Maybe some states allow 14 year old kids to be "strip searched, shackled to walls, and thrown into cells." Mine does not. Some states have "one size fits all" detention facilities. Mine has numerous levels, ranging from foster placement, several ranges of group home settings, campus based residential schools, and lockup. In fact, we have two parallel lockups in our state, one for hardcore criminal types, and others for lesser offenses or kids with psych issues. We also have lots of kids who actually choose to get committed, rather than deal with CPS.

I'll try and start from near the top. You wrote "A kid who runs away from home should never face the risk of detention in a prison." Generally that is the case. Youth corrections facilities don't want to be responsible for those issues. On the other hand, I've noticed that other states can't wait to lock up kids for trial matters. This is absurd. have a

You wrote "the system is still highly geared towards forcing children to plea guilty and otherwise deprive them of a fair trial." Well, no. In my state, lawyers and the ADA will generally weigh the merits of the case long before disposition. Numerous options such as a "Continuance without a finding" are handed out on a daily basis. The problem is that many kids who end up in "Juvie" have been Court involved for years. What ends up happening with these kids is that they stop taking the Court (Probation, lawyers and Judges) seriously. They think Court is "a joke."

You wrote "So send them to a psychiatric facility, not a prison." Our psych facilities are already turning away kids on a daily basis. There are no beds available. In my state, some of our juvenile justice facilities, are in reality psychiatric facilities. The difference is state funding flows through a different administration.

You wrote "If the environment was such that there was no punitive element whatsoever, meaning that there would be no unnecessary limitations, rules, or procedures, I might buy that juvenile detention is a valid recourse." My state is lucky enough to have different campus based residential programs which also incorporate schools. While they vary in structure from "open door" to "staff secure," they all offer to get kids back on track as far as academics are concerned. If kids choose to "stay on" with the state, they are eligible for state funded college tuition.

You wrote "The trauma of even an incredibly short sentence for a juvenile is extreme." I disagree. As I wrote, some kids can spend a week or two in an alternative program, and then end up in a foster home or a group home setting. On the other hand there are kids out there who have killed, raped, and injured other people. Let them weep.

I could on and on, but I'll stop here.