Investing in America’s young people keeps them on the right track

Creating a brighter tomorrow requires serious investment in our children and youths today. On March 11, however, President Trump released a funding proposal for fiscal year 2020 that includes sweeping cuts to programs that directly support America’s younger generation. Cuts within the Department of Justice (DOJ) alone include a $48.5 million reduction for programs that serve youths involved with, or at risk of becoming involved with, the juvenile justice system. Budget documents state that these and other cuts and eliminations were made to programs that are “lower-level priorities.”

Our country cannot afford to view our children as low-level priorities. These investments are essential to helping build a strong generation. Education, for example, is one of the leading indicators of success in a young person’s life. Youths with less than a high school education or GED face a 346 percent higher risk of experiencing homelessness than their peers. Adult prisons, meanwhile, report that among inmates, an estimated 68 percent have not received a high school diploma. In juvenile detention facilities, studies show, average reading levels consistently measure between the first and sixth grades.  

{mosads}The president’s budget would decrease investments for children and youths who are most vulnerable and already at risk of falling through the cracks. The proposal includes $238.5 million for juvenile justice programs, down from the $287 million appropriated in FY 2019. This 17 percent decrease comes as a surprise, since President Trump signed the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018, which reauthorizes the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA).

The act includes two key funding components. Title II, a formula grant program, helps states with interventions and alternatives to incarceration. Title V provides local funding from early childhood to high school to ensure supports and interventions that help get young people on the right track. According to documents provided by the DOJ at the annual budget rollout, the administration has requested $58 million for Title II of the JJDPA and $17 million for Title V. This is more than $100 million below what Congress authorized in December’s bill passage, which set these levels at $176 million per year for the next five years.

These cuts come at perhaps the worst possible time. The reauthorization signed by the president in December 2018 made critical improvements to the JJDPA to ensure states can protect children and youths in the juvenile and criminal justice systems, while improving community safety. States will need to make key system changes over the next three years to come into compliance with the updated act. Full funding is essential to making sure states can successfully implement these changes.

The JJDPA creates a critical federal-state partnership that has worked to reduce our over-reliance on youth incarceration and resulted in the lowest youth crime rates in four decades. When President Trump signed the Juvenile Justice Reform Act, it marked the first time in 16 years that this keystone federal program was reauthorized. Proposing budget cuts on the heels of a long-sought reauthorization is an affront to our children and families. It undermines the promise made by Attorney General William Barr during his confirmation process that he would ensure the effective implementation of the act.

These cuts are part of a larger, concerning trend in the proposed budget to cut programs that support some of our nation’s most vulnerable children. The administration is seeking one of the largest-ever cuts to domestic discretionary spending, and drastic cuts to mandatory spending programs, including the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Medicaid.

Investing in the future requires a strong investment in our children and youths. We urge Congress to reject the proposed budget cuts and ensure that America’s young people receive the support they need to become successful adults.  

Naomi Smoot is executive director of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice. Marcy Mistrett is CEO of the Campaign for Youth Justice. Together they co-chair the Act4JJ Coalition, a network of more than 100 national juvenile justice organizations.