NCJ Number
202236
Date Published
January 2003
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This report is presented by the Alaska Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee (AJJAC) providing information on the State’s compliance with the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention the State’s Federal juvenile justice grant funds, and compliance recommendations to both the Governor and the State legislature.
Abstract
Under the Federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (OJJDP Act), the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) awards Federal juvenile justice grant funds to States. The Federal OJJDP Act was designed to improve the Nation’s juvenile justice system and reduce unsafe incarceration of youth. Alaska received over $2.8 million in Federal grant funds in fiscal year 2002. However, for funds to be allocated, States must comply with the act’s four core mandates: (1) deinstitutionalization of status offenders; (2) sight and sound separation of youth and adult offenders; (3) removal of youth from adult jails and lock-ups; and (4) disproportionate minority contact. Based on this report by the Alaska Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee (AJJAC), the State of Alaska is currently in violation of the act’s first three core mandates of youth detention, thereby jeopardizing Alaska’s Federal juvenile justice grant funds and causing risk of governmental liability. The AJJAC presents six recommendations to improve compliance with the OJJDP Act.