NCJ Number
244587
Date Published
2013
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This brief presents information for use in addressing truancy and other status offenses for youth involved with the juvenile justice system.
Abstract
This brief was prepared by the Coalition for Juvenile Justice to provide information for education professionals on addressing the problem of truancy and other status offenses for youth involved with the juvenile justice system. Every year, a significant number of young people become involved with the juvenile justice system as a result of non-criminal behaviors such as truancy, running away from home, and unruliness. Conviction on these offenses can often lead to these youth being locked in juvenile detention facilities if they recidivate. As a result, the Coalition for Juvenile Justice has established a set of national standards for identifying these youth and establishing effective prevention strategies. These standards call for the following: 1) education systems should implement responses to truancy that match the reasons youth are absent from school and that aim to avoid court involvement, school suspension, or expulsion; 2) youth-serving and school systems should ensure young people do not enter the status offense system because of learning, mental health, sensory, speech/language, or co-occurring disabilities; and 3) youth-serving and education systems should train professionals who first respond to alleged status offense, such as truancy, about family and community dynamics and other factors that can cause these behaviors, as well as the availability and role of screening, assessments, and services.