| Youth in Adult Jails and Prisons |
| Q: |
How many youth age 17 or younger are held in adult jails? |
| A: |
On a typical day in 2021, about 2,000 persons youth under age 18 were confined in jails in the U.S. |
Note: All estimates are based on mid-year, i.e., the last weekday in June.
"Percent held as adults" includes juveniles who were tried or awaiting trial as adults.
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- From 1993 to 1999, the number of youth under age 18 held in adult jails more than doubled; this was followed by a 36% decline through 2006. After a period of increase through 2010, the population of youth under 18 in jails fell 74% by 2021.
- Between 1993 and 2021, the proportion of jail inmates younger than 18 who were held as adults ranged between 70% and 91%.
Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/corrections/qa08700.asp?qaDate=2021.
Released on January 10, 2023.
Data Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics. Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear series for 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, & 2004; Jail Inmates at Midyear 2014, and the Jail Inmates series for 2015-2021. Available from: https://www.bjs.gov/
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