The Rhode Island Training School (the Thomas C. Slater Training School for Youth in Cranston) is the state's secure juvenile facility, operated by the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF). It holds youths detained while their Family Court case is pending and youths the court has committed after a finding of delinquency. Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 14-1-36, a commitment can last no longer than the youth's 19th birthday. The one exception is a certified juvenile, who can be sentenced past 19, with the rest of the sentence served at the adult prison (ACI). Commitment is the most serious juvenile disposition, so defense work focuses on alternatives like probation, treatment programs, and community-based supervision.
