Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Approximately 50,800 youth are detained in federal, state and local detention facilities on any given day (OJJDP,2016). The cost of confinement in public facilities averages $407 per day per youth, but can be as high as $966 per day in the highest cost facilities (JPI, 2014). Public detention centers, which house 71% of juvenile inmates, are operated by the government and funded through taxes leading to millions of dollars of taxpayer money spent nationwide on incarcerating youth every year (OJJDP,2016; JPI, 2014). Although the average stay for youth housed in these facilities is less than a year, the majority recidivate within three years leading to a large financial burden on taxpayers.

Youth are likely to face numerous obstacles when they re-enter society from detention facilities, which can increase the likelihood of their recidivism (Altschuler, 2008). For example, employers may consider an individual's criminal past (Altschuler, 2008). Additionally, youth may experience a host of personal problems that impede their successful re-entry to society, including depression and other mental health issues (Monahan, Goldweber & Cauffman, 2011).

Some argue a strong family support system can help youth overcome the obstacles of re- entry and thus, lessen the recidivism rates (Altschuler & Bilchik; Paik, 2016). Others, including the founders of the juvenile justice system, contend that families are responsible for a youth's delinquent behavior and as such, should be separated from them during detention (Pennell, Shapiro, Spigner, 2011; Patterson & Dishion, 1985; Snyder & Patterson, 1987). 

In order to analyze the impact of family visitation on re-entry expectations, we use cross-sectional, individual-level data from the 2003 Survey of Youth in Residential Placement (SYRP). The survey is targeted to represent the population of youth offenders between 10-20 years old in juvenile detention facilities. Only two studies to date have specifically analyzed the impact of family visitation and juvenile detainees and found that family visitation decreased depressive symptoms and behavioral infractions as well as increased grade point averages of youth in custody (Agudelo, 2013; Monahan et al., 2001. Thus, we hypothesize that:

(a) Family visitation will be associated with decreased likelihood of expected recidivism.

(b) Family visitation will be associated with positive job expectations.

Preliminary results suggests family visitation significantly varies by race F(4,6894)=38.78, p=.000. Simply receiving visits from family members did not significantly predict reduced recidivism expectations. However, receiving family visits three or more times a week significantly predicted reduced recidivism expectations (ß= -.05, SE = .03, p= .04). The policy implications of this work are substantial given that most facilities currently have limited visitation schedules that vary greatly between local, state and federal facilities.