The Sentencing Project releases updated report on “Youth Justice By The Numbers”

The Sentencing Project released today this new version of a report titled, “Youth Justice By The Numbers.”  The first two sentences of this ten-page report spotlights its main themes: “Between 2000-2022, there was a 75% decline in youth incarceration. However, racial and ethnic disparities in youth incarceration and sentencing persist amidst overall decrease in youth offending.” Here is how this report gets started with its “introduction”:

Youth arrests and incarceration increased in the closing decades of the 20th century but have fallen sharply since.  Public opinion often lags behind these realities, wrongly assuming both that crime is perpetually increasing and that youth offending is routinely violent.  In fact, youth offending is predominantly non-violent, and the 21st century has seen significant declines in youth arrests and incarceration.  Despite positive movement on important indicators, far too many youth — disproportionately youth of color — are incarcerated.  Between 2000 and 2022, the number of youth held in juvenile justice facilities fell from 108,800 to 27,600 — a 75% decline.