JDAI Juvenile Detention Facility Standards

This instrument is designed to facilitate a site assessment of a juvenile detention facility and does not cover every aspect of proper juvenile facility functioning. Any omission of an area of facility functioning does not reflect a judgment about the importance of that area. The standards in this instrument pertain to areas most likely to impact the health, safety, and legal rights of youth held in detention. This instrument does not cover topics that would be appropriate in a post-dispositional setting, such as identification of treatment needs and provision of rehabilitative services. Some of the standards included here are not strictly required by case law or statutes, but represent best professional practices to protect the health, safety, and legal rights of detained youth.