CJCC has long understood the vital importance of a focus on Juvenile Justice. CJCC has committed staff and resources to ensuring that District youth avoid, as much as possible, justice system involvement, and if they do touch the system, have access to a variety of programs and initiatives.

CJCC has historically employed a Juvenile Justice Compliance Monitor, who has ensured the District’s compliance with the four core requirements of the federal JJDPA: sight and sound separation, removal from adult jails and lock ups, not detaining status offenders and reducing racial and ethnical disparities. This results in ensuring that youth are not housed with adult inmates, that efforts are made to reduce disproportionate minority youth involvement in the justice system, and providing a variety of events and trainings to allow District practitioners and others to hone their skills and access information on current developments in the field.

CJCC has held several Juvenile Justice Summits, has provided webinars, and is a central partner in convening various District and Federal agencies to enhance the state of juvenile justice administration in the District.

The following workgroups are convened by CJCC to address juvenile justice in the District of Columbia

Juvenile Justice Committee

Chair: Judge Jennifer DiToro
Family Court, Superior Court of the District of Columbia

Every Day Counts! Data Committee

Chair:  Toni Lemmons, CJCC

The Every Day Counts! Data Committee is charged with developing and implementing initiatives to reduce truancy and promote school attendance in the District. The Committee is comprised of education, human services, and public safety stakeholders. 

Juvenile Justice Data Committee

Co-Chair:  Pauline Frances, CSSD

Acting Co-Chair:  Megan McNeil, DYRS

Restorative Justice Workgroup

Co-Chair: Rashida George, DYRS

Co-Chair: Terri Odom, CSSD

Co-Chair:  Robert Haferd, OAG

 

Additional Materials

• VIDEO: CJCC Mental Health and the Current State of Care for Youth in the District
• BRIEF Restorative Justice in the District of Columbia

Juvenile Justice Research 

The following research has been conducted by CJCC either as a request from a District partner or as an effort to examine a particular concern. 

• A Study of the Root Causes of Juvenile Justice System Involvement
  • Appendix
• Restorative Justice in the District of Columbia
• Juvenile Recidivism: A 2015 Cohort Review and a 2016 Cohort Analysis
• The District's Youth Rehabilitation Act: An Analysis, September 2017
• The District's Youth Rehabilitation Act: An Analysis, Briefing Document, September 2017 [PDF]
• Juvenile Recidivism: A 2015 Cohort Analysis
• Research in Brief (Vol. 3. Issue 1, 2018) Runaway Youth as Status Offenders [PDF]

CJCC Juvenile Justice Compliance Monitor:  Toni Lemons