Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Act of 2002
The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Act of 2002 was signed into law on November 2, 2002 by President George W. Bush. The main focus of the law is to protect juveniles in a number of ways during law enforcement contacts and in foster care. It also seeks to decrease the incarceration of minors.
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Findings
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The startling findings of the Act included the statistic that in 1999, one of six arrests for a violent offense were under the age of 18. During the same year, 13 percent of all drug abuse arrests were of minors.
Programs
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In light of the findings, the Act establishes a number of juvenile justice grants. It gives the authority to offer grants, provides personnel, requires annual reports, cooperates with the state and allocates funds.
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State Responsibility
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The states must cooperate with the federal government in addressing four requirements so that they can be fully funded. States must work to deinstitutionalize minor offenders; keep juveniles separate, by sight and sound, from incarcerated adults; reduce the imbalance of juvenile minority contacts and remove juveniles from adult facilities.
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References
- Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention: Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
- Government of Massachusetts Public Safety: Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act
- Child Welfare League of America: Summary of Juvenile Justice Provisions in 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Act
- Photo Credit youth sideview image by Joann Cooper from Fotolia.com
