Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act
Alaska receives federal grant funds appropriated by Congress under the federal
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDP Act) of 1974, as amended, to develop effective delinquency prevention and intervention programs. These funds are administered through the Alaska Department of Family and Community Services, Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), with assistance from the
Alaska Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee (AJJAC). The JJDP Act includes four core mandates that focus on the deinstitutionalization of status offenders, jail removal and Racial and Ethnic Disparities (R/ED). Strategies and planning to address core mandates are outlined in a three year plan authored by Alaska’s Division of Juvenile Justice.
R/ED
The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 2002 requires states that receive certain federal juvenile justice grant funds to use a portion of those funds to address R/ED.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities occur when minority youth experience disproportionately higher rates of contact with the juvenile justice system compared to their non-minority peers. This disparity is evident when the percentage of minority youth involved in the system exceeds their representation in the general community. To monitor and address these disparities, the Division of Juvenile Justice collects and analyzes R/ED data at five key points in the system: arrest, diversion, pre-trial detention, disposition commitments, and adult waiver or transfers.
History of R/ED
The purpose of the R/ED Core Requirement: ”…implement(ing) policy, practice, and system improvement strategies as applicable, to identify and reduce racial and ethnic disparities among youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice system, without establishing or requiring numerical standards or quotas [223(a)(15) of the Juvenile Justice Reauthorization Act of 2018].” In 1988, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act established the Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC) mandate. In 2002, the mandate was expanded upon, and Disproportionate Minority Confinement was changed to Disproportionate Minority Contact, which required states to monitor and plan to reduce DMC at additional contact points. In 2018, DMC was amended to R/ED.
Contact Us
For questions or for additional information, contact the
Juneau Director's Office.