Nationwide Decline in Youth Incarceration

1/29/25: The New York Times Magazine’s recent article “What Happened When America Emptied Its Youth Prisons” chronicles what it describes as “a remarkable — if largely overlooked — era in the history of America’s juvenile justice system. Between 2000 and 2020, the number of young people incarcerated in the United States declined by an astonishing 77 percent.”

This piece observes that California “led the race” to close its youth prisons. PJDC’s origins relate directly to this decades long work, dating back to 2004 when it mobilized youth defenders across the state to call attention to the inhumane conditions of the California Youth Authority. We worked together on litigation projects and wrote and advocated for legislation to keep youth out of the state institutional system and bring them back to their communities.

At the forefront of the juvenile justice reform movement, in 2020 and 2021, we and our allies drafted and achieved passage of Senate Bill 823 and 92 – landmark legislation that resulted in the closure in 2023 of California’s harmful, counterproductive, and costly state-run youth prison system. The legislation created a new county-based system for the care of our most needy youth in Secure Youth Treatment Facilities and eventually in their communities.

In this promising new era, PJDC is critically engaged in ensuring the success of these extraordinary reform efforts, through legal training and support for defenders, legislation, amicus projects to shape the law, and coalition building and public advocacy with our partners.