Close Spofford Juvenile Detention Center

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New York City has too many juvenile jails where children under the age of 16 are locked up while their cases are being decided. NYC currently operates 3 secure juvenile detention centers, where it costs $588 per day, or $215,000 per year to confine just one child. One of these centers - the Spofford Juvenile Detention Center - was never meant to remain open when NYC built two new juvenile detention centers in 1998. When these two new centers opened, Spofford was temporarily closed. Six months later, however, Spofford was re-opened to accomodate a spike in juvenile arrests, this time re-named Bridges. Today, the vast majority of children admitted to secure detention are NOT serious offenders - only 10\% are charged with serious felonies. The city has now invested in a number of community-based alternatives to detention that provide supervision and monitoring for children back in the community. Yet even with these programs, and a scientifically validated risk assessment instrument to determine risk level, too many children are being sent to detention who present little to no risk to public safety. At present two thirds of the children sent to detention by the Family Court score as low or medium risk for re-arrest of failure to appear in court. Given these facts, it is unconscionable for NYC to maintain 3 secure detention centers when safer, cheaper and better alternatives exist. Therefore, we support the closing of the Spofford (Bridges) Juvenile Detention Center.

125 Signatures

  • Cheryl Bell
    • Comments
    • jjfamilyallies@gmail.com
    • Zip Code
    • 10027
  • Jade Bess
    • Zip Code
    • 10462
    • Affiliation
    • parent
  • Darryl K. Sweeney
    • Comments
    • I agree with this petition 100\%.
    • Zip Code
    • 11221
  • Ms. Beatrice Richardson
    • Comments
    • Help the ancestry of the people who helped build this country.
    • Zip Code
    • 10451
    • Affiliation
    • parent
  • Ruben Austria
    • Comments
    • too much money being spent that could be better used for cheaper, safer, more effective community based alternatives
    • Zip Code
    • 10454
  • Angela Jones
    • Zip Code
    • 10004
    • Affiliation
    • NYCLU
  • Celeste Wallace
    • Zip Code
    • 10462
  • Morgan Thumbutu
    • Zip Code
    • 11209
  • pippa holloway
    • Zip Code
    • 37204
  • Alexander Fong
    • Zip Code
    • 11217
  • Diane Carrow
    • Zip Code
    • 10472
    • Affiliation
    • Promised Land Church
  • Davina Wan
    • Zip Code
    • 11231
  • Marc Washington
    • Zip Code
    • 10466
  • Kevin Li
    • Comments
    • Alternative to incarceration programs are more effective on cost and helping youths create change.
    • Zip Code
    • 10002
  • Sharaya Tindal
    • Zip Code
    • 11206
  • Elise
    • Zip Code
    • 11206
  • philip michael bonano
    • Zip Code
    • 10461
  • Theresa Ramos
    • Zip Code
    • 10304
  • Eugene P. Kim
    • Zip Code
    • 02149
  • Pasckie Pascua
    • Zip Code
    • 90715
  • Jaime Austria
    • Comments
    • "...the scandal of our policy towards troubled children is that we only start cascading financial resources into their lives when they start offending." http://www.scottishvenezuelansociety.co.uk/sistema\%20scotland.html
    • Zip Code
    • 10025
    • Affiliation
    • В
  • Helen Barahal
    • Comments
    • В
    • Zip Code
    • 10025
    • Affiliation
    • В
  • Joanna Yip
    • Zip Code
    • 10004
  • Sara Hill
    • Zip Code
    • 11510
  • Katia Tiutiunnik
    • Comments
    • These detention centers are a waste of money, as well as being the cause of severe trauma to troubled kids.
    • Zip Code
    • 2537
  • Ilana Lydia
    • Comments
    • A highly intelligent, gifted friend of mine was left to languish in the juvenile justice system because her parents did not want her, and found a technicality they could use to put her away with. Please consider those who fall between the cracks, and should not be punished at all, in addition to the other cases when thinking of this petition. Thank you.
    • Zip Code
    • 85009
    • Affiliation
    • liberal Democrat
  • Greg King
    • Zip Code
    • 11215
    • Affiliation
    • Concerned citizen
  • David Koblitz
    • Zip Code
    • 11375
  • R. Evon Howard
    • Zip Code
    • 10451
  • Asher Atchick
    • Zip Code
    • 19406
  • Mishi Faruqee
    • Zip Code
    • 11217
  • Jamie Jamieson
    • Zip Code
    • 37830
  • Gail McAllister
    • Zip Code
    • 19067
  • Holly Virginia Clark
    • Zip Code
    • 94114
  • Delia Kim
    • Comments
    • В
    • Zip Code
    • 11106
    • Affiliation
    • В
  • Beth Levin Chapman
    • Zip Code
    • 11215
  • Jeanne Reilly
    • Comments
    • В
    • Zip Code
    • 11238
    • Affiliation
    • В
  • Angela Hadwin
    • Zip Code
    • 94606
  • Craig Willse
    • Zip Code
    • 10003
    • Affiliation
    • City University of New York
  • Tierney Gleason
    • Zip Code
    • 11226
  • Kurt Washington
    • Zip Code
    • 11215
  • Gabriel Arkles
    • Zip Code
    • 11238
  • Alisha Williams
    • Zip Code
    • 19146
  • Micole Aristy
    • Comments
    • We should be trying to reform our children in other ways not just trying to lock them away which only makes their situations and attitudes worse.
    • Zip Code
    • 07502
  • serina
    • Zip Code
    • 94521
  • Valerie Ling
    • Comments
    • В
    • Zip Code
    • 37315
    • Affiliation
    • В
  • Mark Chapman
    • Zip Code
    • 10458
    • Affiliation
    • Fordham University
  • Douglas Knepper
    • Zip Code
    • 10467
  • Amber Norris
    • Zip Code
    • 10037
  • Tiffany Sheriod
    • Zip Code
    • 11216
    • Affiliation
    • Center for Community Alternatives