Source: The Atlantic
A new report conducted by the National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC) illustrates that most states fail to protect the rights of incarcerated children.
More than one million children are involved within the American court system per year, but many argue the current judicial process prevents children and teenagers from acquiring adequate assistance and counsel.
Currently, only 11 states in America ensure children have access to a lawyer while detained, which ultimately causes cases of abuse in states where children do not receive adequate protection.
The NJDC also identified that children of color and those living in poverty receive fewer protections while in the juvenile judicial system.
Since minorities from low income backgrounds are more likely to be arrested compared to other individuals, they “need the best protection possible, someone to say, ‘This is not right, we’ve got to stop pulling children in [to the judicial system], arresting their development, and cutting off their future,” explained Mary Ann Scali, executive director of the NJDC.
Read full story at: The Atlantic