HB 452 provides that juveniles shall not be held in county jail or adult prison facilities unless there is a finding of good cause by the court. Currently, adult jails are the default facility for youth who are being charged as an adult in Idaho. If passed, this bill would change the default to juvenile detention centers.
Incarcerating youth in adult facilities is even more harmful than incarcerating them with people their own age. Of all incarcerated people, youth held with adults are at the highest risk of sexual abuse; they are also 36 times more likely to commit suicide than youth in juvenile facilities, and are at a greater risk of being held in solitary confinement than they would be in juvenile facilities.
