JJDPA Today: CJJ

1

• JJDPA Today CJJs Summit on
• Reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and
  Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA)
• June 11, 2007

2
What is ACT 4 Juvenile Justice?

• A campaign to advance reauthorization of the
  Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act
  (JJDPA) sponsored by the Juvenile Justice
  Delinquency Prevention Coalition
• Serving as the collective voice of more than 150
  organizations nationwide.
• Delivering a consensus documentthe JJDPA
  Statement of Principlesto the 110th Congress.

3
JJDPA Statement of Principles

• Signatories to the Statement of
  Principlesincluding CJJ and individual SAGs,
  among othersare urging the Congress to adhere to
  four key principles in approaching
  Reauthorization of the JJDPA.
• The 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 improvements
  and, thereby, significantly contributed to the
  diminution of juvenile crime and delinquency.

4
Four Key Principles

• Keep children and youth out of the justice system
• Ensure equity and competence
• Ensure responses appropriate to a young persons
  age and stage of development
• Strengthen the federal partnership with state and
  local government

5
I. Keep children and youth out of the justice
system

• Address their needs and those of their families
  early and effectively
• Strategies
• Support a continuum of care
• Develop and sustain detention alternatives
• Provide effective re-entry and re-connection

6
II. Ensure equity and competence

• Ensure equity and competence with regard to race,
  ethnicity, culture, language, gender and sexual
  orientation in legal representation before the
  courts, and throughout all system practices and
  policies

7
Ensure equity and competence, continued.

• Strategies
• Reduce racial and ethnic disparities
• Direct major resources and report progress
• Ensure cultural and linguistic competence
• Ensure due process rights and access to counsel
• Ensure safety when in the care of the system

8
III. Ensure responses appropriate to age and
stage of development

• Treat in an age-appropriate manner
• Provide with developmentally appropriate,
  evidenced-based services and supports
• If sanctions are needed, ensure that they are
  appropriate to a youths age and offense

9
Responses appropriate to age and development,
continued

• Strategies
• Provide incentives to state and local
  jurisdictions
• Recognize normal adolescent behavior vs.
  delinquency
• Implement restorative justice policies and
  practices
• Take steps to extend federal protections to all
  youth until age 18 or older

10
IV. Strengthen the federal partnership with
state and local government

• Provide sufficient resources and appropriations
  for jurisdictions to effectively implement the
  JJDPA
• Thus, to fully comply with its core requirements,
  and
• To ensure adherence to high performance standards

11
Strengthen the federal partnership with state and
local government, continued

• Strategies
• Optimize funding levels to fulfill all JJDPA
  requirements and programs
• Ensure OJJDP is responsive to state and local
  needs
• Establish and support the development of
  performance measures

12
Get Involved!

• State and national organizations may sign-on with
  the Statement of Principles and participate in
  the Act 4 Juvenile Justice campaign.
• To sign-on or post questions info_at_juvjustice.org
• See www.act4jj.org for more information (as of
  June 20)