Youth in Prison
The Children’s Defense Fund estimates that 1,995 children under the age of 18 are arrested each day in the U.S. Over 48,000 young people are confined in facilities, and 69% of them are 16 or older, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. More than 500 confined children are no more than 12 years old. These are stories by young people in juvenile justice facilities. Because they are minors, we publish their stories under their initials to protect their identities.
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