
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 42USC5602]

 
                 TITLE 42--THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
 
         CHAPTER 72--JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION
 
                         SUBCHAPTER I--GENERALLY
 
Sec. 5602. Congressional declaration of purpose and policy

    (a) It is the purpose of this chapter--
        (1) to provide for the thorough and ongoing evaluation of all 
    federally assisted juvenile justice and delinquency prevention 
    programs;
        (2) to provide technical assistance to public and private 
    nonprofit juvenile justice and delinquency prevention programs;
        (3) to establish training programs for persons, including 
    professionals, paraprofessionals, and volunteers, who work with 
    delinquents or potential delinquents or whose work or activities 
    relate to juvenile delinquency programs;
        (4) to establish a centralized research effort on the problems 
    of juvenile delinquency, including the dissemination of the findings 
    of such research and all data related to juvenile delinquency;
        (5) to develop and encourage the implementation of national 
    standards for the administration of juvenile justice, including 
    recommendations for administrative, budgetary, and legislative 
    action at the Federal, State, and local level to facilitate the 
    adoption of such standards;
        (6) to assist States and local communities with resources to 
    develop and implement programs to keep students in elementary and 
    secondary schools and to prevent unwarranted and arbitrary 
    suspensions and expulsions;
        (7) to establish a Federal assistance program to deal with the 
    problems of runaway and homeless youth;
        (8) to strengthen families in which juvenile delinquency has 
    been a problem;
        (9) to assist State and local governments in removing juveniles 
    from jails and lockups for adults;
        (10) to assist State and local governments in improving the 
    administration of justice and services for juveniles who enter the 
    system; and
        (11) to assist States and local communities to prevent youth 
    from entering the justice system to begin with.

    (b) It is therefore the further declared policy of Congress to 
provide the necessary resources, leadership, and coordination (1) to 
develop and implement effective methods of preventing and reducing 
juvenile delinquency, including methods with a special focus on 
preserving and strengthening families so that juveniles may be retained 
in their homes; (2) to develop and conduct effective programs to prevent 
delinquency, to divert juveniles from the traditional juvenile justice 
system and to provide critically needed alternatives to 
institutionalization; (3) to improve the quality of juvenile justice in 
the United States; (4) to increase the capacity of State and local 
governments and public and private agencies to conduct effective 
juvenile justice and delinquency prevention and rehabilitation programs 
and to provide research, evaluation, and training services in the field 
of juvenile delinquency prevention; (5) to encourage parental 
involvement in treatment and alternative disposition programs; and (6) 
to provide for coordination of services between State, local, and 
community-based agencies and to promote interagency cooperation in 
providing such services.

(Pub. L. 93-415, title I, Sec. 102, Sept. 7, 1974, 88 Stat. 1110; Pub. 
L. 96-509, Sec. 4, Dec. 8, 1980, 94 Stat. 2750; Pub. L. 98-473, title 
II, Sec. 612, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2108; Pub. L. 102-586, Sec. 1(b), 
Nov. 4, 1992, 106 Stat. 4982.)

                       References in Text

    This chapter, referred to in subsec. (a), was in the original ``this 
Act'', meaning Pub. L. 93-415, Sept. 7, 1974, 88 Stat. 1109, as amended, 
which enacted this chapter, sections 3772 to 3774 and 3821 of this 
title, and sections 4351 to 4353 and 5038 to 5042 of Title 18, Crimes 
and Criminal Procedure, amended sections 3701, 3723, 3733, 3768, 3811 to 
3814, 3882, and 3883 to 3888 of this title, section 5108 of Title 5, 
Government Organization and Employees, and sections 5031 to 5037 of 
Title 18, and repealed section 3889 of this title. For complete 
classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out 
under section 5601 of this title and Tables.


                               Amendments

    1992--Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 102-586, Sec. 1(b)(1)(A), substituted 
``justice and delinquency prevention'' for ``delinquency''.
    Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 102-586, Sec. 1(b)(1)(B), substituted 
``nonprofit juvenile justice and delinquency prevention programs'' for 
``agencies, institutions, and individuals in developing and implementing 
juvenile delinquency programs''.
    Subsec. (a)(8), (9). Pub. L. 102-586, Sec. 1(b)(1)(C)-(E), added 
par. (8) and redesignated former par. (8) as (9).
    Subsec. (a)(10), (11). Pub. L. 102-586, Sec. 1(b)(1)(F), (G), added 
pars. (10) and (11).
    Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 102-586, Sec. 1(b)(2)(A), substituted 
``preserving and strengthening families'' for ``maintaining and 
strengthening the family unit''.
    Subsec. (b)(5), (6). Pub. L. 102-586, Sec. 1(b)(2)(B), (C), added 
cls. (5) and (6).
    1984--Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 98-473, Sec. 612(1), substituted 
``ongoing'' for ``prompt''.
    Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 98-473, Sec. 612(2), substituted ``the 
dissemination of'' for ``an information clearinghouse to disseminate''.
    Subsec. (a)(7). Pub. L. 98-473, Sec. 612(3), inserted ``and 
homeless''.
    1980--Subsec. (a)(8). Pub. L. 96-509, Sec. 4(a), added par. (8).
    Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 96-509, Sec. 4(b), inserted reference to 
methods with a special focus on maintaining and strengthening the family 
unit so that juveniles may be retained in their homes.


                    Effective Date of 1984 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 98-473 effective Oct. 12, 1984, see section 
670(a) of Pub. L. 98-473, set out as a note under section 5601 of this 
title.
