Sens. Grassley & Whitehouse Introduce Reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Act

Press Release

Today U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2014 (JJDPA), which updates and strengthens protections for young people in our criminal justice system and reauthorizes funding for key juvenile justice programs. The JJDPA has not been reauthorized since 2002 despite several attempts in recent Congresses.

The Senators' bill maintains protections and programs established in the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), and authorizes funding for the law for five years. It also takes steps to improve the treatment of youth under the JJDPA by bolstering its core protections, improving conditions for detained juveniles, incorporating new science on adolescent development, and increasing accountability and oversight in administering the law.

"The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention program helps in preventing at-risk youth from entering the system and helps those in the system become valuable members of communities across the country. This bipartisan bill will be a good starting point for reauthorizing this important program as we begin a new Congress. It contains significant accountability measures that I've been championing to ensure that funds go to those most in need, and just as importantly it reflects the current fiscal situation of the country," Grassley said.

"Children are our most precious cares, and as lawmakers we should focus on giving them every opportunity to reach their potential," said Whitehouse, who chaired a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism in June on the need for a reauthorization. "This legislation will strengthen the main protections of the JJDPA, and improve the conditions and practices that can determine whether offenders leave our justice system as productive members of society. I'm glad we have arrived at this strong bipartisan bill and look forward to working with Senator Grassley during the next Congress."

The new legislation strengthens several central protections established in the JJDPA, including the exception for so-called "status offenders" -- such as children who are truant, runaway, or violate curfew, alcohol, and tobacco laws. Despite limits imposed by the JJDPA on holding status offenders in juvenile lock-up and clear evidence that holding status offenders can have harmful effects for young people, current law allows authorities to detain status offenders if a judge issues a Valid Court Order (VCO). The reauthorization phases out the VCO exception over three years and provides additional safeguards for status offenders in the interim.

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