At the onset of the COVID pandemic, the decision of the stakeholders in the Philadelphia juvenile justice system to come together to identify solutions and develop a plan to mitigate the safety concerns facing youth in congregate settings set the groundwork to achieve remarkable reductions in the number of youth in juvenile detention and placement.
Their results are overwhelmingly positive and the practices warrant continuation. This report from Children First demonstrates the challenges that the juvenile detention and placement process in Philadelphia faces and recommendations for improvement.