Peters Introduces Juvenile Justice Reform Legislation to End School-to-Prison Pipeline
Bipartisan Bill Allows Local Communities to Use Existing Federal Funding to Invest in Youth Violence Prevention Programs, Implement Evidence-Based Programs
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) today joined his colleagues in introducing bipartisan juvenile justice reform legislation that seeks to end the school-to-prison pipeline. The Youth PROMISE Act (Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and Education) aims to empower local communities by supporting programs that assist at-risk youth through education and mentoring. Senator Peters introduced the legislation with Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), David Vitter (R-LA), and James Inhofe (R-OK). The bill is the Senate companion to legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Bobby Scott (D-VA), Walter Jones (R-NC), Tony Cardenas (D-CA) and Trey Gowdy (R-SC).
“Too many of America's youth are directly involved in senseless violence, and we must take action to address this serious issue so our kids are able to have a good shot at a better life,” said Senator Peters. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Youth PROMISE Act, which takes a comprehensive, community-based approach towards tackling and preventing violence in our schools and neighborhoods.”
On any given day in the United States, approximately 60,000 young people are incarcerated, costing taxpayers about $5 billion each year. The Youth PROMISE Act would empower local communities to fund, implement and evaluate evidence-based youth violence prevention and intervention strategies. These prevention practices, such as mentoring and after-school programs, reduce crime more effectively and at a lower cost than incarceration. A recent study found that it saved $5 for every $1 invested in high-quality prevention and intervention programs.
Through a comprehensive and coordinated approach to youth violence prevention, the Youth PROMISE Act:
- Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to establish a PROMISE Advisory Panel to assist the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in assessing and developing standards and evidence-based practices to prevent juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity.
- Authorizes the Administrator of the OJJDP to award grants to local governments and Indian tribes to plan and assess evidence-based and promising practices for juvenile delinquency prevention and intervention, especially for at-risk youth, as well as to award grants for implementing PROMISE plans, developed by local PROMISE Coordinating Councils (PCCs).
- PROMISE Coordinating Councils will include community and faith-based groups, schools, parents, youth, courts, law enforcement, health and social service providers, non-profits and other stakeholders.
- Establishes a National Research Center for Proven Juvenile Justice Practices to provide PCCs and the public with research and other information about evidence-based practices related to juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang prevention or intervention.
- Directs the Administrator to award grants to institutions of higher education to serve as regional research partners with PCCs that are located in the same geographic region as the educational institution.
The Youth PROMISE Act is supported by over 300 organizations, including the Alliance for Children and Families, the American Correctional Association, the AFT, the Children’s Defense Fund, the ACLU, the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the NAACP, the NEA, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
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