Juveniles in Adult Jails 265As demonstrated by the case of Kathy Robbins, we see the depression that children
suffer and the desperate measures they take when held in isolation. When children in
jail are not isolated, they encounter severe problems of a different nature. Juveniles
are particularly vulnerable to sexual and physical abuse by staff and adult inmates.
Females in jail are held under more restrictive conditions than males (Chesney-
Lind &: Shelden, 1992). Often, they are housed in a subsection of a male facility.
For this reason, they are rarely granted equal opportunity for recreation, education,
or work-release programs as their male counterparts (Mann, 1984). Women will
often spend most, if not all of their time inside their cell. This is difficult for adult
women, but it is particularly trying for young girls. This is particularly dangerous
for girls who often have backgrounds involving sexual and physical abuse. This
repeated trauma makes them especially susceptible to depression and even suicide
(A. Browne & Finkelhor, 1986). Chesney-Lind and Shelden (1992) report that girls
in jail tend to be younger, commit less serious offenses (primarily status offenses),
and, despite their less severe offenses, remain in custody for approximately the same
length of time as their male counterparts.
Forensic Psychology and Policy Implications
The incarceration of children in adult jails is a social, political, and human rights
problem. Despite the litigation efforts to end the incarceration of children with
adults, estimates ranging from 27,000 to 500,000 indicate that juveniles are still be-
ing held in adult facilities each year (L. S. Wrightsman, 1991). As efforts increase to
curb the rate of juvenile crime, the special needs and rights of children must not be
ignored. Adolescent detention facilities are especially equipped to address the special
needs of youthful offenders. Specialized treatment programs are designed to offer ju-
veniles an opportunity for rehabilitation. To hold youths in adult facilities is to deny
them this opportunity, as well as to subject them to severe psychological distress,
physical and sexual abuse, and an environment where they are influenced by career
and violent offenders. Nevertheless, society apparently supports the stricter, more
punitive approach to dealing with juvenile offenders. Tomasevski (1986) described
the Canadian Adult Prisoners' association response regarding adult facilities as places
that should not house children. Those youths who do not succumb to molestation
or get hurt tend to become tougher than when they entered the facility; their young
age and their exposure to adult facilities only ensures that they will return.
Suggestions for Future Research
There has not been a great deal of recent research conducted on juveniles incar-
cerated in adult jails. The long-term effects of such an environment on children
needs to be examined from a psychological as well as a criminological perspective.