Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee reported an important bill that I introduced with Senator Whitehouse to ensure that federal juvenile justice programs are fairly and effectively serving vulnerable children and youth in our country. Our legislation provides fresh reforms to current juvenile justice law that has not been updated in more than a dozen years, while also adding new safeguards for at-risk youth as well as the taxpayer.
The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act was enacted in 1974 to support states and communities with their juvenile justice programs and activities and ensure the safety of at-risk youth who enter the criminal justice system. Since its enactment, this law has offered important tools to help communities provide opportunities for children in need.
Our legislation, which was passed by voice vote in committee, improves health and safety measures for youth, by encouraging states receiving federal funds to offer screening and care for those with mental illness or substance abuse and by ensuring that juvenile offenders are not incarcerated with adult criminals. It also ensures that children cannot be jailed for “status offenses,” such as skipping school, running away or breaking curfew, which would never land an adult in prison, and it enables students to continue their education while detained.
Recently, my office has investigated claims that several states continued to receive federal grant dollars even though they habitually fell short of the law’s core requirements to receive such funding. As a result, the children are not being adequately served, and states have no incentive to improve. Our bill creates new accountability measures to ensure that states are complying with the law’s criteria for grant recipients so that the children are being served as the law intended.
Our goal is to make sure that youth can benefit from the programs’ full potential. I’m thankful for the broad support in the Judiciary Committee, and I hope the Senate will act quickly to move this bill forward.