About the Council
The Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act establishes the Coordinating
Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (Council)
as an independent body within the executive branch of the federal
government. The Council's primary functions are to coordinate federal
juvenile delinquency prevention programs, federal programs and
activities that detain or care for unaccompanied juveniles, and
federal programs relating to missing and exploited children.
The Council, which is chaired by the Attorney General, meets quarterly
and at the call of its Chair. The Administrator of the Office of
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) serves as the
Council's Vice Chair.
The Council, as restructured by the 1992 amendments to the JJDP
Act, is comprised of nine ex officio members and nine non-federal
members who are juvenile justice practitioners. The ex officio members
are the Attorney General; the Secretaries of Health and Human Services,
Labor, Education, and Housing and Urban Development; the Administrator
of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the
Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy; the Chief
Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service;
and the Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
Department of Homeland Security. The President may designate other
key federal officials with significant decisionmaking authority to
serve on the Council.
The Council's Responsibilities:
1. Coordinate federal juvenile delinquency programs, programs and
activities that detain or care for unaccompanied juveniles, and programs
relating to missing and exploited children.
2. Examine how programs can be coordinated among federal, state,
and local governments to better serve at-risk youth.
3. Make annual recommendations to the Congress with respect to "coordination
of overall policy and development of objectives and priorities for
all federal programs and activities that detain or care for unaccompanied
juveniles."
4. Review the programs and practices of federal agencies and report
on the degree to which federal agency funds are used for purposes
consistent with the requirements of the JJDP Act.
5. Review and make recommendations with respect to joint funding
proposals undertaken between OJJDP and any agency represented on
the Council.
6. Review the reasons why federal agencies take juveniles into custody
and make recommendations to improve federal practices and facilities
for holding juveniles in custody.
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