U.S. Department of Justice research shows that youths incarcerated with adults are eight times more likely to commit suicide than in juvenile facilities, five times more likely to be sexually assaulted, three times more likely to be assaulted by prison staff and 50 percent more likely to be assaulted with a weapon than youths in a juvenile facility. And incarcerating children in the adult system doesn't only put them at risk of unspeakable abuses — it fails to protect communities. The Department of Justice also has found "higher recidivism rates among juveniles convicted for violent offense in criminal court when compared with similar offenders retained in juvenile court."
By reforming the juvenile justice system and providing support in our schools and communities, this cycle can be broken and we can dramatically reduce our country's prison population – the world's largest.