How Jurisdictions Can Keep Youth Out of the Deep End of Local Juvenile Justice Systems

The Urban Institute reports that so far, COVID-19 has infected more than 2,500 incarcerated youth. This number spotlights a severe public health impact of incarceration on young people, but evidence has long shown that placing youth in juvenile justice facilities has harmful consequences for them, their families, and their communities. These consequences are particularly extreme for youth of color. COVID-19 has increased the urgency of youth decarceration. New findings from our multiyear developmental evaluation of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s work to prevent out-of-home placements, or youth involvement in the “deep end” of the local jurisdiction’s juvenile justice systems, can help inform communities’ decarceration efforts both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. #mentalhealth #juvenilejustice #racialequity #covid-19