The Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) has released its national report on state compliance with the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). While juvenile justice is historically the province of the states, the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act provided funding and training on best practices to states who agreed to certain fundamental guidelines regarding the rights of juvenile offenders. The report notes the success of the legislation in promoting uniform guidelines and best practices among the states and the continued (ever-present) need for training and funding in the future.

• Full Report – A Pivotal Moment: Sustaining the Success and Enhancing the Future of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (.pdf)
• Report Executive Summary (.pdf)
• Report Fact Sheet (.pdf)
• Report Narrative of Survey Results (.pdf)

The results of the CJJ Survey of State JJDPA Compliance Challenges and Successes (“the CJJ survey”), administered in July 2008, include self-reported, unverified responses from up to 53 distinct states and territories. Among the principal findings:

• Thirty-five years after its enactment, 55 of 56 states and territories voluntarily participate in the JJDPA.
• Eighty-five percent of survey respondents were in compliance with all four JJDPA core requirements as of their last compliance audit. (Note: 90 percent of all states are in compliance with all four core requirements as of their 2007 compliance audits.)
• States value the federal-state partnership established under the JJDPA, and have pursued innovations, including public-private partnerships, to make optimal use of federal resources to significantly contribute to near-historic lows in rates of the juvenile offending.
• States continue to embrace OJJDP as a critical partner in their efforts to comply with the JJDPA, identify and replicate best practices and improve outcomes for youth, families and communities nationwide.

Taken together, these findings demonstrate that the JJDPA is fulfilling its purposes.

HT Grits for Breakfast: TCJC brings news on probation, parole, juvie justice and the drug war

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