Bill Introduced to Reauthorize JJDPA, Extend Additional Protections to Children and Youth in Juvenile Justice System

On December 11th senators introduced a bill to reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), our country’s broadest federal juvenile justice law. The measure, which was first enacted 40 years ago, provides four core protections for young people who are involved in the juvenile justice system. The JJDPA requires that states address disproportionate minority contact (DMC) within their juvenile justice systems, ensures that children are not placed in adult jails, and requires that incarcerated youth and adults be separated by both sight and sound barriers. The JJDPA also prohibits the incarceration of children for status offenses, behaviors that violate the law only because the person engaging in them has not reached the age of adulthood, such as skipping school or running away from home.

See the attached press release in the Files section to learn more.