Philly DA Larry Krasner Unveils Plan to Shrink Juvenile Justice System. Does It Go Far Enough?

Only 36 percent of justice-involved youth in Philadelphia graduate from high school, according to one study. And Philadelphia has stopped sending young people to several facilities after reported assaults by staff, including one incident that led to the death of 17-year-old David Hess in 2016. It’s also a system that disproportionately affects poor and black Philadelphians; 71 percent of children in secure detention from the city are African American, while just 5.6 percent are white.