Aaron Bernstein / Reuters Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has been working since 2015 to reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. The landmark piece of juvenile justice legislation, which was originally passed in 1974, hasn’t been reauthorized since 2002 in large part due to partisan bickering. Mistrett says juvenile justice bills aren’t typically given the same weight as other policies, which has contributed to the delayed reauthorization. “Kids in our juvenile justice system need safety, fairness and treatment that encourages respect for the law,” Grassley said in a press release. Caren Harp, the current head of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, has said the juvenile justice system focuses too much on “avoiding arrests at all costs,” and has cut back research on racial disparities.

Source: Huffington Post December 13, 2018 16:30 UTC