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The Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Hosts Forum on the State of Juvenile Justice in North Carolina; Discusses Continuation Review of Juvenile Crime Prevention Councils
Failure is not an option! This was the overarching message at the State of Juvenile Justice forum hosted by the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention on December 18, 2007 at the McKimmon Conference and Training Center in Raleigh, N.C. Secretary George L. Sweat began the meeting with an overview of the juvenile justice system in North Carolina. Sweat then addressed the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC) Continuation Review and its impact for the youth and families of this state.
The Department partners with JCPCs in each county across the state to galvanize community leaders to reduce and prevent juvenile crime. The General Assembly allocates approximately twenty-three million dollars annually to the JCPCs to subsidize its local programs and services. This past legislative session, the General Assembly instituted a continuation review of JCPC programs in order to examine their overall effectiveness. The use of continuation review for the JCPCs puts the $23 million in funding these programs receive into question and may significantly impact program operations. Restoration of funds for these programs in fiscal year 2008-2009 is dependent upon the findings of the continuation review. This will impact community programs in all 100 North Carolina counties with the potential for over 24,000 youth to not be able to participate in JCPC programs.
“There is no other resource more valuable than our youth,” said Secretary George L. Sweat. “We must re-focus our efforts on youth and families, re-emphasize the need for prevention, re-evaluate our public safety efforts, and restore the JCPC funding in order to enhance prevention efforts and public safety in our communities.”
A presentation on the Department’s plan for the JCPC Continuation Review report was given by Fred West, Community Programs State Administrator. West outlined the work that has been done at the local and state levels to compile the continuation review report and emphasized the well-planned and data-driven analytical process that has taken place.
The forum came to a close with dialog and input from youth serving agencies, program providers, law enforcement, and community members. Major concerns were publicly made as to the impact the lack of JCPC funding would have on the youth and families of North Carolina.
“A seamless system of care for the youth in our juvenile justice system will simply not happen if JCPC funding goes away,” stated Rogena Deese, Chief Court Counselor in District 16A. “These dollars must be restored.”
The Department will submit the continuation review report to the North Carolina General Assembly on February 1, 2008.
For more information about the forum or the JCPCs, contact Kim Crouch at kim.crouch@ncmail.net
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