Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) Compliance
As a participating state under the JJDP Act of 2002, Arkansas is required to:
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Provide for an adequate system of monitoring jails, detention facilities, correctional facilities, and nonsecure facilities to ensure that
- Juveniles who are charged with or who have committed offenses
that would not be criminal if committed by an adult or are such
non-offenders as dependent or neglected children shall not be
placed in secure detention or correctional facilities [Section
223(a)(11)]
- Juveniles who are charged with or who have committed offenses
that would not be criminal if committed by an adult or are such
non-offenders as dependent or neglected children shall not be
placed in secure detention or correctional facilities [Section
223(a)(11)]
- Juveniles alleged to be or found to be delinquent (and status
offenders and non-offenders) will not be detained or confined in
any institution in which they have contact with adult inmates [Section
223(a)(12)]
- No juvenile shall be detained or confined in any jail or lock-up
for adults, [Section 223(a)(13)] and
- Report annually the results of such monitoring to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention administrator.
The staff of the JJDP Unit in the Division of Youth Services is designated as the monitoring agency for Arkansas. The JJDP Unit is also responsible for
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monitoring contracts issued to service providers by the ACJJ and Division of Youth Services that are funded by Title II Formula Grants, Title V Prevention Grants, and Juvenile Accountability Block Grants
- monitoring Arkansas' efforts “to address juvenile delinquency prevention efforts and system improvement efforts designed to reduce, without establishing or requiring numerical standards or quotas, the disproportionate number of juvenile members of minority groups, who come into contact with the juvenile justice system." [Section 223(a)(22)]
Resources, Training and Technical Assistance
Resource materials are available through the DYS JJDP Unit to police and sheriffs' departments, juvenile detention centers and other agencies which operate secure and/or non-secure juvenile facilities. Included are such items as: Kids' Rights Posters for booking rooms and holding facilities; quick-reference handbooks for law enforcement officers and other agencies on their responsibilities under the JJDP Act; policies and procedures manuals for compliance with the Act; and necessary forms for logging and reporting juvenile holdings.
Training and technical assistance for compliance matters are also available through the JJDP Unit. For information or assistance, contact:
Elbert Grimes, Acting JJ Specialist
Division of Youth Service, JJDP Unit
PO Box 1437, Slot 503
Little Rock, AR 72203