Transforming Closed Youth Prisons

Between 1999 and 2015, the number of youth detained or placed out of home fell by more than half, leading to hundreds of youth prison closures. Over roughly the same period, the number of operational youth correctional facilities dropped 42 percent. Vacant facilities bring a range of fiscal, public health, and safety concerns to communities and act as physical reminders of the harmful impact of incarceration. Left vacant and unchanged, youth facilities could be reopened as prisons.