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Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee

Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee

The New Mexico Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee (JJAC) was created by state statute, (Section 9-2A-14 through Section 9-2A-16 NMSA 1978) and carries out responsibilities under the Federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act as well as the State Juvenile Continuum Act.

The JJAC is appointed by the Governor and is advisory to the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD), the Governor and the Legislature. JJAC members come from all walks of life and professional disciplines who, together with allied individuals and organizations, seek to improve the circumstances of vulnerable and troubled children, youth and families involved with the courts, and to build safe sharing best practices, innovations, policy recommendations and peer support.

The JJAC advocates for the prevention of delinquency, alternatives to secure detention, improvement of the juvenile justice system, gender-specific services, and the development of a continuum of graduated sanctions for juveniles in local communities. The JJAC allocates federal and state grant funds to communities in New Mexico for these purposes.

Mission Statement

JJAC’s mission is to advocate for the prevention of juvenile delinquency and the provision of a continuum of high quality services throughout the New Mexico Juvenile Justice system. This is accomplished by:

Advising the Governor and the Legislature on Juvenile Justice issues;
examining, critiquing and advising all relevant state agencies on the development of their programs in both juvenile institutions and local policies, programs and practices;
assessing juvenile related problems, identifying community needs and gaps in services; and
fostering innovative program responses.

JJAC Race Equity Statement

JJAC’s Statement addresses historical and recent events of racial and ethnic disparities, and shares Committee members’ commitment to racial and ethnic equity principles and actions.

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Download JJAC Race Equity Statement

JJAC Responsibilities

JJAC’s state juvenile justice members advise and guide the implementation of the Federal Juvenile Justice and Prevention Act (JJDPA) and are charged under JJDPA to participate in:

The development and evaluation of the state three-year juvenile justice strategic plan;
The review of sub-grant applications for receipt of federal JDDPA and state Continuum Grant funds;
Efforts to ensure their state compliance with the purposes and requirement of the JJDPA; and
Review and recommendations for sub-grant applications for receipt of State of New Mexico Legislative appropriated General Funds.

Strategic Priorities

JJAC provides a system of services and sanctions as an alternative to detention for juveniles arrested or referred to juvenile probation and parole or at risk of referrals and allocates federal and state grant funds to communities in New Mexico for this purpose. JJAC allocates federal and state grant funds to communities in New Mexico for this purpose. Local boards help implement best practice programs in their areas to prevent youth from getting in trouble in the first place, and provide local sanctions and services that divert youth from commitment to state facilities by advocating for:

The prevention of delinquency;
Alternatives to secure detention;
Improvement of the Juvenile Justice System;
Gender-specific services; and
The development of a continuum of graduated sanctions for juvenile’s local communities.