Juvenile probation departments use risk assessments to determine if a juvenile accused of a crime should be released or detained pre-trial. But even when the assessment recommends release, an NBC Bay Area investigation found most are detained anyway.

A Texas judge known for sending kids to juvenile detention released a group of juvenile defendants who appeared before him Wednesday, in an unusual move that came less than a day after losing his bid for re-election, according to local media reports. At least four of the minors faced serious charges.

The city of Philadelphia has won a $1 million award to support its proposal for a juvenile center designed to avoid re-traumatizing children who abruptly enter the justice system.

CLEVELAND - Cuyahoga County has agreed to pay nearly $180,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by four former juvenile detention inmates who claimed guards forced them to fight for their own entertainment.

Despite progress in recent years, Arkansas' youth justice system is still rife with problems, a new report shows -- namely, keeping kids locked up too long, even for misdemeanors; poor oversight; a lack of use-of-force training for officers; and insufficient data-keeping that prevents the best use of resources.

Constantine reveals $4 million proposed budget to fund programs aimed at helping achieve his goal of 'zero youth detention.'

Major portions of San Diego’s juvenile detention facilities sit empty. And it’s not just San Diego. Falling crime rates, combined with more money for prevention and a changing juvenile justice culture, have virtually emptied California’s juvenile halls.

Children under 13 who are accused of crimes will no longer be locked up in Cook County.

Under a law passed unanimously Wednesday by the Cook County Board of Commissioners, the county will find alternatives to detaining kids arrested in the county.