at-ontario-training-schools-and/article_f2e71dbc-757d-50cc-8511-aa00715d41a9.html | title=They say they suffered ‘cruel and sadistic’ abuse as kids at Ontario training schools — and the province paid them to keep quiet | website=www.ourwindsor.ca | date=2017-12-08 | author=Kenyon Wallace}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/morning-file/three-men-say-they-were-sexually-abused-as-teenagers-at-the-nova-scotia-youth-training-centre/ | title= Three men say they were sexually abused as teenagers at the Nova Scotia Youth Training Centre | website=www.halifaxexaminer.ca | date=2018-09-07 | author=Tim Bousquet}}</ref> Modern centers are designed to look less like traditional prisons, featuring educational spaces, mental health services, and reintegration programs.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.parkin.ca/insight/trends-in-correctional-facility-design/ | title= Trends in Correctional Facility Design | website=www.parkin.ca | date=2018-07-24}}</ref>
=== Ontario === Youth detention centers in Ontario fall under the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, operating within the rules of the federal Youth Criminal Justice Act. These secure custody facilities house youth aged 12–17 who are in pre-trial detention or serving sentences for offenses. In response to declining custody populations the Government of Ontario announced the closure of 26 youth custody March 1, 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last=Becken |first=Bob |date=11 June 2024 |title=Ontario youth detention centres at overcapacity, creating concerns as another is set to close |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/ontario-overcrowding-youth-detention-centres-1.7230248 |work=CBC News |access-date=11 May 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.ontario.ca/page/youth-justice-system | title= Youth justice system | website=www.ontario.ca}}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|Law}} *Boot camp *Borstal *Juvenile delinquency *List of youth detention center incidents in Ontario *Reform School *Solitary confinement#Juveniles *Young offender *Youth services
'''Nation specific:''' *Australia **Punishment in Australia **Northern Territory ***Juvenile detention in the Northern Territory *United States **Juvenile delinquency in the United States **Youth incarceration in the United States *Youth Offending Team *Philippines **Children in jail in the Philippines *Indonesian children in Australian prisons *New Zealand **Youth justice in New Zealand
==References== {{Reflist|35em}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Juvenile detention centers}} * "[https://web.archive.org/web/20050729233104/http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/juveniles/ Children Behind Bars]" – TIME
{{Incarceration}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Youth Detention Center}} Category:Youth detention centers Category:Imprisonment and detention