TRENTON - A delegation from the State of Pennsylvania comprised of the Statewide JDAI Coordinator, a Philadelphia Family Court Administrative Judge, and representatives from various agencies and organizations including the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission (JCJC), the Center for Juvenile Justice Training & Research, the Defender Association of Philadelphia, and the Center for Children’s Law & Policy are in New Jersey to attend a two-day working session focusing on the statewide implementation of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI).
Juvenile detention is a temporary placement of a youth accused of a delinquent act, while awaiting the final outcome of his or her case in court. The purpose of detention is to house youths who, by virtue of their alleged offenses or documented prior histories, pose serious threats to public safety or are thought to be flight risks. A primary goal of JDAI is to make sure that secure detention is used only in cases involving serious and chronic youthful offenders, and that effective alternatives are available for other youths who can be safely supervised in the community while awaiting final court disposition. In addition to reducing the inappropriate use of secure detention while maintaining public safety, the initiative also provides a framework of strategies that help reduce the disproportionate use of detention for minority youth.
“The ability to deprive someone of his or her freedom should never be taken lightly. It is even more significant when it involves young people. We know that one of the greatest predictors of re-offending is to have been incarcerated in the first place,” said Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman. “JDAI has allowed New Jersey to maximize its resources, to keep low-level juvenile offenders in their communities and with their families, and to deliver critical rehabilitative services as arrest rates have continued to decrease.”
In April 2004, New Jersey was selected as an official replication site for the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) and was awarded an annual grant of up to $200,000 by the Foundation. The Foundation also provides support for other states to visit New Jersey and learn more about JDAI.
"Including Pennsylvania, 14 states have traveled to New Jersey to learn about the outstanding results and thoughtful approach to spreading detention reform statewide,’’ said Nate Balis, Director of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Justice Strategy Group. “We hope that other states can emulate the impressive infrastructure that New Jersey has built to stimulate change at the county level, while garnering political and administrative support. The Foundation appreciates New Jersey’s willingness to share its experiences and its success."
As the lead agency in the New Jersey collaborative, the JJC works in partnership with the Judiciary, and other state and local agencies through the statewide Council on Juvenile Justice System Improvement (CJJSI) which guides the statewide initiative. Each participating county also relies on a local county council for collaboration, leadership, and data to make improvements in the county juvenile justice system.
The results achieved through JDAI have brought New Jersey significant recognition. While nationally JDAI is operational in 39 states, New Jersey is the only state to be designated as a national model for detention reform by the Casey Foundation. This designation was earned in late 2008 as a result of the impressive outcomes New Jersey had achieved since JDAI inception. New Jersey receives funding from the Casey Foundation to support JDAI, and specifically to conduct two-day working sessions with delegations from other states interested in replicating New Jersey’s JDAI success. In addition to Pennsylvania, delegations from Arizona, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Nebraska, Washington State, South Dakota and New York State have also attended the workshops as a part of participating in New Jersey’s JDAI “Model Site” Program.
“In New Jersey, we have reduced the use of detention by over 60 percent, while our juvenile arrest rate continues to decline. JDAI has enabled New Jersey to reform its juvenile justice system, helping thousands of juveniles avoid unnecessary secure detention while keeping our communities safe,” said Brown.
To date, 18 New Jersey counties are participating in JDAI, including Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Union and Warren. Cape May County and Sussex Counties are the most recently named JDAI counties to join the initiative.
For more information on JDAI, please visit:
www.aecf.org/blog/juvenile-justice-reforms-in-new-jersey-chronicled-in-annie-e-casey-foundat/
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