Addressing the Intersections of Juvenile Justice Involvement and Youth Homelessness: Principles for Change
Collaborating for Change: Addressing Youth Homelessness and Juvenile Justice
The work of the Collaborating for Change project focuses on two main goals: (1) to decrease the likelihood that homeless youth become involved with the juvenile justice system, and (2) to prevent youth homelessness among justice-involved youth. In collaboration with project partners the
National Network for Youth and the National League of Cities'
Institute for Youth, Education, and Families, the project provides policy and practice recommendations, training and technical assistance resources, and avenues for greater collaboration across systems.
Visit the
Collaborating for Change website.
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA)
Most recently reauthorized in 2018, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) embodies a partnership between the federal government and the U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia to protect children and youth in the juvenile and criminal justice system, to effectively address high-risk and delinquent behavior and to improve community safety. It is the only federal law that sets out national standards for the custody and care of youth in the juvenile justice system, provides direction and support for state juvenile justice system improvements, and supports programs and practices to improve youth outcomes and community safety. The law establishes State Advisory Groups (SAGs) in each state or U.S. territory to advise on juvenile justice issues, help maintain compliance with the core protections of the JJDPA, and develop a 3-year plan for their state’s use of JJDPA funds. For information about the implementation of the JJDPA visit the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention at: https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/programs/formula-grants-program.
National Standards for the Care of Youth Charged with Status Offenses
This publication, authored by the
Coalition for Juvenile Justice, explores the issue of status offenses among juveniles; in particular, based on research and the recommendations from a team of experts from varying backgrounds, the publication calls for a prohibition on detention of status offenders and seeks to divert them from the delinquency system by promoting the most appropriate services for families and the least restrictive placement options for status offending youth. A status offender is a juvenile charged with or adjudicated for conduct that would not, under the law of the jurisdiction in which the offense was committed, be a crime if committed by an adult. The most common examples of status offenses are chronic or persistent truancy, running away, violating curfew laws, or possessing alcohol or tobacco.
Download
National Standards for the Care of Youth Charged with Status Offenses.
School-Justice Partnership National Resource Center
Youth Homelessness and Juvenile Justice: Opportunities for Collaboration and Impact
Youth.gov: Juvenile Justice Webpage
Youth.gov is the U.S. government website that helps interested stakeholders create, maintain, and strengthen effective youth programs. The youth.gov Juvenile Justice webpage provides information and resources for people working with young people involved with the juvenile justice system, including data sources, publications, toolkits, and videos.
Visit the
Youth.gov Juvenile Justice webpage.