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While everyone in Alabama is busy debating the Siegelman prosecution, watching the primaries, or just wishing it were football season, the Associated Press has been busy studying the juvenile justice system across the country. The disturbing results for Alabama's system mirror those from around the country where public safety functions have been outsourced to private industry. The for-profit entities, like most corporations, exist to enrich their shareholders. The prison/detention system is a particular issue: it's almost impossible to get information about conditions, inmate complaints, and employee training in these private facilities. Either government agencies don't even bother to ask, or, the information is protected as a "trade secret." What do they have to hide? Quite a bit apparently. Abuse Figures Murky for Juvenile Centers: According to the survey, more than 13,000 claims of abuse were identified in juvenile correction centers around the country from 2004 through 2007 – a remarkable number, given that there were about 46,000 detainees when the states were surveyed in 2007. Just 1,343 of those claims of abuse were confirmed by various authorities. Of 1,140 claims of sexual abuse, 143 were confirmed by investigators. Experts say only a fraction of the allegations are ever confirmed. These are some of the most troubled young people in the country and some will make up stories. But in other cases, the youths are pressured not to report abuse; often, no one believes them anyway. It gets worse: In 2004, the U.S. Justice Department uncovered 2,821 allegations of sexual abuse by juvenile correction staffers. The government study included 194 private facilities, which likely accounts for the higher numbers than the AP found. Unfortunately, the report on Alabama reflects the national findings.
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