Lead Poisoning & Juvenile Sentencing: Judge's brown wood gavel resting on two gray books on a white table with gold weight scales to right

Opinion: Lead Exposure’s Link to Crime Should Shape Criminal Sentencing, Early Release 

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Pure Earth and UNICEF reported in 2020 that, globally, one out of three children are exposed to dangerous levels of lead, a poison that gets into the bloodstream, then impairs the brain and the body in many ways.

The United States has made great progress toward reducing lead exposure from gasoline and paint. But more work is needed to protect all American children, including those whose exposure to lead during early childhood — and even while in their mother’s womb — has been linked to behaviors landing them in the juvenile justice system.

1 Million Children Detained

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More than 1 million children are detained through justice systems worldwide at any one time, although this is likely to be a significant underestimate given the difficulties in obtaining data about the many unreported children in custody. Not only are data collected inconsistently, they often do not include children awaiting trial, young children detained with their parents or children held temporarily by the police. Among 44 countries for which data were available, around 59 per cent of children in detention had not been sentenced. The vast majority of children in detention have not committed serious offenses. Many are only charged with status offenses, such as running away from home, violation of child-related curfews, truancy or alcohol use.