Juveniles in Adult [ails 263to their physical and mental well-being. Children's advocates have long been aware
of the dangers that children face in this environment, and their concerns have
prompted litigation to end the incarceration of juveniles in adult jails. Despite many
years of litigation to abolish the holding of children in adult facilities, approximately
40 states continue to do so, placing thousands of children in dangerous situations
a year. Oftentimes, when juveniles are imprisoned with adults in an attempt to
reform their behavior, they leave the jail even less equipped to deal with the outside
world than before incarceration (Tomasevski, 1986).
There are numerous cases depicting specific problems of incarcerating juveniles
in adult jails. Children are particularly vulnerable to suicide when confronted with
the adult jail environment. The following example illustrates the problem of keeping
children in isolation.
Kathy Robbins was a 15-year-old girl who was arrested for running away from home
in 1984. She was taken to Glenn County Jail in California, where she was strip-searched
and placed in a small dark cell with a solid steel cloor. She was held in virtual isolation for
4 days until her hearing date. At her hearing, she begged the judge to send her home.
Hie court ordered that her case be continued and that Kathy remain incarcerated in the
jail until such time.
That afternoon, Kathy committed suicide by hanging herself with a sheet from the
guard rail of the top bunk. Disturbing information concerning Kathy Robbms was
disclosed during the case of Rabbins v. dlemi County (1986). Kathy had physical evidence
of previous suicide attempts, yet no measures were taken in jail to supervise Kathy or
ensure her safety. She was only allowed one brief visit with her mother and was not given
any reading material that her mother had provided. Further, the jail staff had refused to
take her phone messages from her mother. Most troubling in this case is the fact that
space was available at a local group home while Kathy was incarcerated in the jail,It should be noted that girls who are so traumatized by the experience of being
held in an adult jail are not the only ones who resort to suicide. Every year there are
cases of young boys who commit suicide while being subjected to the conditions in
adult jails. Oftentimes for boys, suicide follows their victimization in a rape assault by
adult inmates. Whereas boys are subjected to rape victimization by adult prisoners,
girls are often victims of rape by the jail staff, as can be seen from the following
examples.
In Doe i'. Buni'dl, a 15-year-old girl from Ohio had left home for 1 clay without her
parents' permission. In order to "teach her a lesson," the juvenile court judge ordered
her to be incarcerated in the county jail for 5 days. During her 4th night in jail, she was
raped by a deputy jailer.
A 14-year-old runaway girl was held in a county jail in Pennsylvania when she was
raped by the deputy sheriff as well as by two male inmates. One of the inmates was a
convicted murderer who was awaiting sentencing. The sheriff released the inmates in
order for them to participate in the rape of the young girl (Chesney-Lind, 1988).Violence in correctional settings is a common occurrence. When children are
intermixed with adults, they become prime targets for such assaults as a result of
their vulnerability. The following case illustration demonstrates this disturbing fact.