Juvenile Incarceration Down 73% Since 2000

The number of youth held in juvenile justice facilities on a typical day declined from 108,800 in 2000 to 29,300 in 2023, a 73% decrease, according to a recent analysis by The Sentencing Project, which advocates for effective and humane responses to crime that minimize imprisonment and criminalization of youth and adults by promoting racial, ethnic, economic, and gender justice. The decline reflects a drop in the number of youth arrested and less use of incarceration for arrested youth, the analysis stated.

The count combines the number of youth in a detention facility waiting for a court date . . .