Congress Passes Bipartisan JJDPA Bill to Help States Improve Youth Justice

December 13, 2018

Advocates for young people, justice and equity are celebrating a long-overdue Congressional reauthorization of the nation’s main federal legislation covering juvenile justice, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) . Sixteen years after it was last updated and authorized by Congress, a bipartisan bill passed both chambers and now moves on to President Trump to sign into law.

The JJDPA sets standards and protections for young people in state justice systems, and helps states reform their juvenile justice approaches to better align with what data and emerging brain science show are better for kids and keep communities safer.