Once again, on May 13, a House appropriations committee has essentially “zeroed out” Title II funding for juvenile justice – those really are the only remaining funds allocated through the federal government to the states to support innovative programming as well as help monitor and enforce the core protections of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act(JJDPA)

This is not the first time that the House has taken this approach – although this is more dramatic – and, of course, this flies in the face of bi-partisan consensus to reauthorize JJDPA, something I have strongly advocated for.  We can certainly hope that the Senate stands up to this challenge.

We will certainly let our Senators know that the limited funding that goes to states is well-worth the investment, but politics being what they are, the outcome is far from certain.            by Jim Moeser