On July 30, 2010, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), introduced, [1] H.R. 6029, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2010, legislation to reauthorize and amend the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) to provide greater protections for court-involved youth and more supports to the states for delinquency prevention and juvenile justice reform efforts.
H.R. 6029 is similar to S. 678, the Senate JJDPA reauthorization bill, in that both bills seek to strengthen the JJDPA’s core requirements, support effective, research-based reforms, and move states away from the use of dangerous practices to control confined youth, e.g., restraints and isolation. While H.R. 6029 is not the comprehensive JJDPA reauthorization bill that CJJ anticipates will soon be introduced by Education & Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA), H.R. 6029 affirms interests emerging among members of Congress to craft and support federal legislation to protect youth, reduce juvenile delinquency and improve community safety.
CJJ will monitor H.R. 6029 to see how it impacts and informs the larger JJDPA reauthorization process in the House and the Congress as a whole, as well as overall federal juvenile justice reform.
[1]: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.6029: