Juvenile Justice

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Preventing and addressing juvenile crime and delinquency remain perennial issues in state legislatures today. State lawmakers are central to the planning and reforming of juvenile justice. Policies require balancing the interests of rehabilitation, public safety and preserving the rights of juveniles, while attempting to cut costs and reduce crime. Enactments in recent years have included those that work to prevent delinquency, provide treatment for alcohol, drug and mental health problems, protect the confidentiality of juvenile records, and otherwise distinguish young people from adult offenders. The resources on this web page address these and other key issues on state juvenile justice systems.

Announcing

2013 Juvenile Justice Issue Post Card - States with Juvenile Competency Laws.  See the first post card in this series online.

“Juvenile Justice Trends in State Legislation, 2001-2011” - Written in 2012, under a partnership with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in Chicago, Illinois, this new report illustrates the trends in juvenile justice enactments over the past decade.  The report is a summary analysis of 2001-2011 juvenile justice legislation in all 50-states and describes the direction of state juvenile justice policy over this ten-year period.  It highlights significant pieces of legislation and catalogs the volume and variety of juvenile justice legislation enacted in states.  

The 2013 Juvenile Justice Quarterly newsletter is an NCSL electronic newsletter for state legislators, legislative staff, and others interested in state juvenile justice policy. This newsletter provides periodic updates on juvenile justice legislation and budgets; highlights innovative policies and programs; and connects you with new reports and news of upcoming NCSL events.

2012 Juvenile Justice State Legislation focused on conditions of a juvenile’s confinement, detention reform, treating juveniles different than adults and expungement of juvenile records.

2012 Legisbriefs: Disproportionate Minority Contact - one in four U.S. residents is under age 18. Some 59 percent are white and 31 percent are racial minorities, yet 68 percent of young people detained by law enforcement were racial minorities, according to 2010 reports from the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP); and Shackling Juveniles During Court Appearances - state legislatures and courts across the country are taking a closer look at the practice of placing juveniles in shackles during court appearances without first assessing each juvenile's behavior.

Juvenile Justice Bill Tracking Database – The database tracks all pending and enacted bills on pertinent juvenile justice issues and allows you to search by topic, state, key word or year.
 

Juvenile Justice Guide Book for Legislators  – Under an NCSL/MacArthur Foundation partnership, NCSL has published a juvenile justice guide bookaddressing the most important juvenile justice policy issues of the day. This juvenile justice primer highlights significant research, program approaches and gives examples of state legislation. The following sections are included:

• Adolescent Development and Competency; Delinquency Prevention and Intervention; Indigent Defense, Counsel and Procedural Issues; Mental Health Needs of Juvenile Offenders; Disproportionate Minority Contact; Medicaid for Juvenile Justice Involved Children; Reentry and Aftercare; Cost-Benefit Analysis of Juvenile Justice Programs; References, Glossary and Resources

Other Publications

• Return on Investment: Improving Results and Saving Money, 2011 Legislative Summit session video
• Prosecuting juvenile as adults or children?
• Gang Violence
• Mental Illness and Delinquency

You can see all the documents related to this topic by clicking on the document library tab at the top of this page or you can search all civil and criminal justice documents on the site here.