OAJJA: Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Council (JJDP)

Current JJDP Council Members

Paula Ramaekers-Mattas - Appointed August 2017 JJDP Council Chair Mesa County Partners Executive Director	Charles Gilford - Appointed July 2020 City and County of Denver	*Crystal Murillo - Appointed July 2016
Brian Bumbarger - Appointed July 2020  JJDP Council Vice Chair Research and Evaluation	Rebecca Gleason - Appointed March 2018    18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office	Kyle Ragland  - Appointed July 2020   Weld County Department of Human Services
Jamin Alabiso - Appointed August 2022 Magistrate, Jefferson County	Diana Goldberg - Appointed July 2020 SungateKids	Daniel Sampson - Appointed June 2022 Driven by Our Ambitions (DBORA)
*Bekah Arnold - Appointed August 2022	Thomas Harbaugh - Appointed July 2020 State Court Administrator’s Office	Effie Seibold - Appointed December 2019 Office of the Colorado State Public Defender
Melinda Beckler - Appointed October 2016 Jefferson Center for Mental Health Center	Will Hays - Appointed June 2012 Hilltop Community Resources, Inc.	*Joseph Shelton - Appointed June 2022
*Josiah Britton - Appointed September 2023	Katie Hecker - Appointed August 2022 Office of Child’s Representative	Thomas Steele - Appointed September 2023 Westminster Police Department/Jefferson County School District
Julie DeNicola - Appointed June 2022 Stepping Stones Advocacy, LLC	Kira Jukes - Appointed July 2020 Juvenile Assessment Center, 1st JD	*Nirvan Tyagi - Appointed September 2023
Nicole Duncan - Appointed September 2023 Juvenile Defense Counsel	David J. Kollar - Appointed December 2019 Jefferson County Public Schools	*Elliana White - Appointed September 2023
Al Estrada - Appointed January 2017   Division of Youth Services	Alisiana Medina - Appointed June 2022 Denver Indian Family Resource Center	*Jamir Williams - Appointed September 2023
Kelly Friesen - Appointed June 2022 Grand County Sheriff's Department/Juvenile Diversion/CYDC Coordinator	Nicole Miera - Appointed August 2022 Keystone Policy Center, American Indian/Alaska Native Program

All meetings of the Council are held at the Division of Criminal Justice.   If you need more information, copies of agenda, or copies of minutes from meetings not listed here, please contact Kelly Abbott at the Office of Adult and Juvenile Justice Assistance. Meetings are held quarterly and begin at 9 a.m. All meetings are virtual until the public health crisis ceases.

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act aims to prevent and reduce juvenile delinquency and improve the juvenile justice system, by insuring appropriate sanctions and services, due process, proper treatment and safe confinement for juveniles who are involved in the juvenile justice system. The core requirements of the Act are:

Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders:Juveniles charged with or who have committed offenses that would not be criminal if committed by an adult, or such non-offenders as dependent and neglected children, shall not be placed in secure detention facilities or secure correctional facilities. These offenders include, but are not limited to, truants, runaways, or minors in possession of alcohol. Violations occur when accused status offenders are held in secure juvenile detention centers for more than 24 hours, excluding weekends and holidays, and when adjudicated status offenders are held for any length of time either in these facilities or any adult jail or municipal lockup.

Sight and Sound Separation of Juvenile and Adult Offenders (Separation) During the temporary period that a juvenile may be held in an adult jail or lockup, no sight or sound contact between the juvenile and adult inmates or trustees is permitted.

Removal of Juveniles from Adult Jails and Lockups (Jail Removal) Juveniles accused of committing a delinquent act may be held in temporary custody, not to exceed 6 hours, at an adult jail or lockup for the purpose of processing. Reports from the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention show that juveniles held with adults for any period of time can easily be victimized, may be easily overwhelmed by a lock-up and may commit suicide, adult facilities have neither the staff, programs nor training to best manage juveniles, and jail or secure lockup does not provide a deterrent.

Addressing the Over Representation of Minorities in the Juvenile Justice System States are required to put forth efforts to reduce the proportion of youth of color who are detained or confined in secure facilities, or who have contact at any decision point of the system.

In December 2018, the Juvenile Justice Reform Act (JJRA) of 2018 was signed into law, reauthorizing and substantially amending the JJDP Act. The amendments made by the JJRA become effective in FY 2020 (October 1, 2019).

Authorizing Legislation