Action Alert: Protect Juvenile Justice Funding!

As early as Tuesday, April 17, the House and Senate CJS Appropriations Subcommittees are expected to consider the Fiscal Year 2013 (FY13) juvenile justice appropriations to states. It is crucial that we let Members of Congress, especially CJS Appropriations Subcommittee members, know as soon as possible how crucial funding is for juvenile justice programs!

WE NEED YOU!

If you are a national, state or local organization, please send a letter to Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Chairman Frank Wolf, and Representative Chaka Fattah of the House and Senate CJS Appropriations Subcommittees. To get to members as soon as possible, please fax your letter to the Washington, DC office for Members of Congress as soon as possible.

SAMPLE LETTER:

April 13, 2012

Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski
503 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
284 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Chairman Frank Wolf
H-309 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

Representative Chaka Fattah
2301 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairwoman Mikulski, Senator Hutchison, Chairman Wolf and Representative Fattah,

As organizations and individuals working to strengthen communities and improve the lives of youth and their families, we are writing to ask that you work with your Congressional colleagues to increase funding for critical juvenile justice programs in the Fiscal Year 2013 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations bill.

Deep cuts in critical federal juvenile justice funding jeopardize state efforts to prevent juvenile delinquency and protect those youth who come in contact with the justice system be retained. In order to ensure that state, local and private dollars continue to be leveraged effectively to promote public safety, prevent delinquency and protect some of our most vulnerable children and youth, we ask that you support funding levels in three key juvenile justice programs as follows:

$80 million for the JJDPA Title II State Formula Grants Program;
$65 million for the JJDPA Title V Delinquency Prevention Program with no earmarks; and
$30 million for Juvenile Accountability Block Grant (JABG) Program.

For more than 35 years, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) has provided critical federal funding to states to comply with a set of core requirements designed to protect children from the dangers of adult jails and lockups; keep status offenders out of locked custody; and address the disproportionate treatment of youth of color in the justice system. Title II of JJDPA funding supports state compliance with these core protections and helps ensure that states have the resources to build effective state systems and Title V is the only federal program that provides delinquency prevention funding at the local level to reach youth at risk and help keep them out of the juvenile justice system. In addition to these JJDPA programs, funding through the JABG program supports state efforts to effectively strengthen supports for court-involved youth. Specifically, JABG funding is used in the states to reduce juvenile offending by providing judges and other juvenile justice officials a range of age- and developmentally-appropriate options to both hold youth accountable and get them back on track so they are less likely to reoffend.

The modest federal investment in these programs has been essential in supporting state and local prevention and intervention initiatives and improving public safety in communities. Unfortunately, appropriations for federal juvenile justice programs have declined by more than 50 percent to over the last decade.

While these recommended levels are what are needed, at a minimum, you should include no less than the funding levels put forth by the President and Administration in the FY 2013 budget proposal. Any less would move even further away from the targeted federal involvement that has historically provided critical national leadership to states in reducing crime and preventing youth from entering the justice system.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

CONTACTS:
Please fax your letter to each of these offices and call to follow up and ensure they received the fax:

Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski
Phone: (202) 224-4654
Fax: 202-224-8858

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Phone: (202) 224-5922
Fax: 202-224-0776

Chairman Frank Wolf
Phone: (202) 225-3351
Fax: 202-225-0437

Representative Chaka Fattah
Phone: (202) 225-4001
Fax: 202-225-5392