Children and Youth in Prison

According to Juvenile Justice Statistics: National Report Series Bulletin, as of 2018, there were over 55,000 children who are held in prison and training facilities in the United States. A 2014 study by the Justice Policy Institute found that the U.S. public pays at least $8 billion a year for these facilities, but some estimates suggest the cost is much higher. In the past, the criminal justice system treated those under 18 years old similarly to adults. In fact, the first person sentenced to death in colonial North America was a child under the age of 18 years. Under the English common law, those 7 years of age and older could be treated as adults. In fact, some children as young as 10 years old ...