America’s longstanding youth prison model — which emphasizes compliance, control and punishment — exacerbates youth trauma and inhibits positive growth while failing to enhance public safety. Not surprisingly, this model is fading across the nation.

In January 2018, New Jersey became the latest state to announce plans to close a youth prison as part of a comprehensive effort to reform its juvenile justice system.

The Garden State is following in the footsteps of Virginia, Connecticut and Wisconsin, where governors have recently ordered the closure of youth prisons in favor of a continuum of community-based programs. The few youth in these states who require secure confinement will move to smaller therapeutic facilities that prioritize age-appropriate rehabilitation.

Local jurisdictions are also changing course. Los Angeles County opened Campus Kilpatrick and is beginning to implement the “L.A. Model,” which is a collection of therapeutic-based practices aimed at improving care in juvenile probation camps.

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