~ Sent from my Palm Pre; please excuse my brevity and any typos. Odeana R. Neal, Associate Professor University of Baltimore School of Law 1420 N. Charles St. Baltimore, MD 21201-5779 [log in to unmask] ~ 410-837-4644 From: Dana Shoenberg <[log in to unmask]> Date: May 27, 2010 4:32 PM Subject: JJDPA Reauthorization Support To: Andrew K. Block <[log in to unmask]>; Holland, Paul <[log in to unmask]>; Odeana R. Neal <[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask]; Lanza Kaduce,Lonn M <[log in to unmask]>; Mark Fondacaro <[log in to unmask]>; Jessica Budnitz <[log in to unmask]>; Elizabeth Bartholet <[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask] CC: Karen Marangi <[log in to unmask]>; Samantha Harvell <[log in to unmask]>; Michele Gilman <[log in to unmask]>; Dowd,Nancy E <[log in to unmask]>; King,Shani Mahiri <[log in to unmask]> Friends, Our colleagues at First Focus and The Raben Group have been coordinating signatures to a letter from law school professors interested in at-risk youth. This letter advocates swift reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, which is well overdue for reauthorization and in need of substantive improvements. We hope that you will consider signing the letter, which is attached and below, and forwarding it to other colleagues in the academic world who might be interested as well. A note from Karen Marangi and Samantha Harvell, the coordinators of this effort, is below as well. I have included Karen and Samantha on this email. Would you please be in touch with them if you are interested in adding your name to the letter? Thanks very much. My apologies for this less than personal approach to being in touch with you. I hope that you are well. Best, Dana Dana Shoenberg Senior Staff Attorney Center for Children's Law and Policy 1701 K Street, NW Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20006 202-637-0377, x107 fax: 202-379-1600 [log in to unmask] www.cclp.org Attached, and below, is the proposed letter of support for the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) which was due to be reauthorized in 2007. Unfortunately, it is still stalled in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. It would be terrific if you could circulate this letter to others in the academic community who work with or on behalf of youth. I am working with Samantha Harvell, PhD., the Sr. Director for Early Childhood and Juvenile Justice Policy at FirstFocus, on this letter. FirstFocus is a relatively new bipartisan advocacy organization in Washington, D.C., committed to making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions (www.firstfocus.net) We would really appreciate it if you could circulate this letter to your colleagues who may be interested in signing on. From past experience, we know that Members of Congress will be interested to hear from the academic field on this important issue. We already have commitments from professors in California, Florida and elsewhere, and we hope to grow the list in short order. It would be most helpful if we received the correct titles and university affiliations from those interested in signing onto the letter. We will then plan to submit it without signatures. I have also attached a fact sheet on the JJDPA bill – this reports on the version that has now passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee two times. For additional information, the coalition of over 300 groups which support the Reauthorization has created a terrific website: www.act4jj.org. Feel free to either compile names and titles into one document at Georgetown, or your colleagues can email me directly at [log in to unmask] Thanks so much! Karen Marangi Principal The Raben Group 202.587.4939 *************** April XX, 2010 The Honorable Harry Reid The Honorable Mitch McConnell Majority Leader Republican Leader U.S. Senate U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi The Honorable John Boehner Speaker of the House Republican Leader U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Majority Leader Reid, Republican Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi and Republican Leader Boehner, As professors who teach, research, advocate and write about youth and issues which affect them, we are writing to express our strong support for reauthorizing the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) in the 111th Congress. We understand that this legislation has been passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee twice, and is now awaiting a full Senate vote. We urge the Senate to take up and pass these urgently needed reforms before the Memorial Day recess. We also understand that Chairman George Miller has not yet moved a bill through his House Education and Labor Committee, so we would urge progress in that Committee on this important legislation in the near term as well. The JJDPA has been protecting youth across the nation for over 35 years. Established in 1974 and most recently authorized in 2002 with bipartisan support, the JJDPA is based on a broad consensus that children, youth and families involved with the juvenile and criminal justice system should be protected by federal standards. This important legislation also supports effective prevention programs and other ways to ensure that communities are kept safe, including reducing the recidivism rate of youthful offenders. In addition, the JJDPA provides support for the Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) at the Department of Justice, which provides training and technical assistance, develops model programs, and supports research and evaluation. This legislation also supports a nationwide juvenile justice planning and advisory system and improvements in state and local juvenile justice programs and practices. Since the last in-depth revision of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act in 1992, researchers and policymakers have learned a tremendous amount about what works to prevent and reduce juvenile delinquency. From the growing body of research on child and youth development, the development of the adolescent brain, and effective programs and practices, we now know much more about what works in turning these young lives around. Additionally, policymakers have increasingly recognized the importance of evaluating programs in order to enhance their effectiveness and foster replication. However, our nation continues to face significant challenges in the juvenile justice arena. These include ongoing racial disparities in the treatment of youth in the justice system; the over-reliance on detention and incarceration as a response to juvenile crime; the continued detention of status offenders, such as truants and runaways, despite federal prohibitions; and the increased placement of children at risk of abuse, sexual assault and suicide in adult jails despite the JJDPA’s original intention to keep them out of adult facilities. After 18 years, it is clearly time to implement a comprehensive reauthorization of the JJDPA. We strongly support this legislation and the reinvigoration of the Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention at the Justice Department. We are confident that implementing these best practices and latest research results will benefit both the children and youth who are at risk of entering the juvenile court system, and those who have already entered the system. We also believe it will help make our communities safer and healthier. We urge Congress to make this legislation a priority in the next few months. Our youth deserve nothing less. . Sincerely, Names University Affiliations Cc: The Honorable Patrick Leahy, Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee The Honorable Jeff Sessions, Ranking Republican, Senate Judiciary Committee The Honorable George Miller, Chairman, House Education & Labor Committee The Honorable John Kline, Ranking Republican, House Education & Labor Committee