August 18, 2008 Reforming DC's Youth Incarceration System Strong…

 August 18, 2008
 Reforming DC's Youth Incarceration System
 Strong Support for Rehabilitating Convicted Youth
 Strong Support for Keeping Charged Youth in Juvenile Facilities
 To:   Interested Parties
 From: Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research




 Introduction
 Amidst the recent debate about the placement of arrested youth in the District of Columbia, the
 public has now weighed in. In a new poll of 820 registered voters in the District, 77 percent
 believe youth who are arrested and awaiting trial should be placed in a juvenile facility, not in
 the DC jail, an adult facility.

 Moreover, the public overwhelmingly believes that youth should be rehabilitated and not merely
 incarcerated. There is a strong consensus that rehabilitating youth helps prevent future crimes
 and will ultimately save taxpayer money in the long run.

 Voters believe the most effective ways to rehabilitate youth involve providing them with
 opportunities to better themselves ­ vocational training, high school degree assistance, and
 mental health treatment.

 DC voters do not have a firm knowledge of youth placement in adult jails, with more than a
 quarter unsure about whether or not youth are ever placed in DC jail, and nearly half believing
 that youth are never incarcerated in DC jail.

 The following are key findings from a survey conducted July 31 ­ August 6, 2008 of 820
 registered DC voters by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research. The survey is subject to a
 margin of error of 3.5 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.


 Key Findings

 ·    Overwhelming majority believes that youth should be placed in juvenile facilities
      when arrested and awaiting trial. More than three out of four DC voters (77 percent)
      believe that youth who are arrested and awaiting trial should be held in a juvenile facility,
      rather than being held in DC jail. This contrasts to only 8 percent who believe that these

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Reforming DC's Youth Incarceration System                                                                2



    youth should be held in DC jail, while the rest are unsure or believe it depends on the
    circumstances. Voters of all demographic types overwhelmingly believe that arrested youth
    belong in a juvenile facility.

    DC voters also believe that youth who are held in adult jails when awaiting trial are more
    likely to go on and commit future crimes than if they were held in a juvenile facility (62
    percent ­ 26 percent who believe that they are less likely to commit crimes in the future).

·   Voters believe strongly that DC youth should be rehabilitated and not just
    incarcerated after committing a crime for a multitude of reasons. DC voters strongly
    believe that rehabilitating youth yields a stronger benefit than just incarcerating them in a
    prison system.

            ·   Fully, 84 percent believe rehabilitating youth will save money in the long run (84
                percent believe it will save money ­ 12 percent who believe it will waste tax
                dollars).

            ·   Voters believe that in addition to saving taxpayer dollars, rehabilitating youth also
                prevents future crimes (62 percent believe prevents crime ­ 26 percent believe it
                does little to prevent crime).

            ·   Voters also believe that by rehabilitating youth, they can be reintroduced to
                society as responsible contributors (82 percent ­ 11 percent who believe they
                should be held in jail) and that they are capable of achieving positive growth and
                potential to improve for the better (77 percent ­ 16 percent who believe they will
                not change).

·   DC residents believe the most effective ways to rehabilitate youth involve providing
    them with opportunities to better themselves. DC voters strongly feel that rehabilitating
    youth hinges on giving them the tools to improve themselves and lead a productive life,
    rather than merely punishing.

            ·   Education and vocational training. More than three quarters of voters (77
                percent) believe that providing vocational training to youth who are charged with
                or convicted of committing crimes is a very effective way of rehabilitating them ­
                and, voters almost universally agree that it is an effective way to rehabilitate (95
                percent). Similar margins also feel that helping convicted youth earn a high
                school degree is an effective way to rehabilitate (76 percent very effective, 95
                percent effective). Among voters who personally knew a youth placed in DC jail
                or a juvenile facility, support for these measures jumped to 83 and 84 percent
                very effective, respectively. Ward 8 voters believe these rehabilitation measures
                are especially effective (82 percent very effective), and white women show
                higher than average levels of support for these measures, with 87 percent
                believing that providing vocational training and high school diploma opportunities
                are very effective methods of rehabilitation.

            ·   Mentoring, treatment, counseling. Following closely behind, voters believe that
                pairing youth with an adult mentor (65 percent very effective, 91 percent
                effective), ensuring access to mental health treatment (64 percent very effective,
                93 percent effective), helping youth receive family counseling (61 percent very

© 2008 Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, All Rights Reserved.                                     August, 2008
Reforming DC's Youth Incarceration System                                                               3



                effective, 92 percent effective) and helping youth make the transition back to life
                in the community (61 percent very effective, 91 percent effective) were very
                effective methods for rehabilitation.

·   The public rejects putting convicted youth in an adult facility as a means to
    rehabilitate. Voters overwhelming subscribe to methods of rehabilitation that provide youth
    with opportunities to better themselves and go on to lead productive lives. Voters do not
    believe that placing youth in an adult detention facility is an effective method of
    rehabilitation. Only 25 percent believe this method is effective, while 71 percent believe that
    it is only a little or not at all effective in rehabilitating youth.

·   DC voters have a low awareness of youth placement in adult jails. Only 25 percent of
    voters correctly understand that youth charged or convicted with committing a crime are
    sometimes placed in DC jail, an adult facility. Forty-nine percent do not think that youth are
    ever put in DC jail, while 26 percent are unsure.

    DC residents' lack of awareness of the juvenile justice system carries over to opinions of the
    Department of Corrections and the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services. Nearly
    one-third of voters are unable to rate the performance of the DoC or DYRS, however only a
    slim minority rated their performance excellent or good. Eighteen percent of voters give the
    Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services an excellent or good job performance rating,
    26 percent just fair, while nearly a quarter (24 percent) give it a poor rating.

    Similarly, voters give the Department of Corrections a 17 percent excellent or good rating,
    29 percent just fair, with a quarter (25 percent) rating it as poor.

    While these ratings are not particularly good, they do not reflect on the changes undertaken
    to the youth justice system during Mayor Fenty's first term. In fact, those who give DYRS
    and DoC the worst ratings are nearly as supportive of placing youth in juvenile facilities as
    those who give these departments good ratings. The same is true regarding rehabilitation
    programs.




© 2008 Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, All Rights Reserved.                                    August, 2008