The number of young people locked up in juvenile justice facilities dropped from 108,000 in 2000 to just above 27,000 in 2022, according to a new report by The Sentencing Project.

Josh Rovner, the group’s director of youth justice, said one reason for the 75% decline is that youths commit fewer crimes.

“It really starts with long-term declines in youth arrests,” Rovner explained. “It is not surprising that when we have fewer kids getting arrested that we have fewer kids getting locked up.”

Incarcerated youths face far worse education and future employment outcomes than youths diverted from the justice system. Despite the overall decrease, young people of color remain far more likely than white youth to be incarcerated. White youths are also more likely to get probation when convicted.

Rovner pointed out restorative justice interventions have been an important tool for bringing kids back into their communities and reducing the likelihood of ending up in the justice system.

“The victim and the offender get together -- along with adults in their lives, and a mediator -- to talk about the event that took place,” Rovner noted. “I think that what that really provides is a healing that the justice system really never can.”

Between 2000 and 2018, just 5% of youths were arrested for violent crimes. Rovner acknowledged some adolescents are a risk to themselves and others, but he believes too many nonviolent offenders -- who made bad decisions, as kids do -- are still being locked up.

“Sending kids to a locked facility is a failure of our communities and our elected leaders,” Rovner asserted. “The goal needs to be to find a way to lock up as few kids as possible, and for as briefly as possible.”