7/22/05 -- The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges proudly announces the publication of JUVENILE DELINQUENCY GUIDELINES: Improving Court Practice in Juvenile Delinquency Cases. The formal announcement was made on Wednesday, July 20, 2005 by Administrator J. Robert Flores of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice during NCJFCJ’s 68th Annual Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa.

The JUVENILE DELINQUENCY GUIDELINES is a benchbook of best practices that was developed by a committee of judges, a Chief Justice, prosecutors, defense attorneys, juvenile justice practitioners, and other professionals representing key stakeholders in the juvenile justice system, through the support of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

In an effort to set forth the essential elements of effective practice in juvenile delinquency cases, the publication identifies 16 key principles for juvenile delinquency courts, as well as recommended best practices throughout the juvenile delinquency court process – from determining whether a case should in fact enter the system, to whether the youth should remain under juvenile court jurisdiction or be transferred to criminal court, and to post-disposition review of the reentry process when the youth returns to the community. The document will be instrumental in assisting the nation’s current juvenile justice systems to plan for improvement and change.

The JUVENILE DELINQUENCY GUIDELINES was modeled after the NCJFCJ’s ground-breaking publications, RESOURCE GUIDELINES: Improving Court Practice in Child Abuse & Neglect Cases (1995) and ADOPTION AND PERMANENCY GUIDELINES: Improving Court Practice in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases (2000), both of which have resulted in national systemic improvements in the way juvenile and family courts handle abuse and neglect cases. The JUVENILE DELINQUENCY GUIDELINES is available for downloading by clicking here. Printed copies are available for $20. Please contact the NCJFCJ at 775-784-6012, or at staff@ncjfcj.org.