(Columbia, SC) — Black children make up roughly 28% of South Carolina’s youth population, yet accounted for more than 75% of children detained by the state Department of Juvenile Justice in 2025, according to a new report from the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina.
Released September 9, Youth Behind the Fence examines racial inequality and conditions within South Carolina’s juvenile justice system. For families, educators, and community leaders, its findings bring an urgent question into focus: What happens to children after they enter a system entrusted with their rehabilitation?
The ACLU says the disparities begin before detention, with schools and solicitors referring disproportionate numbers of Black children into the system. Its analysis also highlights the continued detention of young people for “status offenses”—conduct treated as unlawful because of a child’s age, including truancy and running away.
According to the organization, status offenses accounted for 14% of referrals and 8% of detentions during fiscal year 2025. The findings raise concerns about whether children struggling at school or at home are receiving appropriate support before becoming involved with the justice system.
The report also alleges that violence involving staff and other detained youth exposes already vulnerable children to further harm. ACLU of South Carolina Executive Director Jace Woodrum called on lawmakers to address the conditions and inequities identified in the report.
“These children can’t wait another year for justice,” Woodrum said.
Transparency is another concern. WIS reported that, according to the ACLU, SCDJJ stopped publishing annual data resource guides after 2021. County-level information was missing for fiscal years 2022 through 2024, while the 2025 county-level data lacked racial demographic information.
WIS said it requested a response from SCDJJ on September 9 but had not immediately received one. The report’s findings and allegations should therefore be understood as the ACLU’s assessment, not an agency admission or court determination.
The ACLU developed the report using public records, additional documents obtained through a Freedom of Information request, and interviews with experts, formerly incarcerated people, public defenders, and former agency staff. It also released supporting records and interactive data for public review.
For South Carolina’s Black communities, this is more than a statistical disparity. It is a matter of children’s safety, educational opportunity, and public accountability. The report provides a starting point for parents, faith leaders, educators, and policymakers to examine how young people enter detention—and what meaningful rehabilitation should look like.
Readers can review Youth Behind the Fence and its accompanying resources.
