To: Crime and Justice Advocates
From: Gabe Schlabach, Legislative Assistant
Date: October 18, 2007
Re: Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act

Issue:

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), one of the strongest federal restorative justice laws, is scheduled for reauthorization in the current Congress.

Background:

The JJDPA, first established in 1974, has helped safeguard the rights of youth and families involved in juvenile and criminal courts while promoting community safety. The law provides four core protections for youth:

• Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders: helps prevent children who skip school or run away from home from being sent to prison facilities;
• Adult Jail and Lockup Removal: prevents youth from being confined with adults in adult facilities;
• Sight and Sound Separation: requires that when youth are held in adult prisons (which happens in limited instances), they be separated by both sight and sound from adult offenders;
• The Disproportionate Minority Contact Provision: mandates that states must address the disproportionate number of Youth of Color in the juvenile justice system.

Research on what works and what doesn’t in juvenile justice has advanced dramatically since 1974, and a reauthorization of the JJDPA now will strengthen these four pillars of the law by incorporating that new knowledge. Reauthorization of the JJDPA would help young people in the juvenile justice system to better heal and return to society, reduce the amount of crime in communities across the country, and increase government efficiency by moving resources to strategies that work.

Faith Reflection:

In Mark 10:14, Jesus tells his disciples, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.”

In many cases, children who have broken the law and find themselves in the juvenile justice system have a past of neglect and/or abuse. All too often these children reach adulthood without ever receiving the tools they need to change their behavior and reenter society, especially when they are heavily penalized or thrown in jails with adult prisoners, who continue to abuse and mistreat them.

Christians are called to love the children in our society, just as Jesus does. Jesus did not turn away sinners or criminals, but instead loved them, healed them, and called them to a new way of living. Our response should be the same.

Action:

Contact your U.S. representative and senators and ask them to support reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act and strengthen the four core protections for youth that the JJDPA has historically advanced. To find contact information for your representatives in Washington, please visit capwiz.com/etp/dbq/officials.

Visits, e-mails, phone calls, faxes and letters are all good ways to contact your legislators. E-mails, phone calls and faxes are good for time-sensitive issues. Postal mail travels slowly in the Capitol, but letters have long-term impact. Be sure to include your mailing address in all correspondence to confirm your residency in a particular district and state.

We would be grateful for copies of your correspondence and any responses you receive! Please send them to

* This Hotline was adapted from an alert by ACT 4 Juvenile Justice, a Washington, DC-based coalition advancing the JJDPA.