Some real effects of the US approach to crime - Part 2

These are not just isolated stories. Children in adult jails are 500 per cent more likely to be sexually assaulted and 200 per cent more likely to be beaten by staff. The minimum age for impisonment in adult jails is 14 in Massachusetts, 12 in Oregon and 10 in Wisconsin. In 1994, 45 children died in adult jails. Most of the juveniles in adult prison are black.

Blacks comprise only 15 per cent of the US juvenile population BUT they comprise:.

• 40 per cent of juveniles held in detention;
• 52 per cent of juveniles held in adult jails; and
• 75 per cent of juveniles tried in adult courts.

Of course we all know that young people commit a lot of crime right? Wrong … Contrary to media myths in the US fuelling panic about a boom in ‘teenage super-predator’ criminals violent crime among young people has been on the decline since 1994. It was always small, only six per cent of juveniles come into contact with the criminal justice system and most only once. Only 13 per cent of violent crime is committed by juveniles, and violent crime comprises a tiny percentage of juvenile arrests.

So why are more and more of 18, 000 incarcerated juveniles in the US being imprisoned in adult jails? One reason is the increasing trend to try minor offenses – offenses previously greeted with a caution or slap on the wrist – as adult crimes. Take the case of Anthony Lester. The mentally disabled 15-year-old stole $2 from a classmate so he could buy a snack. He was tried as an adult on counts of strong-arm robbery and extortion and faces a minimum sentence of 30 years to life in an adult jail. Black children fare worst from this "tough on juvenile crime" approach. Black juveniles have been six times more likely than "similarly situated white juveniles" to be sentenced to imprisonment in a facility. That means taking into account their criminal record, the seriousness of the crime and other relevant sentencing factors, black kids are still much more likely to be put away.

This is a particularly depressing situation when many great prevention programs are up and running in the US and getting tremendous results. Imprisoning juveniles means that they are much more likely to re-offend. What is more, juveniles sent to adult jails are much more likely to commit more crime on release than similarly situated juveniles who are sent to juvenile detention. And let's not forget the expense – a 1996 study found that early intervention programs can prevent as many as 250 crimes per $1 million spent. Imprisoning a juvenile costs $64,000 a year – it would only cost $30,000 to send them to Yale. Which brings us to our next section….

Drug Users

Anecdote:

Q: George "Dubya" Bush, Bill Clinton, Me: what do these people have in common?

A: We all studied at Yale.

Q: What is the difference between these 3 people?

A: I bet you were going to say that unlike the author, who quickly faded into even greater obscurity, the guys left Yale and went onto to be Governors of US States and then ran for US President.