NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Virginia’s Department of Juvenile Justice says fewer minors are behind bars in the state. Violent incidents are also down at juvenile correction centers.
The Daily Press in Newport News reported Thursday that the changes are reflected in a new Department of Juvenile Justice report. The decline in inmates as well as the drop in incidents comes in the wake of new guidelines that were implemented a few years ago.
The average daily population in juvenile correctional centers fell to 216 inmates in fiscal year 2018. More than twice as many were in the system three years ago. Aggressive incidents in correctional centers also plummeted by nearly 90 percent.
A key effort of the new program has been to lock up mostly the highest-risk youth and find alternatives for others.
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