We are excited to share the recently released Status Offense Issues section of the Juvenile Justice Geography, Policy, Practice & Statistics website (JJGPS.org). The JJGPS, an online resource developed by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, synthesizes national and state level information on state laws and juvenile justice practice into a user-friendly tool to help chart system change. The data, which is available for user download, is organized by topic area and focuses on subjects such as jurisdictional boundaries, juvenile defense, juvenile justice services, and systems integration.
The new Status Offense Issues section contains a wealth of information that contributes to the growing discussion regarding the most appropriate ways to address status offense. For example, visitors can examine the different labels applied by states to status offenders, the age boundaries established for status offenses and delinquency, as well as state and national data with respect to detention rates and caseloads that is broken down by offense type and race.
Here are just a handful of interesting takeaways from the site:
- States’ legal labels for youth who commit status offenses fall along a spectrum. One end of the spectrum includes labels, such as Massachusetts’ Child Requiring Assistance classification, that may indicate a child welfare orientation to status offenses, while the other end of the spectrum includes labels, such as Kentucky’s status offender classification, that may indicate a public safety orientation.
- Status offense jurisdiction extends beyond delinquency jurisdiction in nine states: Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. In New York, for example, the upper age of jurisdiction for delinquency is 15, while for status offenses it is 17. This gap impacts how juvenile courts and social services are resourced and structured.
- Nationwide, there has been a decline in the use of detention for status offense cases since the enactment of the Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Act in 1974, while the use of secure detention in delinquency cases has remained relatively stable.
We encourage you to explore this innovative new tool here!
The post JJGPS Website Adds New Section Examining Status Offense Issues appeared first on Vera Status Offense Reform Center.