75% Of West Virginia Youth In Juvenile Justice Out-Of-Home Placements Were Low-Risk Offenders

In 2012, 75% of  juvenile-justice youth who were in out-of-home placements in West Virginia were considered low-risk offenders. About half of juvenile justice-involved youth in the state who were placed in out-of-home facilities in 2012 had no prior justice system involvement. In light of these statistics, on December 1, 2014, a state task force recommended the state make policy and program changes to reduce the use of out-of-home placement for low-risk juvenile offenders. About 51% of juvenile justice involved West Virginia youth placed at out of home facilities were status . . .