Safety. Justice. Freedom.
Join our movement to create a more equitable world for youth and families.
2024 Impact
3 MD Facilities visited
187 Youth reached
100% Male
80% 16 & younger
98% Black
2% Latino
26 Post release service connections
DMV FACTS
Between 2016 and 2022, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, D.C., arrested an average of 2,235 juveniles annually, equating to approximately 52 arrests per 1,000 children and youth aged 10 to 17. This arrest rate is nearly double the national average. As of July 2024, the District of Columbia's Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS) reported housing a combined total of 144 young individuals at two facilities: the Youth Services Center in Northeast Washington and the New Beginnings facility in Laurel, Maryland.
As of 2023, the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services reported that youth crime, including violent offenses, has declined over the past decade. However, there has been a recent increase in juvenile crime over the last two years since its pandemic low, though complaints are still below pre-pandemic levels and down sharply—by over 50%—over the past decade. Despite these improvements, challenges remain. Studies show that almost 70% of juveniles who've been in state custody end up getting arrested again within three years.
Sadly, more than 6% of the people incarcerated in Maryland are in prison for crimes committed when they were under 18, which is twice the national average. Nine out of ten people imprisoned in Maryland's prisons for crimes that they committed before age 18 are people of color.
Juvenile Justice Facts
60,000 children are incarcerated in juvenile facilities on any given day. (ACLU)
Black, Hispanic and Native American youth remain overrepresented in the juvenile justice system. Once referred to the court, cases involving young people who were Black or Hispanic, were less likely than cases involving white youth to be sent to diversion and more likely to be detained or waived to adult court. (OJJDP)
Black youth are incarcerated in state-run youth prisons at five times the rate white youth are.(ACLU)
African American and American Indian girls are more likely to be placed in juvenile detention facilities, at a rate of 1.7 and over 4 times more often than white girls, respectively. Moreover, Black girls face the highest risk of school suspensions. (Atlanta Black Star)
Studies show that youth who identify as LGBTQI are estimated to comprise 5 to 7 percent of the general population but up to 15 percent of the youth who come in contact with the juvenile justice system. (OJJDP)
Of the estimated 437,300 juvenile cases disposed of in the U.S. in 2021, youth under the age of 16 accounted for 53 percent of all cases. (OJJDP)
Average cost of incarcerating a juvenile for one year is between $35,000 to $64,000. In contrast, the current cost of Head Start's intervention program is $4,300 per child a year, and the annual tuition cost of attending Harvard is under $30,000 per student. (ACLU)
Children in adult institutions are 500% more likely to be sexually assaulted, 200% more likely to be beaten by staff, and 50% more likely to be attacked with a weapon than juveniles confined in a juvenile facility. (ACLU)
$241 vs. $75
The average daily cost of incarcerating a young person compared to that of an effective, community-based alternative-to-incarceration program. (ACLU)
Contact Us
Email us at info@voicesofoursisters.org
