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The Campaign for Youth Justice has released its recommendations on juvenile justice and trying youth as adults for President-Elect Obama's administration transition. Click here to download the recommendations.

JJDPA Passes Through Senate Judiciary Committee

On June 18, 2008, Senators Leahy, Specter, and Kohl introduced S. 3155, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2008, which would reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) – one of the major federal laws focusing on juvenile justice issues.

On Thursday, July 31st, the Senate Judiciary Committee adopted S. 3155 by voice vote, meaning that the Senators did not cast individual, recorded votes. A summary of the bill as passed by the Committee can be found at this link. The CFYJ letter in support of the bill can be found here.

For an update on the bill’s status and a current list of the bill co-sponsors, please visit http://thomas.loc.gov/  and enter “S. 3155” into the search box (make sure you choose the search by bill number option).

Unfortunately, prior to the Committee’s consideration, Senator Kyl (R-AZ) considered offering an amendment that would have negatively increased the federal transfer law.  Although this amendment was not offered during the Committee’s consideration of the bill, this amendment may be offered on the Senate floor when the entire Senate considers the bill.  Please visit the following links to view letters in opposing the Kyl amendment from the Campaign and from over 50 national groups. Here is a sample letter in opposition to the Kyl amendment.

For more information on the JJDPA, please visit www.act4jj.org.  

The JJDPA

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act is the most important piece of federal legislation affecting youth in juvenile justice systems across the country. It is the principle federal program through which the federal government sets standards for juvenile justice systems at the state and local level, providing direct funding for states, research, training, and technical assistance, and evaluation.
 
The original enactment of the JJDPA occurred in 1974; Congress passed the first comprehensive piece of juvenile justice legislation to date. Although the JJDPA has been amended several times over the past 30 years, its basic shape remains similar to that of its original concept. As it was passed in 1974, the JJDPA focused largely on preventing juvenile delinquency and on rehabilitating juvenile offenders.
           
The JJDPA contains four “core protections” which require states to comply as a condition of receiving federal juvenile justice funding. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act prohibits, with certain exceptions, the use of adult jails and lockups for the incarceration of juveniles. The four “core protections” are listed below:

1. Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders. This requirement specifies that non-secure alternatives must be found for juveniles who are charged with or have committed acts that would not be against the law if committed by an adult.

2. Sight and Sound Separation. This requirement states that juveniles being securely detained must be "sight and sound" separate from adult detainees.

3. Jail Removal. This requirement stipulates that no juvenile shall be detained or confined in any adult jail or lockup. The following exceptions are made:

• Juveniles accused of a crime may be held for up to six hours for processing.
• Juveniles waived to adult court may be detained because they are no longer under the jurisdiction of the JJDP Act.

4. Disproportionate Minority Confinement. If the number of juveniles from minority groups who are confined in secure detention facilities exceeds the proportion such groups represent in the general population, then such confinements should be addressed.

In 2007, some researchers estimate that as many as 200,00 youth have their cases processed in the adult criminal court each year as a result of prosecutorial or judicial waiver, statutory exclusion (for certain offense categories), or because these youth reside in states with a lower age of criminal jurisdiction (age 16 or 17). These youth, because they are not under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, are not covered by JJDPA protections. Right now, juvenile arrest rates are at historically low rates – lower than any levels recorded since the 1980s. 

Please visit for more information about the JJDPA and the 2007 Reauthorization - www.act4jj.org

 

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) Briefing Book

We have provided you with a briefing book on the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) which is scheduled for reauthorization in 2007. The JJDPA provides crucial funding for state delinquency prevention and juvenile justice programs. The JJDPA was most recently reauthorized in 2002 with bi-partisan support.

This fact book contains the following items:

• a statement of principles highlighting our goals in the JJDPA reauthorization;
• fact sheets providing information about the JJDPA and the juvenile justice system;
• a list of sources for additional information on the JJDPA and related topics; and,
• a complete list of Act 4 Juvenile Justice Working Group members with contact information;

JJDPA Briefing Book (PDF 1.5 MB)
 

Statement of Principles

This document urges Congress to adhere to the following four principles in approaching the Reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). These principles are grounded in research and their efficacy underscored by the fact that the JJDPA has for more than 30 years provided direction and support for juvenile justice system improvement and, thereby, significantly contributed to the diminution of juvenile crime and delinquency. 

JJDPA Statement of Principles (PDF 2.6 MB)