Juvenile Justice Technical Assistance

Juvenile Justice Project

Opportunities for Technical Assistance

The juvenile justice project helps legislatures develop comprehensive policies that encompass a range of issues from delinquency prevention to deep-end sanctions for serious, violent and chronic juvenile offenders. State policy priorities and actions differ from state to state--there is no single national agenda nor are states at the same stage in decision making. Some legislatures are beginning the process of reviewing their juvenile justice systems and policies; others have completed major reform. The juvenile justice project works closely with legislative leadership and staff to tailor technical assistance services to the unique needs of individual states. Technical assistance includes:

workshops for legislative committees;

testimony from NCSL staff, researchers, legislators and practitioners;

bill drafting assistance and;

facilitation for legislators, legislative staff and other state leaders.

Issue areas include:

administration;

prevention and intervention;

at-risk youth;

graduated sanctions;

detention and corrections;

treating juvenile offenders like adults;

youth violence and legislative management of juvenile justice.

Current information about what works is an integral part of our services.

New Member Orientation to Comprehensive Juvenile Justice will be offered for the first time this year. This program provides an overview of juvenile crime and comprehensive juvenile justice in state legislatures. It is developed for legislative committees and working groups and has valuable information for new and experienced members and staff.

Examples of other types of technical assistance provided in past years include:

A special workshop on preventing juvenile crime for the Oregon legislature.

A mini-assessment of Nevada's juvenile justice system, including recommendations for making it more comprehensive and on-site testimony by a national expert selected by legislative leadership.

A two-day workshop for the Vermont Youthful Offender Study Committee that included testimony from juvenile justice practitioners including a Connecticut lawmaker, and facilitating working sessions among legislators and officials from other branches of government and service providers.

Testimony on graduated sanctions and legislative trends in juvenile justice for Wyoming's Judiciary Committee.

Testimony on school violence before a legislative committees in Connecticut, New Mexico and Tennessee.

Testimony on juvenile crime trends and status offenders before a New Mexico corrections oversight committee.

The cost of technical assistance is covered by NCSL grant funds when they are available. There are no formal application procedures or deadlines.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) funds the juvenile justice project, a collaborative between NCSL's Children and Families and Criminal Justice programs.

If you're interested in the technical assistance opportunities described above, or if you have any other questions about NCSL's Juvenile Justice Project, please contact Donna Lyons at 303/856-1532.

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