Violence rates high at Ohio youth prisons

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio's youth prisons have much higher assault rates than the adult lockups.

Juvenile prisons had more than 1,600 assaults in 2011, with an overall population of only 680 youths. The adult population of more than 50,000 inmates had nearly 2,500 assaults.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that a court-appointed monitor found that conditions have been improving. But the newspaper reports in Sunday's editions that some Department of Youth Services staffers say there isn't enough discipline in the youth prisons and that conditions are dangerous for both the teens and the prison staff.

The four Ohio youth prisons include some of the state's most violent juvenile offenders, and also some young people with mental issues.