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JJ Monitor
August 2017

JJDPA Reauthorized in the Senate and the House
Both the House and the Senate have approved similar legislation that reauthorizes and updates the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act for the first time since 2002. The House passed H.R. 1809 on May 23 and the Senate passed S. 860 on August 1. While both bills have many commonalities, there are a few important differences that will have to be dealt with before the new JJDPA can become law. The most important difference is a 3-year phaseout of the valid court order exception (VCO) which is included in the House bill, but was removed from the Senate bill due to objections from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR). 

The VCO was added to the JJDPA in 1894 to allow judges to incarcerate youth for status offense behaviors - such as running away from home or skipping school - if these behaviors violated a court order. Research has since shown that young people and their communities are kept safer when community-based alternatives are used instead. To learn more about the VCO and the differences between the House and Senate bills, read our guest blog for MST services.

Tell your Senators and Representative thank you for passing JJDPA and show your support for passing a final package that includes a phaseout of the VCO. 

CJJ Announcements
Apply Today to Join CJJ's Emerging Leaders Committee!
CJJ is excited to be expanding our Emerging Leaders Committee (ELC) and is calling  o n all interested young people aged 16-24 to submit an application!

The ELC will make recommendations to the CJJ leadership and Executive Board, and support youth member recruitment, promote youth engagement across all organizational projects, programs, and activities. Members will also play a key role in shaping and broadening the scope and scale of CJJ's youth partnership work over the coming years. If selected, members will be expected to participate in monthly 1-hour long conference calls and to actively participate in CJJ ELC projects.

This is an excellent opportunity for dynamic young leaders who want to get more involved with CJJ's work, and network with the broader juvenile justice reform community!

New members should click here to apply! Returning members can click here to apply!   Applications will be accepted until 12 pm ET on Friday, September 15, 2017.

Please direct any questions to Devin Fagan, Project and Policy Assistant, at  [email protected] .

Youth SAG Members: Help Us Improve Youth Recruitment and Engagement
Are you a youth SAG member? Complete our survey here to help us learn about ways SAGs can better recruit, retain, and collaborate with youth.  

Youth and Police Engagement
In July, CJJ partnered with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the International Association of Chiefs of Police to help foster better relationships between young people and chiefs of police from around the country. The training institute was the second of its kind since 2016., and took place in Charlotte, NC. CJJ staff facilitated and helped organize the two-day meeting. The event included an evening of bowling with the youth and police chiefs, a one-day training for youth on the juvenile justice system, and a joint conversation between youth and law enforcement about solutions to improve relations between youth and police.

Upcoming CJJ Webinars 

Join us on September 21 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern for "Implementing Change: Working to Address the Intersections of Juvenile Justice and Youth Homelessness." A growing number of communities are working to ensure that young people do not experience homelessness as a result of involvement with the justice system, and that similarly, they do not come into contact with the system because they are experiencing homelessness. Join us to learn how Philadelphia, PA and Minnesota are working to combat this cycle. Participants will also learn about the Principles for Change, a series of policy recommendations that communities and states can adopt to help address these intersections, and the application of these principles for youth in custody. To register, click here today!
In-District Toolkit

While Congress is home, invite them to see JJDPA-funded programs and learn more about the important role these programs play in keeping our young people and communities safe. For more information about how to advocate year-round see our updated In-District Advocacy Toolkit.

 
Questions?
Please email [email protected]. 
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Join CJJ as a member today! 
Member Spotlight:  NCJFCJ Passes Resolution to Address Ho meless Youth
and Families
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges ( NCJFCJ ) passed a  resolution that  addresses the needs of youth and families experiencing homelessness who come before the courts. 

"Our resolution demonstrates NCJFCJ's leadership by providing juvenile and family court judges with concrete steps they can take in their local communities to improve outcomes for youth and families who lack stable housing when they come to the attention of the justice system," said Judge Anthony (Tony) Capizzi, NCJFCJ president. "The resolution also calls for judges to provide strong leadership on this issue to convene child welfare and juvenile justice system stakeholders to develop strategies to improve responses to youth experiencing or who have experienced homelessness."

NCJFCJ's resolution gives judges steps to take in order to ensure that youths and families experiencing homelessness are given the best chance at having a positive outcome in the courts and to ensure young people are not criminalized for experiencing homelessness. Their resolution highlights a list of strategies that they advise judges to employ to serve youth experiencing homelessness. These suggestions include providing additional support to youths involved in the child welfare system, educating youths experiencing homelessness about their rights, and avoiding the use of fines or fees for programming.

Other News and Announcements
EVENTS AND TRAININGS
NEW PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES: 
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