States grapple with closing youth detention centers

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - As states from California to Maine consider drastic changes to youth detention centers, New Hampshire is grappling with its own facility that has been rocked by abuse allegations from years past.

The state’s Legislature will vote Thursday on a proposed state budget that would close the sprawling facility - housing fewer than 20 children on a campus built for 144 - by March 2023 and replace it with a new 18-bed center.

Other states are moving in a similar direction, and President Joe Biden’s proposed budget includes $100 million to support efforts to close detention facilities and invest in community alternatives to support youth.