The federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act
of 1974 has helped improve treatment of juvenile offenders across the country,
but some challenges remain according to a new report by the Coalition for
Juvenile Justice, a Public Welfare Foundation grantee.
While the report recommends re-authorization of the law, it
points to decreased federal funding and continued over-representation of
minorities as key concerns to be addressed.
The law requires that youths who have committed so-called
status offenses, such as skipping school, running away or using alcohol or
tobacco – offenses that apply only to minors – not be locked up in secure
detention facilities. It also seeks to protect youths charged with delinquent
offenses from being held in adult jails or having any prolonged contact with
adult inmates. And, it requires that the major points of contact for minority
youths in the system – including arrest, detention and confinement – be
monitored and evaluated.
By setting some basic standards and providing funding to
implement them, the law has promoted a healthy partnership between state and
local governments and the federal government for more consistent and fair
handling of court-involved youths across the nation, according to the report.
It has guarded against harsh conditions and sanctions and helped keep youths
and communities safer through national standards and targeted delinquency
prevention efforts.
The Coalition, a national representative organization of
state advisory groups, surveyed the states and U.S. territories that are
voluntarily implementing the law to assess overall compliance and outstanding
problems. It found continued high support for the goals and purposes of the act
as well as the partnership with the federal government and the technical
assistance it provides. But respondents cited a decline in federal
appropriations in the last several years as a threat to effective compliance
with the law as well as ongoing delinquency prevention efforts. And
disproportionate rates of confinement among minority youths remain a
concern.
The report has been issued in conjunction with the 35th
anniversary of the law and it urges Congress to pass the latest
reauthorization, which has been delayed since 2007.
To see the full report, “A Pivotal Moment: Sustaining the
Success and Enhancing the Future of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention Act,” click here.
