Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act

Congress enacted the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act (Pub. L. No. 93-415, 42 U.S.C. § 5601 et seq.) in 1974. This landmark legislation established the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to support local and state efforts to prevent delinquency and improve the juvenile justice system.

On November 2, 2002, Congress reauthorized the JJDP Act. The reauthorization (the 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act, Pub. L. No. 107-273, 116 Stat. 1758) supports OJJDP's established mission while introducing important changes that streamline OJJDP's operations and bring a sharper focus to its role. The provisions of the reauthorization took effect in FY 2004 (October 2003).

The four core requirements of the JJDP Act include-

• Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders;
• Sight and Sound Separation;
• Jail Removal;
• Disproportionate Minority Contact.

Click on the link below for additional information on core requirments. http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/compliance/index.html 

Pursuant to Section 223(a)(11) of the JJDP Act, the state must ensure that juveniles who are charged with or who have committed an offense that would not be criminal is committed by an adult (status offenders) and juveniles who are not charged with any offense (nonoffenders) are not placed in secure detention or secure correctional facilities, apart from those permitted by statutory and regulatory exceptions as allowed by the JJDP Act and Consolidated Regulation 28 CFR Part 31.  Further information can be found in OJJDP’s Guidance Manual for Monitoring Facilities Under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 2002 (revised January 2007). 
 

Pursuant to Section 223(a)(12) of the JJDP Act, the state must ensure juveniles alleged to be or found to be delinquent, status offenders and nonoffenders shall not be detained or confined in any institution in which they have contact with adult inmates.

Pursuant to Section 223(a)(13) of the JJDP Act, the state must ensure no juvenile is detained or confined in any adult jail or lockup, apart from those permitted by statutory and regulatory exceptions as allowed by the JJDP Act and Consolidated Regulation 28 CFR Part 31.  Further information can be found in OJJDP’s Guidance Manual for Monitoring Facilities Under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 2002 (revised January 2007). 

 

Pursuant to section 223(a)(22) of the JJDP Act, states must address specific delinquency prevention and system improvement efforts designed to reduce, without establishing or requiring numerical standards or quotas, the disproportionate number of juvenile numbers of minority groups, who come into contact with the juvenile justice system.

The link below provides a detailed summary of the state's progress to address Disproportionate Minority Contact.
 

Kentucky DMC Information Microsoft Word Document
(94.0 KB)