Report Assails Nation’s Juvenile Detention Facilities

Most juvenile offenders are being held in crowded, substandard facilities that lack anti-suicide policies and adequate health screening, says a Justice Department report released Sunday.

“The findings should be a wake-up call for anyone in this country who takes a serious interest in youth issues,” said John J. Wilson, acting administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The survey covered 984 detention centers, training schools, ranches, farms and camps holding 65,000 juveniles.

It found that only 20% to 26% had adequate bed space, health care, security or suicide control.

More than 11,000 juveniles committed 18,000 acts of attempted suicide, suicidal gestures or self-mutilation, the survey found.

Nearly half of the facilities exceeded their design capacity, and only 24% of detained youths were in places that met all living space standards.

There were 24,000 attacks by juveniles on other inmates each year and nearly 8,000 attacks on staff members.

On health issues, the report found one-third of detained juveniles are examined by staffers who have not been trained to perform health screenings.