How are juvenile detention facilities different from adult facilities?
Generally, offenders who committed their crimes when they were under 18 are placed in juvenile detention facilities. Many of these detention facilities focus on rehabilitation of the juvenile offender, rather than on pure punishment. In some cases, juvenile detention facilities are used to house offenders who commit a crime that, if not for their age, would have required incarceration. In other cases, juvenile detention facilities are used to punish behaviors unique to that age group, such as habitual truancy. • Juvenile detention facilities are often run much like a regular prison or jail, with strict schedules, codes of expected behavior, and punishment for misbehavior. • The purpose of placing juvenile offenders in separate facilities from adult criminals is to insulate juveniles from “bad influences,” to protect them, and to attempt to curb criminal tendencies before adulthood. However, many juveniles who commit serious crimes are tried as adults may be placed in juvenile facilitie
