Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2025

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2025 reauthorizes and expands several federal juvenile-justice programs (Titles II and V of the JJDPA) and broadens the responsibilities of states, local agencies, and nonprofits that receive federal juvenile-justice funds. The bill largely emphasizes reducing reliance on secure detention, expanding diversion and restorative practices, addressing racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities, and increasing data collection and accountability. It also tightens protections for youths detained with adults, adds procedural safeguards around court-ordered detentions, and sets time limits and review requirements for confinement in adult facilities. The bill would extend federal funding authority for these programs through 2030 and introduces new requirements for state plans and for nonprofit eligibility during periods of exigent circumstances. Overall, it seeks to modernize juvenile-justice funding, supervision, and confinement practices to be more youth-centered and equity-focused. Key changes include: (1) redefining “secure facility” to include prisons; (2) strengthening state plan requirements with advisory groups and broader program categories (including addressing disparities and data on socioeconomic status); (3) phasing out, by 2028, the use of court-ordered secure confinement for status offenses except under the Interstate Compact for Juveniles, with detailed court procedures if confinement is used; (4) new protections and review requirements for juveniles housed in adult facilities, including sight/sound separation, time limits, and frequent reviews; and (5) extended authorization of funding (2026–2030) with new rules on nonprofit funding during exigent circumstances.