Judiciary Committee Clears Grassley, Whitehouse Bill to Reauthorize Juvenile Justice Programs with Improved Accountability

Press Release

The Senate Judiciary Committee today passed legislation from Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse that would ensure that at-risk youth are fairly and effectively served by juvenile justice grant programs. Their legislation updates existing law by promoting improved transparency and accountability at the state and federal level. It also adds additional support for youth with mental illnesses and guards against fraud and mismanagement of grant funds through enhanced oversight.

*Note: Whitehouse is tentatively scheduled to hold a public event tomorrow in Pawtucket to update local stakeholders on the bill's progress. The event is subject to the Senate voting schedule in Washington, which is currently unclear. Details for the event will follow if it is finalized.

"Juvenile justice programs are important tools to help local communities serve and protect at-risk youth, however the law authorizing these programs hasn't been revisited in more than a dozen years. Our bill provides a long-overdue policy refresh to improve opportunities for our nation's must vulnerable children and strengthen safeguards for youth who encounter the juvenile justice system. Just as importantly, we created an oversight structure that will help ensure that both federal grant making agencies and grantees are held accountable for their actions with young people and for the taxpayer money for which they are responsible. Our goal is to make sure that youth can benefit from the programs' full potential," Grassley said. "I hope the Senate will act quickly to move this bill forward."

"This long-awaited reauthorization could put a real dent in the school-to-prison pipeline and assure that law enforcement intervention with kids does the least possible unnecessary harm to them and to their futures." said Whitehouse. "It's a commonsense bill that will help kids maintain their education while detained, keep kids out of jail for status offenses that would never land an adult in prison, divert them to substance abuse and mental health services if that's the real problem, better protect them from adult criminals and from solitary confinement, and address racial disparities in the current system. I thank Chairman Grassley for his leadership on this issue and I hope to see the bill passed by the full Senate soon."

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