juvenile detention Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

Washington makes a major change to prison sentencing, but not for people already behind bars

By Northwest News Network June 14, 2023

Travis ComesLast, center right, is known as a community leader, working with other incarcerated Indigenous men to stay connected with their culture

When Travis ComesLast was 20 years old, he was on the run from juvenile detention. He and a friend were looking for ways to get some cash so they could skip town. But during what he describes as a drug deal gone bad, ComesLast shot and killed a man.Read More

Shelters For Immigrant Teens Expanded As Record Numbers Continue To Cross

By NPR News September 13, 2018

Over 12,000 immigrant teens are being held in shelters across the country. Record numbers continue to cross and the government is expanding shelter capacity to hold them.Read More

Trump Administration Proposes Rule To Allow Longer Detention Of Migrant Children

By NPR News September 7, 2018

Under the Flores settlement, immigrant minors can't be held in jail-like settings and can't be held for longer than 20 days. The government's move to circumvent that will likely end up in court.Read More

Oregon Attorneys Argue State’s Juvenile Sentencing Laws Are Unconstitutional

By Conrad Wilson September 7, 2018

Justin Link leaves court in chains after a plea hearing in Deschutes County Circuit Court in Bend, Ore., Monday, June 11, 2001. Link, along with four other teenagers charged in connection with the murder of Barbara Thomas. He is appealing his sentence in the case. CREDIT: DON RYAN

Attorneys and lawmakers in Oregon say the state is violating the U.S. Constitution because of laws that require juveniles convicted of murder to be sentenced to what amounts to mandatory life imprisonment.Read More

Should Washington Prohibit Juvenile Detention For Truant Students?

By Austin Jenkins February 19, 2018

Grays Harbor County uses its juvenile detention facility to lock up non-criminal status offenders for contempt of court more than any other county in the state.

In recent years, Washington has led the nation in locking up kids for running away, skipping school and other non-criminal behavior. Now state lawmakers are considering whether to ban juvenile detention for "status offenses."Read More