Urge Congress to Move on Critical Juvenile Justice Reform Legislation

September 27, 2010

Congress has just nine days to act on bringing critically important juvenile justice reform legislation forward for a vote. The Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) is nearly four years overdue in being reauthorized. We need to urge the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate to move this legislation forward.

Far too many youth living with mental illness become entangled with the juvenile justice system and are warehoused in jails and prisons when what they really need is effective mental health services and supports. This legislation provides states with funding to support evidence-based and effective community-based alternatives to incarceration including functional family therapy and multisystemic therapy.

This legislation includes many other vitally important provisions that will help to eliminate the number of youth warehoused in adult prisons and the overrepresentation of minority youth in our nation’s juvenile justice system.

NAMI is working with a national coalition dedicated to getting this legislation passed. Please urge your members of Congress to pass the reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act this year by signing the petitions below:

Sign the House petition
Sign the Senate petition

Thank you for your support and action.