Over 14,400 youth are incarcerated in adult jails and prisons. Imprisoned children figure prominently in the rise of the prison industrial complex. Media images and political rhetoric depict incarcerated youth as violent and irredeemable, yet the vast majority have not committed violent crimes. Less than 20 percent of those detained in the juvenile system prior to trial have been accused of violent offenses, and only one-fourth of those imprisoned after trial have been found guilty of violent offenses. The majority of youth are incarcerated for property and drug offenses.
Incarcerated youth are disproportionately poor, male, and people of color.
Although minorities comprise about 32 percent of the youth population, they are the majority, about 68 percent, in prison. Half of imprisoned youths' families are headed by single mothers and have annual incomes below the poverty level. You don't need to be causin' trouble or anything. They automatically assume you're guilty of something by the way you look. Extensive cuts in funding for social programs within the community contribute to increased crime and intensify the legal system's involvement in children's lives.