Americans want opportunity, not punishment for youth

Juvenile Law Center,

Earlier this year, the Youth First Initiative released a new national public opinion poll showing that, overall, Americans overwhelmingly favor shifting the focus of the juvenile justice system from punishment and incarceration to prevention and rehabilitation. Juvenile Law Center is a national partner with Youth First, and their national poll results align with what we know does – and doesn’t – work when it comes to how we treat youth in the juvenile justice system.

Conducted by GBA Strategies, poll results showed that 73% of Americans agreed that youth can be taught to take responsibility for their actions without resorting to incarceration. This perspective reflects what we’ve learned from neuroscience and research on adolescent development: that kids are different from adults and are more responsive to rehabilitation. In the last 12 years, the United States Supreme Court has increasingly relied upon this scientific research in five landmark rulings that recognized the unique developmental and behavioral state of adolescence (Roper v. SimmonsGraham v. FloridaJ.D.B. v. North CarolinaMiller v. Alabama, and Montgomery v. Louisiana).

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Youth First’s poll showed the vast majority of Americans (92%) believe that the juvenile justice system must do a better job of making sure youth get back on track so that they are less likely to reoffend. And 83% agreed that youth should not be locked up for status offenses – offenses that would not be considered crimes if committed by adults, such as skipping school or running away from home.

Related resource: Ten Strategies to Reduce Juvenile Length of Stay

Americans also support a range of specific policy proposals aimed at reforming the juvenile justice system, including reducing racial and ethnic disparities and increasing funding for public defenders for youth. According to the poll, most Americans favor a number of juvenile justice reforms, including:

  • Funding alternatives to incarceration: 83% of Americans want to provide financial incentives for states and municipalities to invest in intensive rehabilitation, education, job training, community services, and programs that provide youth the opportunity to repair harm to victims and communities.
  • Reducing racial disparities: 70% want states to reduce racial & ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system.
  • Rethinking who’s involved in rehabilitation: 89% of Americans prefer including a youth’s family when designing rehabilitation services.

Broad support for these reforms cut across all ages, genders, race and ethnicities, geographic regions, and experiences with the justice system. Poll results showed that support for juvenile justice reform is very similar between crime victims and their families and those who did not identify themselves as victims.

The results underscore Americans’ core values when it comes to youth in conflict with the law: that they have the power to change for the better and are capable of positive growth. Fundamentally, Americans want opportunity, not punishment for youth.

Learn more about the poll and the Youth First Initiative here >>