Youths held in adult jails

PITTSBURGH, July 21 (UPI) -- There are 33 boys ages 15 to 17 in a Pittsburgh jail, sparking a debate on whether minors belong in adult detention facilities, experts say.

The minors being held in the Allegheny County Jail have been charged as adults for such crimes as homicide and rape, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Monday.

Although the juveniles are housed on a separate pod from adults some of them have adult cell mates, the newspaper said.

In 2004, there were about 5,000 youths nationwide being held in adult facilities, the newspaper reported.

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., is co-sponsoring an overhaul of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act that would penalize states that put minors in adult facilities before trial by reducing their federal funding for juvenile programs.

Proponents of the bill say putting youths in adult prisons can have a negative effect.

"Kids who are prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system are more likely to re-offend," said Liz Ryan, founder of the Campaign for Youth Justice. "It does create a very negative environment for them."