Coronavirus in juvenile detention is a ‘nightmare scenario,’ doctors and advocates say
Originally published by NBC news on 26/03/2020
Summary
Depicts conditions and measures taken in US juvenile detention facilities amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. Some of the measures taken have included eliminating in-person family visits, classes (replaced with packets for children to complete on their own), social worker and religious staff visits, etc. Doctors, former probation juvenile detention officials and youth right advocates argue that the most effective way of preventing an outbreak in these types of facilities is to release children who are not safety risks from juvenile detention. An estimated 16,000 children are held in detention centers across the US – another 4500 minors are in adult jails and prisons. The article also raises some state specific responses.