Jump Seen in City's Juvenile Detention Costs

A sharp rise in the city's spending on juvenile justice comes from a jump in costs to jail youth in recent years, a new report released yesterday by the Independent Budget Office said.

The city saw costs to keep young people in detention rise 40% since 2003, even as the number of juvenile delinquents placed in detention facilities has declined slightly, the report found. Researchers also found that three quarters of the spending on juvenile crime goes to detention costs for pre-trial detentions and prison facilities after youth are sentenced, compared to single-digit percentages spent on prosecution, probation supervision, and prevention programs.

RELATED: Text of the Report (pdf)