Juvenile Justice Reform Task Force launched

A new task force designed to analyze Indiana’s youth justice system and pinpoint places for comprehensive juvenile justice reform was launched Monday by the Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana.

The commission and other state leaders created the Juvenile Justice Reform Task Force after receiving results produced from a preliminary assessment conducted by the Council of State Governments earlier this year.

“Working together, we can improve youth outcomes and accountability, which will ultimately protect public safety by reducing the number of children coming into contact with the justice system in the first place,” commission executive director Julie Whitman said.

Co-chaired by Rep. Wendy McNamara, R-Evansville, and Sen. Michael Crider, R-Greenfield, the taskforce’s chief aim is to identify a set of policy changes that would improve the lives of justice-involved kids and teens in Indiana. CSG’s review focused on the state’s data collection capabilities and identified priorities for improvement.

During the thick of the General Assembly’s 2020 session, McNamara proposed the juvenile justice reform initiative as youth advocates fought against then-proposed legislation that would have allowed preteens to be charged as adults for certain crimes.

“This initiative is critical to strengthening and improving Indiana’s juvenile justice system,” McNamara said. “Through the work of this task force, our goal is to advance positive changes for our state’s troubled youth, reduce recidivism rates and ultimately improve public safety.”

Future reviews will be conducted as part of CSG Justice Center’s national Improving Outcomes for Youth initiative, a data-driven approach that helps jurisdictions align their policies and practices with research on what works to reduce recidivism, maintain public safety, and improve youth outcomes, like future education and employment.