Res. No. 1930
Resolution calling on the United States Senate to pass legislation reauthorizing and enhancing the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.
By Council Members Gonzalez, Comrie, Dickens, Fidler, Foster, James, Palma, Sanders Jr., Liu, Gerson, Stewart, Jackson, Mark-Viverito, de Blasio, Arroyo, Barron, Mealy, Rodriguez and Weprin.
Whereas, The United States' juvenile justice system is responsible for detained and incarcerated youth as well as administering programs designed to protect youth and reduce future juvenile crime; and
Whereas, A continuum of funding is needed to provide these necessary services to youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice system; and
Whereas, The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974 is a major source of federal funding to improve states' juvenile justice systems; and
Whereas, The JJDPA is based on the principle that children should not have contact with adults in jails and other institutional settings; and
Whereas, Congress initially passed the JJDPA in 1974 to keep children from having direct contact with adults in jails and prisons and to establish rules under which juvenile offenders could be detained; and
Whereas, Under the JJDPA and its subsequent re-authorizations, states are required to maintain core protective services for juveniles; and
Whereas, According to the Campaign for Youth Justice, an average of 7,500 juveniles are incarcerated in adult jails every day because the JJDPA does not apply to children who are being tried as adults; and
Whereas, Studies have shown that the majority of youth in detention centers across the country are African American or Latino, even though the JJDPA was amended during a previous reauthorization in 1994 to require states to find out why disproportionate numbers of minority juveniles are detained; and
Whereas, S.678, a bill to reauthorize and enhance the JJDPA currently pending in the United States Senate, would increase federal funding for key services including prevention, intervention, and treatment programs designed to reduce the incidence of juvenile crime; and
Whereas, S.678 would also authorize funding for mental health and drug treatment for juvenile offenders, and encourage states to address the overrepresentation of minorities in the juvenile justice system; and
Whereas, According to studies conducted by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children who are incarcerated in adult prisons commit more crimes, when they are released, than children with similar histories who are kept in juvenile facilities; and
Whereas, S.678 would enhance the JJDPA by encouraging states to move away from keeping youth in adult jails by promoting plans for alternatives to detaining youth; and
Whereas, S. 678 would provide federal funding for programs that prevent delinquency as well as programs that reduce crime and recidivism among youth; and
Whereas, Reauthorizing the JJDPA would push forward new ways to help youth move out of the criminal justice system, return to school, and become responsible, hard-working members of our communities; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the United States Senate to pass legislation reauthorizing and enhancing the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.
WJH
LS# 7053
4/15/09