The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, September 22, overwhelmingly passed the Supporting Youth Opportunity and Preventing Delinquency Act (H.R. 5963) by a vote of 382-29. Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson, Ranking Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, is an original co-sponsor of the legislation, which reauthorizes the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.
“This bill is about opportunity,” said Rep. Wilson. “It is about giving at-risk youth a second chance at success. We want our young people to be able to learn from their mistakes and move beyond so they can get an education, have successful careers and be contributing members of society.”
H.R. 5963 updates the law’s key protections, gives states new tools to prevent delinquency and encourage young people to avoid gangs, and requires more data collection and reporting about children in the juvenile justice system to identify and curb racial and ethnic disparities that exist in the system. In addition, the legislation includes measures to ease the transition for children coming out of juvenile justice facilities and withholds federal funding from states that jail minors in adult facilities.
According to the most recent statistics from Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, juvenile delinquency arrests in the state have decreased by 22 percent since 2011. The Supporting Youth Opportunity and Preventing Delinquency Act will provide the resources needed to continue this positive trajectory. It also will enhance efforts to shut down the school-to-prison pipeline.
