Double charged: The true cost of juvenile justice

The process of charging a youth with a crime involves trials, probation hearings, and now the negotiation of a long catalog of fines and fees that get tacked on for things like staffing, clothing, health care - even a fee for the investigation following the arrest, which is upheld whether the youth is exonerated or not. The charges amount to an average of close to $2,000.  Juvenile offenders are charged for each day they must wear a GPS ankle-device - one accessory no teen wants to wear. And it's usually on for longer than expected: nearly half of young people who are electronically monitored end up violating probation, and extending their GPS time or going to juvenile hall.In California, which has highest population of incarcerated youth in the country, young people don’t just pay for their crimes with their incarceration — they get a bill.  It falls on low-income families to pay the juvenile justice system to teach kids a lesson. One mother in Solano county is still fending off collection agencies seeking money for the cost of incarcerating her son - who is now deceased - in 2010.“There are more and more criminal justice fees that are added every year in this country. In recent years, about 20 state legislatures passed laws holding parents responsible for their children’s crimes.” The series of investigative reports - video, radio, print, and infographics - on the "true cost" of the juvenile criminal justice system appeared on Marketplace and The Atlantic, and the PBS organization LearningMedia published it as a resource for educators teaching journalism to young people. The series was produced by Youth Radio.[youtube=http://youtu.be/toPtQIi4jRs]