Juvenile Justice State Advisory Group (SAG)
In cooperation with the ND Division of Juvenile Services
The Juvenile Justice State Advisory Group (SAG) is appointed by the Governor pursuant to the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act. The role of the SAG is to monitor compliance with the JJDP Act and work on juvenile justice reform, taking into account the latest research on best practices and adolescent development. The SAG has identified three main priority areas to focus resources with an emphasis on delinquency prevention, as more fully detailed in North Dakota's Three-Year Plan:
- Locally-operated attendant care programs that assist the counties with supervising youth who have been picked up by law enforcement. These services are supported by additional community-based services, such as screening, diversion and family reunification services with the goal of minimizing future placements into detention, foster care or juvenile corrections.
- Reducing the disproportionate involvement of minority youth in the juvenile justice system.
- Addressing factors that drive a youth's disengagement with school and possible involvement in the juvenile justice system.
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North Dakota's Initiative to End Girl's Incarceration Through the Initiative to End Girls’ Incarceration ("Initiative"), the Vera Institute of Justice ("Vera") is partnering with leaders across the country to build a national movement to end the incarceration of girls within 10 years. The initiative began in 2016 in New York City and expanded in 2018 through a competitive RFP process. North Dakota was selected alongside three additional sites—Hawaii, Maine, and Santa Clara County, CA. These sites comprise the first national cohort for the Initiative, working to fully eliminate the incarceration of girls.
Vera has connected with many agencies and organizations, including the North Dakota Juvenile Justice Advisory Group, to examine girl's involvement in the juvenile justice system. The Final Report summarizes the findings of Vera's assessment and offers broad recommendations for system improvement.
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