Juvenile justice policy at the federal level is in a state of uncertainty right now. Advocates and practitioners, heartened by the introduction of the REDEEM Act this summer by bipartisan sponsors, have been anxiously awaiting a new effort to reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), the federal legislation that guides juvenile justice policy throughout the country.
However, the future of both pieces of legislation is uncertain, at best. Meanwhile, Attorney General Eric Holder’s planned resignation has cast a shadow over the future of the Department of Justice’s audacious efforts to use its law enforcement authority to fight unfair, racially biased practices at the local level over school discipline and with respect to access to due process in juvenile court.
All this is why it mattered more than usual when, two weeks ago, state authorities on juvenile justice from across the country posted a report and recommendations for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) on federal juvenile justice policy and the work of OJJDP itself.
[For more of this story, written by Jim Moeser, go to http://jjie.org/looking-ahead-...nile-justice/107797/]
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