Legal Definitions - Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act is a law passed by the federal government that provides money, help, training, and support to state-run programs that deal with young people who break the law. The law is designed to help prevent young people from becoming criminals and to make sure that they are treated fairly if they do break the law.

One example of how the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act works is by providing funding to programs that help young people who are at risk of getting into trouble. These programs might offer counseling, job training, or other services that can help young people stay out of trouble.

Another example is that the law requires states to follow certain rules when dealing with young people who are in trouble with the law. For example, the law says that young people should not be held in adult jails or prisons, and that they should be kept separate from adult criminals as much as possible.

The examples show how the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act helps young people who are at risk of getting into trouble and how it ensures that young people who do break the law are treated fairly. By providing funding to programs that help young people, the law aims to prevent them from becoming criminals in the first place. And by requiring states to follow certain rules when dealing with young people who are in trouble with the law, the law aims to make sure that young people are not treated unfairly or punished too harshly.