Dear Governor,

On any given day, roughly 54,000 young people are incarcerated in juvenile justice systems across the country.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, more than two-thirds of these youth are locked up for minor offenses such as running away, skipping school, property offenses, or probation violations.

They often end up in facilities far from their families, with limited access and visits. To make matters worse, many states require parents to pay the cost of their children’s incarceration.

Decades of data show that incarcerating youth is not successful. It is counter to the rehabilitative principles of the juvenile justice system, disproportionately punishes youth and their families, and does not improve outcomes for kids or make our communities safer.
States spend an average of $88,000 to put a young person in a youth prison or out-of-home placement. Some states spend $150k or more. Annually, it costs states over $5 billion per year.

We can do better.

The American public strongly supports policies that favor rehabilitation and treatment over putting our youth behind bars.

It’s time to stop funneling our kids through a system proven to be inhumane, unsafe, costly and full of racial and ethnic disparities, and do more to provide them and their families with the supports they need to get back on track.

We call on you to pledge to work with policymakers, agency officials, community leaders, youth, and families to commit to cutting youth incarceration in half by the end of this decade.