40 Stories for 40 Years: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act

This month marks 40 years since the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) transformed youth justice. The JJDPA, considered one of the most important pieces of legislation for youth justice, established four core protections for young people in the system and set basic standards for state systems:

1. Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders (DSO);
2. Adult Jail and Lock-Up Removal (Jail Removal);
3. Sight and Sound Separation; and
4. Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC).

The JJDPA allows states, which meet these four requirements, to do the following:

• Fund innovations and reforms that keep more kids out of jails and detention facilities and connected to safe, proven supports in their communities.
• Modernize and improve their programs to give kids the supports they need to get their lives back on track and help make communities safer.

In celebration of the JJDPA’s 40th Anniversary, SparkAction, the Act 4 Juvenile Justice Campaign of the National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Coalition (NJJDPC), and local organizations across the country are coming together to collect 40 short videos that “use real lives and real voices to illustrate the policy and systems impact of the JJDPA.”

Throughout the fall, catch 40 new personal stories covering the impact of the JJDPA, ways it can be strengthened and improved, and how you can get involved!

The goal for the “40 stories for the 40 years of the JJDPA” campaign is to mobilize support for a Congressional reauthorization that improves and strengthens this landmark law to support states in designing fairer, more effective local approaches.

Learn more on SparkAction.org and share your story today!

Image from SparkAction.org