NCJ Number
137447
Date Published
1987
Length
34 pages
Annotation
The National Coalition of State Juvenile Justice Advisory Groups views the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 and its subsequent amendments as a significant achievement in empowering States and youth to improve the juvenile justice system.
Abstract
The Act has reaffirmed previously ignored rights of juveniles as court decisions in Idaho, Oregon, California, Texas, Iowa, and elsewhere demonstrate. In addition, legal challenges to conditions where juveniles are denied services or access to programs funded by the Federal Government because of their status as dependent, status offender, or delinquent are being considered. The Coalition recommends that Congress take legislative action to facilitate consistency in administering the Act. The Coalition also believes that the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) should develop major initiatives in the area of primary prevention to reduce the rate of differential incarceration of minorities and to empower native Americans. Specific recommendations are that the OJJDP be a permanent part of the Department of Justice, that the jailing of juveniles be considered a violation of Federal law, that no juvenile be held in any institution or correctional facility in which conditions do not meet recognized national standards, that no child be denied access to educational and mental health services or other programs funded by the Federal Government, and that assistance be offered to States to maintain deinstitutionalization and the separation of juveniles from adults in jails and to remove juveniles from adult-serving jails and lockups.