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
Co-Chairs:
Darlene Soltys, Presiding Judge, Family Court, District of Columbia Superior Court
Brian L. Schwalb, Attorney General for the District of Columbia
The Juvenile Justice Committee convened by CJCC is responsible for coordinating among juvenile service providers in the justice and non-justice spheres. The Committee convenes stakeholders to identify opportunities to improve services and supports for youth in the system or at risk for becoming involved in the system.
Purpose: To serve as the executive body for the juvenile justice system and set juvenile justice strategic priorities.
Juvenile Justice Data Committee
The Data Committee meets monthly to review trends in all stages of the juvenile justice system, from arrest through disposition and placement decisions, including adjudication, disposition, commitment, and probation for juveniles. Members of both juvenile justice and public health agencies that are authorized to share information per an administrative order issued by D.C. Superior Court (Administrative Order 20-14) attend the meetings.
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
- 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: Hind Berrah