Nevada is approaching a crisis concerning where and how we house youth tried as adults.

The ACLU of Nevada’s new report, Youth Confinement in Nevada, discusses the significant consequences of placing a child in the adult system and explores the history of proposed policy solutions and why they failed. The ACLU of Nevada toured several facilities that house youth at some stage in their criminal proceeding, as well as the Summit View Youth Center, and the results of those assessments are presented in the report.

ACLUNV will present its report at Wednesday’s meeting of the Legislative Committee on Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice at 9 a.m. at the Grant Sawyer State Office Building Room 4401, 555 E. Washington Ave.

As the state’s population grows, so does the rate at which youth are certified as adults. But youthful offender units are overcrowded and housing for girls is unavailable. Nevada needs to confront this issue directly and work to ensure positive outcomes for all juveniles adjudicated as adults.