Congress Enacts National Standard for Treatment of Youth in Criminal Courts

December 13, 2018 12:45 pm

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WASHINGTON 鈥 Congress passed and reauthorized today the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act, a bill that ensures federal standards in the treatment of youth in criminal courts across the country. The legislation now needs President Trump鈥檚 signature.

Jennifer Bellamy, 老澳门开奖结果 senior legislative counsel, had the following response:

鈥淭oday Congress has reaffirmed its commitment to the youth entangled in our country鈥檚 complex criminal justice system by passing a bill that will address the systematic practices that disproportionately penalize and incarcerate youth of color.

鈥淭he bill will help ensure the safety of the over 50,000 kids currently living in juvenile detention facilities. It will help address at-risk and delinquent behaviors and will help teens become productive members of society through community programs. President Trump should immediately sign this bill.

鈥淏ut while this reauthorization of the JJDPA is an extremely important step, it is also an incomplete step. There is still work to be done to prevent youth from being detained for behaviors that would not be a crime if committed by an adult. We have momentum now to impose greater change and we should not lose it.鈥

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