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Federal Legislation

JJDPA (Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act)

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act is the principal federal program through which the federal government sets standards for juvenile justice systems at the state and local levels, providing direct funding for states, research, training, and technical assistance, and evaluation.  

Why the JJDPA Matters

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What is PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act)?

The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) is a federal statute focused on sexual assault and victimization in juvenile facilities, prisons, jail, lockups, and other detention facilities. The goal of PREA is to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse in detention and correctional facilities.

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Other Federal Work

Letters and Statements to the 115th Congress

  • The Campaign for Youth Justice submitted comments to the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics regarding their proposal to raise the minimum age for respondents of the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) to be asked about their sexual orientation and gender identity from 16 to 18. The comments request BJS not to raise the minimum age for respondents to be asked their sexual orientation and gender identity and to continue to collect this critical data as part of the NCVS.  
  • Sign-On Letter Regarding FY 2019 Funding for Opportunity Youth: The Campaign for Youth Justice joined over 40 members of the Reconnecting Youth Campaign in a letter sent to leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, urging them to ensure robust funding for the range of programs that provide education, training, national service, employment opportunities, and supportive services to Opportunity Youth in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019.
  • Written Statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration: The Campaign for Youth Justice submitted a written statement to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration on its hearing titled, "TVPRA and Exploited Loopholes Affecting Unaccompanied Alien Children." In the statement, CFYJ urged committee members to reject any proposals that do not take a comprehensive approach to preventing gang violence and to reject attempts at falsely criminalizing youth fleeing violence and hoping for a safer and brighter future in the United States. 
  • Sign-On Letter Opposing the FIRST STEP Act: The Campaign for Youth Justice joined over 100 groups in urging the House to vote no on H.R. 5682, the FIRST STEP Act. While well intentioned, this bill takes a misguided approach to reforming our federal justice system by only including back-end prison reform. Further, while there are some promising provisions to address some of the problems in the federal prison system, the bill excludes large categories of people from receiving benefits of the legislation. 
  • Sign-on Letter Regarding Rescissions: The Campaign for Youth Justice joined 150 organizations to urge Congress to reject the $15.3 billion rescissions package proposed by the Trump Administration as well as other rescissions messages that may be subsequently offered. These cuts would violate the agreement enacted in the Bipartisan Budget Act, by eliminating funds that make fairer levels of domestic appropriations possible, so that unmet needs in public health, education, job training, housing, and other essential areas, such as juvenile justice programs, may be addressed. 
  • Sign-On Letter Regarding HR 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018: The Campaign for Youth Justice joined other youth advocacy groups in urging the House to vote no on the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (HR 2), which will harm the millions of children who rely on federal nutrition programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for access to consistent healthy food. 
  • Sign-On Letter Regarding FY19 Funding for Statewide Family Engagement Centers (House): The Campaign for Youth Justice joined over 100 organizations to urge Congress to support robust funding for the Statewide Family Engagement Centers (SFECs) grant program in FY 2019 appropriations bill. The SFECs program builds capacity for states and school districts to systematically embed family engagement policies and practices in their education plans.
  • Sign-On Letter Regarding FY19 Funding for Statewide Family Engagement Centers (Senate): The Campaign for Youth Justice joined over 100 organizations to urge Congress to support robust funding for the Statewide Family Engagement Centers (SFECs) grant program in FY 2019 appropriations bill. The SFECs program builds capacity for states and school districts to systematically embed family engagement policies and practices in their education plans.
  • Sign-On Letter Regarding HR 3356, the Prison Reform and Redemption Act: The Campaign for Youth Justice signed onto a letter highlighting concerns with HR 3356, the Prison Reform and Redemption Act. While we support the spirit of prison reform, HR 3356 is unlikely to achieve meaningful prison reform, provides no incentive to those most in need of rehabilitative programming, and uses risk assessment tools in a manner that could exacerbate racial and socioeconomic disparities.
  • Sign-On Letter Opposing HR 4909, the STOP School Violence Act of 2018: The Campaign for Youth Justice joined over 50 organizations to call on Congress to oppose H.R. 4909, the STOP School Violence Act of 2018, unless concerns about the lack of due process protections in the legislation and the potential for disparate impact on marginalized students are addressed.
  • Sign-On Letter for FY18 and FY19 Justice Assistance Funding: The Campaign for Youth Justice joined over 50 organizations to call on Congress to protect and sustain funding for key justice assistance grant programs within the Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs in the final FY 2018 and FY 2019 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.  
  • Coalition Letter on Military Equipment (House): The U.S. Department of Defense’s 1033 program is the largest and most prominent federal program providing police departments with military equipment.  This sign-on letter urges House leadership to call for a moratorium on the program until Congress holds hearings to provide the public with important assurances and to consider various legislative proposals regarding the program.
  • Coalition Letter on Military Equipment (Senate): The U.S. Department of Defense’s 1033 program is the largest and most prominent federal program providing police departments with military equipment.  This sign-on letter urges Senate leadership to call for a moratorium on the program until Congress holds hearings to provide the public with important assurances and to consider various legislative proposals regarding the program.
  • Sign-on letter to Members of Congress urging opposition to HR 3697: This sign-on letter, signed by 350 immigrant, civil rights, human rights, faith-based, and anti-poverty organizations, urges members of Congress to vote no on H.R. 3697, Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act. H.R. 3697 creates a new sweeping definition of the term “criminal gang” and could target those who never committed or support a single criminal act for deportation.
  • The Campaign for Youth Justice joined more than 320 child and youth advocacy organizations in a letter to Congress expressing our support for the bipartisan Dream Act of 2017. The bill would provide lawful status and a path to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of immigrant youth and young adults who came to the United States as children, including recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The letter urges Congress to take immediate action to pass a clean Dream Act following President Trump’s decision to terminate DACA. As a result, more than 800,000 Dreamers who have been able to access work authorization and protection from deportation are once again facing an uncertain future.
  • The Campaign for Youth Justice joined more than 500 national, state, and local organizations to request that Congress ensure that the DREAM Act protects DREAMers with expunged convictions and to request that the DREAM Act adopt more progressive criteria for applicants with misdemeanors.
  • NJJDPC Supports the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2017: As part of the National Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Coalition, the Campaign for Youth Justice signed onto a statement of support for the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2017, which includes several sections to strengthening the American juvenile justice system.
  • Sign-on Letter Supporting Net Neutrality: The Campaign for Youth Justice joined more than 150 organizations urging the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to support an open Internet and reject Chairman Arjit Pai’s proposed order to repeal the FCC’s net neutrality rules.
  • Sign-on Letter Urging Congress to Fund Priorities: More than 100 groups, including the Campaign for Youth Justice, sent a letter to Congress urging Congress to address several urgent priorities before the holidays, including protecting DREAMers, reauthorizing the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), providing disaster relief, and lifting sequester caps to allow adequate funding for domestic and international priorities.
  • Sign-on Letter on Nondefense Discretionary Funding: The Campaign for Youth Justice joined 2,000 national state, and local organizations to lawmakers, calling on Congress to stop sequestration and raise the caps on nondefense discretionary spending for Fiscal Year 2018 and Fiscal Year 2019.

 

Letters and Statements to Other Organizations/Associations

 

Resources