NCJ Number
148374
Date Published
1991
Length
118 pages
Annotation
This transcript presents testimony and statements from a hearing before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice that focused on the implementation of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, along with current prevention and treatment strategies for status offenders.
Abstract
One of the key provisions of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 is to help States remove status offenders from institutions. The rationale for such a policy is that youth with problem behaviors typically come from dysfunctional families, and locking up the children does not address the source of the problem. A panel of youth who have been runaways and homeless testify about family problems, notably physical and sexual abuse, and emotional abuse that drove them from their homes. Their statements emphasize the importance of community-based services that helped them deal with their problems and develop constructive behaviors. A panel of witnesses who work in programs for runaway and homeless youth advise that status offenders are generally maltreated youth who need a service- oriented rather than a punishment-oriented response from the community. A representative from the General Accounting Office presents results from his agency's study of States' compliance with Federal mandates for the deinstitutionalization of status offenders. The study found that although States have made progress in removing status offenders from custodial institutions, some 3,000 status offenders and nonoffenders are locked up daily because there is no room for them in community programs. Witness statements and questions and answers are included in this report.