Pennsylvania spends more on youth incarceration than public education. It’s time for a change! Invest in possibilities for PA youth, not Prisons.
WE ARE COLLECTING STORIES, AND WE NEED YOUR VOICE!
Did you know that in Pennsylvania, it costs over $200,000 per year to imprison a child and only $16,000 per year for public education¹?
Prison is no place for a child. Instead of throwing our youth into harmful environments that perpetuate physical, emotional, and mental trauma, we should be investing in rehabilitative programs that keep our children safe and help them heal.
The United States has the highest incarceration rate of an independent democracy in the world. Pennsylvania ranks higher in incarceration rates than 11 of the founding NATO nations². African American youth in Pennsylvania are 5.7 times more likely to be incarcerated than white youth. By 2050, Hispanic Youth are projected to account for one-third of all incarcerated youth in Pennslyvania³. Black, Brown, Indigenous, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ youth face higher rates of incarceration than their white peers. For decades, juvenile detention centers have been fraught with abuse and assault. The Juvenile Justice Services Center (JJSC) in West Philadelphia was found to have youth sleeping on the ground due to known overcrowding. Evidence showed children sleeping on floors and benches in crowded, filthy rooms, where advocates say lights are left on 24 hours a day, and access to bathrooms and showers is limited⁴.
In Governor Shapiro's budget for 2025, $18.1 billion has been proposed to build a youth detention facility within the grounds of an existing men’s maximum-security prison⁵. This, along with the fact that the minimum age to be charged as an adult in Pennsylvania is 10 years old, presents a reality in which vulnerable children will be placed in unsafe and dangerous systems.
Have you or your loved one been impacted by youth incarceration and/or the criminal justice system in Pennsylvania? If so, please share your story!
Please share your experiences by filling out the form.
[1] https://www.nokidsinprison.org/explore/pennsylvania/?section=race-interactive
[2] https://www.prisonpolicy.org/global/2024.html
[3] https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/jcjc/documents/publications/annualconference/2024-conference-documents/workshops/data_driven_discussion_youth_jj_system.pdf
[4] https://jlc.org/news/disturbing-new-photos-inside-phillys-juvenile-jail-show-kids-sleeping-floors-crowded-filthy
[5] https://jlc.org/news/shapiros-18m-plan-would-house-youth-grounds-maximum-security-mens-prison