Utah announces formation of Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee
Salt Lake City (May 22, 2017) —The Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice is pleased to announce the formation of the Juvenile Justice Reform Oversight Committee to support the implementation of H.B. 239, a comprehensive package of juvenile justice reforms enacted in March 2017. The Juvenile Justice Reform Oversight Committee is made up of current members of the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, the Utah Board of Juvenile Justice and other stakeholders from across the juvenile justice system.
The Oversight Committee will receive technical assistance from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and The Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) at Community Resources for Justice as part of Smart on Juvenile Justice: A Comprehensive Strategy to Juvenile Justice Reform. Utah joins six states – Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, South Dakota, West Virginia and Kansas – which have passed comprehensive juvenile justice reform and received assistance from OJJDP and its grantee CJI to support the implementation of their reforms.
Utah’s reform effort began with an in-depth examination of the state’s juvenile justice system. State leadership requested that the Pew Charitable Trusts Public Safety Performance Project and CJI provide technical assistance to the Utah Juvenile Justice Working Group, which reviewed Utah’s data, national research, and evidence-based practices. The working group issued a report with 55 recommendations for Utah-specific solutions, which became the basis for H.B. 239, the comprehensive juvenile justice reform legislation sponsored by Rep. Lowry Snow, adopted in March 2017.
OJJDP and CJI will support Utah’s implementation and oversight efforts through training and technical assistance, including ongoing support to the Juvenile Justice Reform Oversight Committee. Technical assistance will be based on collaboratively developed priorities, with input from stakeholders across Utah’s juvenile justice system.
