The Annie E. Casey Foundation released a report last month [“Reducing Youth Incarceration in the United States”] that showed the number of incarcerated youth is at a 35-year low. Nationwide, youth confinement peaked in 1995 and has declined since. The report notes that while incarceration rates decreased in the U.S., so did the number of crimes committed by juveniles. Youth are getting help and intervention in more humane and less expensive ways. However, in six states, the percentage of incarcerated youths increased: Arkansas (20%), Idaho (80%), Nebraska (8%), Pennsylvania (7%), South Dakota (8%) and West Virginia (60%).
