§5602. Congressional declaration of purpose and policy

(a) It is the purpose of this chapter-

(1) to provide for the thorough and ongoing evaluation of all federally assisted juvenile justice and delinquency prevention programs;

(2) to provide technical assistance to public and private nonprofit juvenile justice and delinquency prevention programs;

(3) to establish training programs for persons, including professionals, paraprofessionals, and volunteers, who work with delinquents or potential delinquents or whose work or activities relate to juvenile delinquency programs;

(4) to establish a centralized research effort on the problems of juvenile delinquency, including the dissemination of the findings of such research and all data related to juvenile delinquency;

(5) to develop and encourage the implementation of national standards for the administration of juvenile justice, including recommendations for administrative, budgetary, and legislative action at the Federal, State, and local level to facilitate the adoption of such standards;

(6) to assist States and local communities with resources to develop and implement programs to keep students in elementary and secondary schools and to prevent unwarranted and arbitrary suspensions and expulsions;

(7) to establish a Federal assistance program to deal with the problems of runaway and homeless youth;

(8) to strengthen families in which juvenile delinquency has been a problem;

(9) to assist State and local governments in removing juveniles from jails and lockups for adults;

(10) to assist State and local governments in improving the administration of justice and services for juveniles who enter the system; and

(11) to assist States and local communities to prevent youth from entering the justice system to begin with.

(b) It is therefore the further declared policy of Congress to provide the necessary resources, leadership, and coordination (1) to develop and implement effective methods of preventing and reducing juvenile delinquency, including methods with a special focus on preserving and strengthening families so that juveniles may be retained in their homes; (2) to develop and conduct effective programs to prevent delinquency, to divert juveniles from the traditional juvenile justice system and to provide critically needed alternatives to institutionalization; (3) to improve the quality of juvenile justice in the United States; (4) to increase the capacity of State and local governments and public and private agencies to conduct effective juvenile justice and delinquency prevention and rehabilitation programs and to provide research, evaluation, and training services in the field of juvenile delinquency prevention; (5) to encourage parental involvement in treatment and alternative disposition programs; and (6) to provide for coordination of services between State, local, and community-based agencies and to promote interagency cooperation in providing such services.

( Pub. L. 93–415, title I, §102, Sept. 7, 1974, 88 Stat. 1110 ; Pub. L. 96–509, §4, Dec. 8, 1980, 94 Stat. 2750 ; Pub. L. 98–473, title II, §612, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2108 ; Pub. L. 102–586, §1(b), Nov. 4, 1992, 106 Stat. 4982 .)

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (a), was in the original "this Act", meaning Pub. L. 93–415, Sept. 7, 1974, 88 Stat. 1109 , as amended, which enacted this chapter, sections 3772 to 3774 and 3821 of this title, and sections 4351 to 4353 and 5038 to 5042 of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure, amended sections 3701, 3723, 3733, 3768, 3811 to 3814, 3882, and 3883 to 3888 of this title, section 5108 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, and sections 5031 to 5037 of Title 18, and repealed section 3889 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 5601 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

1992-Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 102–586, §1(b)(1)(A), substituted "justice and delinquency prevention" for "delinquency".

Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 102–586, §1(b)(1)(B), substituted "nonprofit juvenile justice and delinquency prevention programs" for "agencies, institutions, and individuals in developing and implementing juvenile delinquency programs".

Subsec. (a)(8), (9). Pub. L. 102–586, §1(b)(1)(C)–(E), added par. (8) and redesignated former par. (8) as (9).

Subsec. (a)(10), (11). Pub. L. 102–586, §1(b)(1)(F), (G), added pars. (10) and (11).

Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 102–586, §1(b)(2)(A), substituted "preserving and strengthening families" for "maintaining and strengthening the family unit".

Subsec. (b)(5), (6). Pub. L. 102–586, §1(b)(2)(B), (C), added cls. (5) and (6).

1984-Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 98–473, §612(1), substituted "ongoing" for "prompt".

Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 98–473, §612(2), substituted "the dissemination of" for "an information clearinghouse to disseminate".

Subsec. (a)(7). Pub. L. 98–473, §612(3), inserted "and homeless".

1980-Subsec. (a)(8). Pub. L. 96–509, §4(a), added par. (8).

Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 96–509, §4(b), inserted reference to methods with a special focus on maintaining and strengthening the family unit so that juveniles may be retained in their homes.

Effective Date of 1984 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 98–473 effective Oct. 12, 1984, see section 670(a) of Pub. L. 98–473, set out as a note under section 5601 of this title.