| JAILING CHILDREN HURTS US ALL
America locks up children more than most countries in the world. It’s because our laws – not our kids – are bad.
More than 38,000 U.S. children are behind bars for serious offenses but also things as simple as shoplifting, underage drinking, cheating on a test, or even having a tantrum. Not only are children frequently treated as adults when it comes to crime and punishment, they are subject to laws that differ from state to state. In Pennsylvania, how we respond to youth crime varies from county to county.
Also, children aren’t convicted by a jury – they are sentenced by a single judge who has wide legal discretion and very little oversight. John Oliver, host of the HBO show Last Week Tonight, reported how this judicial leeway has been a breeding ground for greed and racism to influence harmful punishments. Luzerne County’s Kids for Cash scandal was featured.
And when kids get locked up, they’re at grave risk of being physically assaulted, sexually abused, and denied any real chance for a fresh start when they’re released.
Through the work of the Youth Safety Coalition, Pennsylvania is taking steps to remedy the injustice that many other American kids are subjected to. Just this week, the PA House Children and Youth Committee passed three significant bills to reform the juvenile justice system.
- HB 1577, limits kids from the most egregious conduct by staff in juvenile facilities like cavity searches, being shackled, solitary confinement, and injected with powerful medications. It also makes public the amount of times facilities use these tactics and holds them accountable.
- HB 1576, requires the state to reimburse counties for half the cost of legal representation for kids in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems.
- HB 1573, requires an inventory of all juvenile justice services and facilities to better inform what is – and isn’t – available for kids in the system.
Of course, NOT locking kids up is the best way to avoid all the pervasive mistreatment in the juvenile detention system. Instead of sending children to jail when they do wrong, diversion and community-based programs help them make amends and learn to do what’s right. Pennsylvania’s own Republican Attorney General Dave Sunday told us that he agrees.
It doesn’t feel good to have Pennsylvania called out on national TV for mistreating children. Join the work of Children First and the Youth Safety Coalition so the next media report shows how our state is leading the way in doing it right. Contact Stefanie Arbutina at stefaniea@childrenfirstpa.org.
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