In 1974, Congress recognized the problem of children in adult jails by enacting the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). Emphasizing the widespread abuse of juveniles in adult jails, the Act aimed at eventual removal of all juveniles from adult jails, but mandated "sight and sound" separation of juvenile and adult offenders in states participating in the funding program of the legislation. The Act also required that status offenders (non-criminal youth) be removed from juvenile detention and correctional facilities.
In the 1988 Amendments to the JJDPA, Congress added a fourth "core requirement" for states to receive full Formula Grants funding. The Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC) requirement was modified in the JJDP Act of 2002 to require states to address "the disproportionate number of juvenile members of minority groups who come into contact with the juvenile justice system."
Wisconsin has participated in the Act since its inception. The Governor’s Juvenile Justice Commission (GJJC) works to implement the Act - to examine how services are delivered and to develop a plan which establishes goals, objectives and priorities that will assure a more effective delivery of these services.
The responsibility for the administration of Wisconsin’s Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act funds has been assigned to the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance (OJA). OJA has a Juvenile Justice Unit that works with the GJJC to implement the Act in Wisconsin, receive requests for funding from counties, state agencies, local units of government, and tribal and non-profit agencies, and encourage knowledge about research on effective programs and practices.
See the 2011 Annual Report to Governor and Legislature.
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What Works, Wisconsin!
Significant advancements have been made in the science of juvenile delinquency prevention in recent years. There is considerable evidence that some approaches are more effective than others in preventing crime and reducing recidivism among youth. Research has shown that implementing proven, scientifically sound programs and interventions can have a preventive effect, making it less likely that individuals will engage in crime and equipping them to make positive contributions to society.
What Works, Wisconsin!, a study and cost-benefit analysis of existing evidence-based programs, was performed by the University of Wisconsin at the request of the Governor's Juvenile Justice Commission and the Office of Justice Assistance. The study builds on recent efforts to analyze the growing evidence in the field of delinquency prevention.
View the full What Works, Wisconsin! report, the practice briefs and fact sheets below:
