The Political Dynamics of Justice Reform in The U.S.
The Political Dynamics of Justice Reform in The U.S.
The Political Dynamics of Justice Reform in The U.S.
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“After hear<strong>in</strong>gs and brief<strong>in</strong>gs and votes and re-votes, f<strong>in</strong>ally, this hundred-page bill, this<br />
huge lift, which matters so much for kids, is actually go<strong>in</strong>g to be passed <strong>in</strong> a bipartisan<br />
and bicameral fashion,” said Marcy Mistrett, CEO <strong>of</strong> the Campaign for Youth <strong>Justice</strong>, an<br />
advocacy group. “In the current political environment, that’s a really big deal.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> passage <strong>of</strong> the juvenile reform bill just as the First Step Act moves toward a vote<br />
comes at a pivotal time for federal oversight <strong>of</strong> local youth court systems. <strong>The</strong> legislation<br />
is a new version <strong>of</strong> a law that first passed <strong>in</strong> 1974 but expired <strong>in</strong> 2007. In the decade<br />
s<strong>in</strong>ce, racial disparities <strong>in</strong> juvenile justice have dramatically worsened, and the Trump<br />
<strong>Justice</strong> Department has taken a quiet but decisive turn away from its mandate to try to<br />
reduce such <strong>in</strong>equality.<br />
Accord<strong>in</strong>g to a Marshall Project report <strong>in</strong> September, a little-known DOJ agency called<br />
the Office <strong>of</strong> Juvenile <strong>Justice</strong> and Del<strong>in</strong>quency Prevention has, under Trump appo<strong>in</strong>tee<br />
Caren Harp, cut back on its data-gather<strong>in</strong>g and monitor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> states’ attempts to fight<br />
racial <strong>in</strong>equity.<br />
But under the newly passed juvenile justice bill, that <strong>of</strong>fice will now face significantly<br />
<strong>in</strong>creased congressional oversight, said Republican congressman Jason Lewis <strong>of</strong><br />
M<strong>in</strong>nesota, who along with Bobby Scott <strong>of</strong> Virg<strong>in</strong>ia, a Democrat, spearheaded the<br />
House version <strong>of</strong> the legislation.<br />
<strong>The</strong> underly<strong>in</strong>g purpose <strong>of</strong> the Juvenile <strong>Justice</strong> and Del<strong>in</strong>quency Prevention Act is to<br />
use the promise <strong>of</strong> federal money to ensure four “core protections” for children <strong>in</strong> states’<br />
youth justice systems. <strong>The</strong>se <strong>in</strong>clude not lock<strong>in</strong>g kids up for age-based “status <strong>of</strong>fenses”<br />
such as truancy, runn<strong>in</strong>g away and curfew violations; remov<strong>in</strong>g them from adult jails,<br />
with few exceptions; always keep<strong>in</strong>g them separate from adult <strong>in</strong>mates; and mak<strong>in</strong>g<br />
states research and address racial disparities.<br />
But earlier versions <strong>of</strong> the law conta<strong>in</strong>ed a loophole: Juveniles charged as adults could<br />
be held <strong>in</strong> adult jails pretrial. As a result, accord<strong>in</strong>g to a recent UCLA study, more than<br />
32,000 youth spend time <strong>in</strong> adult facilities each year.<br />
<strong>The</strong> new bill would require that problem be fixed with<strong>in</strong> three years, although it would<br />
still conta<strong>in</strong> a “rural exception” lett<strong>in</strong>g jurisdictions with no juvenile detention facility hold<br />
kids <strong>in</strong> their adult jail for a period <strong>of</strong> a few hours while they await transportation<br />
elsewhere.<br />
Despite the bipartisan support for these changes, the legislation has been caught up for<br />
years <strong>in</strong> disputes over details. Its current version, for <strong>in</strong>stance, conta<strong>in</strong>s a section<br />
provid<strong>in</strong>g shelters and outreach programs for runaway and homeless children, which<br />
some senators said should be more robust or be conta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> a separate bill. But they<br />
reached a compromise.<br />
<strong>The</strong> bigger obstacle was Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, who nearly<br />
s<strong>in</strong>gle-handedly held up the bill for more than two years because he felt that judges<br />
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