Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA)


NJJN

Today at 8:55 AM


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For more than four decades the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) has had a profound impact on how our youth justice systems operate. In fact, it has so deeply changed how states organize their justice systems that many reformers, unfortunately, take it for granted.



Without the JJDPA, reformers would lack consistent data, a go-to federal agency, funds for community-based options and system changes, and state-level oversight bodies to monitor basic care for youth in the system.

This snapshot highlights the basics of what this law does and why it continues to be a critically important tool for helping young people and communities.



At the time that the JJDPA was enacted, egregious practices were commonplace in many states, such as regularly placing children in the juvenile justice system into adult jails. Thus, the JJDPA was enacted to provide federal guidance and standards to ensure a minimum level of safety and equitable treatment for youth in every state, U.S. territory, the District of Columbia, and tribes. Here are some of the key ways that the JJDPA does this:


Protects Youth
The JJDPA established four core protections for youth:
• The deinstitutionalization of youth with status offenses (DSO) core protection provides that youth charged with offenses such as truancy and running away should not be confined in juvenile facilities or adult jails;

Establishes State Oversight
Title II State Formula Grants5
Title V Local Delinquency Prevention Program


The JJDPA was last reauthorized by Congress in 2002. That means it does not reflect many of the important new developments in the field, including new adolescent brain science research; the cost-effectiveness and improved outcomes from trauma-informed, community-based approaches; and what we know works to address the needs of youth of color and girls. Efforts are underway to update and reauthorize the JJDPA to reflect these new developments and incentivize states to enact bold, evidence-based reform efforts that have proven to be more effective.


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WHAT JJDPA DOES:
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• The jail removal core protection provides that youth should not be placed in adult jails and lock-ups except under very limited circumstances;
• The “sight and sound” separation core protection provides that youth in adult jails or lock-ups must be sight and sound separated from adult inmates; and
• The disproportionate minority contact core protection mandates that states take measures to reduce racial and ethnic disparities at key contact points in the juvenile justice system.
Created a Federal Agency
The JJDPA established the office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) – an agency that provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to states to help them comply with the core protections and other requirements of the JJDPA, as well as to develop effective youth justice programs to support youth and build healthy, safe communities. These resources include:
• provision of funding to the states through formula and discretionary grants;
• technical assistance and training to states;
• research, reports and trainings on youth justice issues and reforms; and
• the collection and analysis of statistics on youth involved with youth justice systems throughout the country.
Collects Detailed Data
OJJDP collects, and makes public, data on youth in every stage of the youth justice system throughout the country. OJJDP provides statistical analyses of this data as well as a Statistical Briefing Book, which allows all users to sort the data by a variety of categories on the national and state level.
Establishes State Oversight
The JJDPA requires that governors create a State Advisory Group to provide advice on youth justice policy, monitor and support the state’s progress in addressing the JJDPA core requirements, provide input into the distribution of the state’s JJDPA funding, and develop a three-year, youth justice plan for the state.
Funds Programs
The JJDPA emphasizes that states provide funding for community-based alternatives.1 JJDPA funds have been used by states to fund a variety of community-based programs, such as afterschool and summer delinquency prevention programs


Created a Federal Agency
The JJDPA established the office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) – an agency that provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to states to help them comply with the core protections and other requirements of the JJDPA, as well as to develop effective youth justice programs to support youth and build healthy, safe communities. These resources include:
• provision of funding to the states through formula and discretionary grants;
• technical assistance and training to states;
• research, reports and trainings on youth justice issues and reforms; and
• the collection and analysis of statistics on youth involved with youth justice systems throughout the country.



Read More:
http://www.njjn.org/uploads/digital-library/JJDPA%20Snapshot%20October%202017.pdf

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