New York’s system of juvenile prisons is broken, with young people battling addiction or mental illness held alongside violent offenders says a new report out by a state panel. The report outlines how juveniles are held in abysmal facilities where they receive little counseling, can be physically abused and rarely get even a basic education.
The state agency overseeing the prisons has asked New York’s Family Court judges not to send youths to any of them unless they are a significant risk to public safety -- recommending alternatives, like therapeutic foster care.
The report, comes three months after a federal investigation found that excessive force was routinely used at four prisons, resulting in injuries as severe as broken bones and shattered teeth. The situation was so serious the Department of Justice, which made the investigation, threatened to take over the system.
According to the task force, the problems uncovered at the four prisons are endemic to the entire system, which houses about 900 young people at 28 facilities around the state.
While some prisons for violent and dangerous offenders should be preserved, the report calls for most to be replaced with a system of smaller centers closer to the communities where most of the families of the imprisoned youth live.
(via The New York Times)
Previously:
- From High School To High Security
- U.S. Shouldn't Jail Youth For Life
- Study Shows Higher Incarceration for Dropouts
The same problems are in our
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