By Bill O'Neil & Johnny Shannon
New research shows fewer and fewer young people are spending time behind bars in Texas.
By the numbers, the rate of youth incarceration has fallen by thirty-five percent in Texas over the last twelve years--something advocates said is in large part to community-based alternatives to going to prison.
"Incarcerating young people--especially those who do not pose a demonstrable public safety risk is not a smart thing to do--it doesn't work" said Laura Speer with the Annie E. Casey Foundation which tracks such numbers in Texas and around the 
country. She said the results are really indisputable.
"We want to make sure they (the young offenders) get put in the best possible program to get them back on track" Speer said.
The same trend can be seen across the country--with the rate of incarcerated young people falling by more than one-third between 1997 and 2010.
photos: mpt.org; thenutritionpost.com; wordonfire.org
The same trend can be seen across the country--with the rate of incarcerated young people falling by more than one-third between 1997 and 2010.
photos: mpt.org; thenutritionpost.com; wordonfire.org
