Fewer young criminals push states to close prisons

[The Straight Story]

Fewer young criminals push states to close prisons



WALES, Wis. (AP) -- States across the country are quietly shuttering dozens of reformatories amid plunging juvenile arrests, softer sentencing policies and bleak budgets.

The closures have juvenile advocates cheering because they've long pushed to get kids out of razor wire-ringed institutions and into treatment programs. As more reforms took hold, the number of juveniles in state lockups dropped dramatically.

The U.S. Justice Department says the number of juvenile offenders declined 26 percent between 2000 and 2008, from about 109,000 to 80,000.

States grappling with busted budgets can't afford to operate facilities with so many empty beds, so they're closing them. And it's helping states save money. In Ohio, officials said the closures will save $40 million a year.

http://www.news10.net/news/national/story.aspx?storyid=82981&catid=5

[TexasObserver]

1. It's good news that states are realizing incarcerations are often dumb.

Dumb and expensive.

[eShirl]

2. It's a good start. k&r