ATLANTA — A bipartisan investigation led by Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff has found that children with special needs in dozens of facilities nationwide, including in Georgia, are being locked up instead of receiving the mental health care they need.
Ossoff called the findings a national crisis that “should shock the conscience of Americans.”
“No child in America should be locked up instead of getting the mental health care they need and deserve. The results of our bipartisan investigation shock the conscience and demand action, and I will continue working in the Senate to expose the mistreatment of America’s children,” Ossoff said.
The first report from the investigation, released Thursday, analyzed juvenile detention facilities across the United States and revealed major delays in providing care for children with mental health conditions.
The survey, conducted in spring 2024, included responses from 75 facilities in 25 states. Officials say the findings included:
- Facilities reported keeping children incarcerated because offsite mental health care programs were not yet available.
- More than half of the facilities reported that children remained detained in these circumstances for at least one month, with some cases lasting up to a year.
- 20 facilities in 13 states held children without charges or whose charges would not normally lead to placement in a juvenile justice facility.
- 12 facilities in nine states detained children who had never been charged with offenses because mental health care was unavailable.
- Six facilities across six states incarcerated children whose charges had been dropped or who had served their sentences while waiting for care.
Virginia Rep. Jen Kiggans, a mother and nurse practitioner, called the findings “deeply jarring.” She emphasized that children need timely counseling and treatment to grow into healthy, functioning adults.
Experts say children in detention facilities have high rates of physical, mental health, and developmental needs, making access to care critical.