Youth Behind Bars: A Data-Driven Case Study on Juvenile Incarceration in California

Abstract

This data-driven case study described factors contributing to juvenile incarceration rates in California. Juvenile offenders' incarceration varies depending on their race/ethnicity, age, education level, and offense severity. The study aims to investigate racial and ethnic disparities in juvenile incarceration and provides findings from an analysis and systematic review of juvenile incarceration statistics. This case study examines the archival data on youth incarceration between 2019 and 2023. The data were collected from the California Department of Justice, the California Juvenile Court and Probation Statistical System (JCPSS), the California Justice Data & Investigative Bureau, and the California Criminal Justice Statistics Center. The investigators attempt to identify the impact factors, how the courts and lawmakers can minimize the criminalization of adolescence, and effective responses to keep younger people away from the formal juvenile justice system and support those youth who do enter the system with opportunities and connections related to their personal growth, positive behavior change and long-term success. The study recommends a framework for the juvenile justice system to significantly and safely reduce the number of young people sent to confinement. California should implement and expand upon juvenile justice reforms to reduce incarceration rates and improve the overall system, replace youth prisons with more effective approaches, and reinvest savings from closing some of its facilities. KEYWORDS: juvenile incarceration, juvenile offender, juvenile detention, youth incarceration, juvenile justice system, juvenile corrections, juvenile detention centers, youth correctional facilities, juvenile delinquency, juvenile court rehabilitation vs. punishment, juvenile sentencing, zero tolerance policies,