Coalition for Juvenile Justice

1710 Rhode Island Avenue NW

10th Floor

Washington, DC 20036

• Phone (202) 467-0864
• http://www.juvjustice.org

The Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) is a representative national nonprofit organization founded in 1984 by citizen volunteers appointed by Governors and charged to fulfill the purposes and spirit of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). CJJ’s mission is to give voice and action to state-identified concerns and needs in juvenile justice; to advise state and federal policy makers and the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and to generate ongoing collegial support and information exchange, particularly focused on best practices in delinquency prevention and juvenile justice reform.

Partners and clients

CJJ represents Governor-appointed State Advisory Groups, JJDPA-connected state staff, and allied individuals and organizations in its nationwide membership. CJJ values collaboration and participates/convenes national efforts to improve juvenile justice policy and practice at the federal and state levels.  For instance, CJJ is the principal partner and fiscal sponsor of the National Juvenile Justice Network, and serves as Co-Chair of the Act-4-Juvenile Justice Initiative to inform reauthorization of the JJDPA, as well as Co-Chair of the National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Coalition to further consensus among national and state organizations working to improve federal policies that impact court-involved youth and families.

Strategies and services

CJJ’s key strategies and services include:

• Conferences, training programs and leadership development initiatives promoting empirically-supported best practices.  Each spring, CJJ convenes an annual national conference and Hill Day in the national capitol area;

• Government relations efforts to inform the work of the Congress, the White House, the Supreme Court and federal agencies;

• System-improvement efforts, including multi-year partnerships with leading reforms supported by private foundations—the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (with the Annie E. Casey Foundation since 2000), Models for Change (with the MacArthur Foundation since 2003) and a CJJ project to support optimal compliance with the JJDPA (with the Public Welfare Foundation, as of 2009);

• Collaborative leadership with State Advisory Groups in all state, territories and the District of Columbia, as well as other state/national allies. CJJ convenes state-based leaders at least annually to gain input on emerging concerns and priorities. CJJ also hosts several list-serves and leadership committees to enhance dialogue, knowledge dissemination and development of ideas.  In addition, on its Web site, CJJ houses an online library of resources developed by and for State Advisory Groups (SAG Source™);

• Development and dissemination of  research-based and state-informed reports, best practice bulletins and policy briefs addressing critical juvenile justice and delinquency prevention topics, the most recent of which include JJDPA compliance,  JJDPA reauthorization, detention reform, and adolescent brain development.