Delaware''s Smart on Juvenile Justice Reform - Smart on Juvenile Justice Reform Committee

This program will support the selected State Planning Grantee's efforts to develop a data-driven, statewide, juvenile justice reform strategic plan. The plan will include recommendations to improve both public safety and outcomes for youth, their families, and the communities in which they live. In addition, the plan will detail how the state will reinvest the savings they realize through reduced use of out-of home placement and increased use of effective alternatives, including early intervention, diversion, and evidence-based programs, to ensure sustainability of reform efforts.

The Executive Office of the Governor of Delaware will develop a strategic plan to address state system reform by identifing evidence-based mechanisms and policies to decrease disproportionate minority contact (DMC), decrease out-of-home-placements, and expand diversion programs. The Smart on Juvenile Justice Reform Committee (SJJRC), led by a Juvenile Justice Planning Fellow, is a collaborative team of key stakeholders in Delaware who will develop a strategic plan to address system reform. SJJRC will adopt the Pennsylvania DMC Youth/Law Enforcement Program and identify additional diversion and training programs with the goal of reducing DMC and out-of-home-placements, thereby decreasing recidivism and ensuring positive outcomes for juveniles. They will also provide data that measure the results of this project.

CA/NCF