Dressed in jumpsuits, hands in cuffs, or locked away in tiny cells, these are the youths held by America's juvenile justice system. The emotional portraits, taken at three 'school' facilities around Washington state, show the inmates standing in prison corridors and resting in their rooms - as well as others which simply try to show how they are feeling. All of the subjects have been locked away after sentencing in the state's juvenile courts, and are part of a project by photographer Steve Davis. Incarcerated: The photo series shows inmates held in Washington state's juvenile prison system, such as the two men above . Grim: One inmate is pictured above in his room, which features a combination toilet-sink, which seemingly leaks . Bleak surroundings: Photographer Steve Davis visited three school-cum-prison facilities in the state, and photographed inmates and their surroundings . Cuffed: These two prisoners have their wrists and ankles bound in the uncompromising portrait above . However, while Davis, whose images are due to be published in an upcoming book, focused on the prisoners' human side for his series, he deliberately left out one aspect: their pasts. Each portrait has been left without a label identifying the prisoner, in an attempt to break the link between those depicted and their crimes. He also shows their bleak living conditions, from a stark gym to a deserted exercise yard, to uncomfortable-looking standard-issue single beds. Marketing material for Davis's book says the intention is that 'the viewer must draw conclusions about each person’s past and possible future... from the simultaneously vast and limited information in each photograph'. Davis, who took the photographs between 1997 and 2005, met the subjects through his work as a resident artist in three of Washington's detention centers, which double as schools. Obscure: Davis made the deliberate decision not to mention the crimes which led to the youths being locked away . No home comforts: The images show bare sleeping, social and exercise space inside the prison system . Prison system: State officials say the juvenile detention centers are a last resort for dangerous youths or those who have no responded to other measures . Around 750 youths a year are sent to juvenile detention facilities in Washington. State information on the system says those sent there have often committed violent crimes or ignored previous punishments. Information from the overseeing Social and Health Services department says: 'These youngsters are typically serious and violent offenders or youth with extensive offense histories who have not responded to local sanctions and interventions.' Children as young as 12 can be incarcerated, and can stay in the facilities until they are 20. More than 90 per cent are male. According to data from September 2014, around two thirds are aged 16-18. Some 19 per cent are sex offenders, while 54 per cent have been convicted of violent crimes. Robbery, assault, burglary and rape feature prominently among the convictions which led to their incarcerations. Around half have mental health issues. Judgement? Davis intended his views to draw their own conclusions from the pictures . Grim dunk: This basketball hoop, surrounded by high walls and barbed wire, is an example of the bleak leisure facilities on offer .
Photographer Steve Davis spent years in Washington prison-schools taking photographs of inmates . He decided not to link pictures of the young prisoners to their crimes so viewers can 'draw their own conclusions'