National Coalition Releases Recommendations to 116th Congress for Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 26, 2019
Contact:
Campaign for Youth Justice
Aprill Turner
Phone: (202) 821-1604 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Coalition for Juvenile Justice
Naomi Smoot
Phone: (202) 467-0864 ext.113; Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
National Coalition Releases Recommendations to 116th Congress for Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Coalition (NJJDPC) held a Congressional briefing today to discuss the latest on federal juvenile justice reform, including what is next in the wake of the reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), and other key priorities for the 116th Congress. Congressman Tony Cárdenas gave opening remarks, and Anahi Figueroas-Martinez, a member of Juveniles for Justice, a project of the Juvenile Law Center, and Shamelen Henderson, a member of the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitative Services Youth Council, shared their experiences with the juvenile justice system with Congressional staff.
NJJDPC also released their recommendations for the 116th Congress. “Last year showed great progress in the advancement of juvenile justice reforms. We are pleased to provide these recommendations to Congress on ways they can continue to build on the successes of last Congress,” says Rachel Marshall, Federal Policy Counsel at the Campaign for Youth Justice. The recommendations highlight six areas where Congress can take action to promote safe communities, ensure the welfare of our children, and guarantee a fair and equitable justice system, including: 1) Establishing a positive vision for juvenile justice reform; 2) ensuring developmentally appropriate responses to justice-involved youth; 3) reducing reliance on detention and incarceration and investing in communities; 4) ensuring fairness and equity for justice-involved youth; 5) ensuring safety for justice-involved youth; and 6) helping youth successfully reenter their communities.
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About NJJDPC: The National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Coalition (NJJDPC) is a collaborative array of youth- and family- serving, social justice, law enforcement, corrections, and faith-based organizations, working to ensure healthy families, build strong communities and improve public safety by promoting fair and effective policies, practices and programs for youth involved or at risk of becoming involved in the juvenile and criminal justice systems.