Why is addressing case processing so important to detention reform?
Detention centers are designed for short-term holding of kids while their cases are adjudicated. They are typically shallow in terms of program services and virtually no one would claim they have any rehabilitative value. Reducing length of stay means that kids who need treatment or long-term confinement can get into the right kind of facility for those services, as opposed to languishing in a facility that was not designed for them. Finally, if the question is read to imply that longer stays have greater deterrent impact, the response is simple: there is absolutely zero empirical evidence that longer stays deter delinquency. In fact, the evidence available all suggests that confining kids in these institutions makes them more likely to have long and troubled delinquency/criminal careers. Additional thoughts to ponder: A) Adolescent development: How many of parents with teenage children tell them—after they’ve misbehaved—that “we’ll deal with this in 120 days”? Delaying cases unnecessa
