The primary goals of the juvenile justice system, in addition to maintaining public safety, are skill development, habilitation, rehabilitation, addressing treatment needs, and successful reintegration of youth into the community. The juvenile justice system takes a significantly more restorative approach than the adult criminal justice system. A truly successful case for youth would result in the adolescent learning from the experience without exposure to the severity of an adult prison, altering their decisions and life course moving forward, and having no future contact with the juvenile or criminal justice systems.
National Institute of Corrections
The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is the only federal agency with a legislative mandate (Public Law 93-41.5) to provide specialized services to corrections from a national perspective. NIC is recognized by other federal agencies for its unique role and quality services. Its leadership is evidenced by the numerous partnerships and interagency agreements targeted to provide correctional services and training.
Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program
The Uniform Crime Reporting Program, a division of the FBI, generates reliable statistics for use in law enforcement. It also provides information for students of criminal justice, researchers, the media, and the public. Agencies participate voluntarily and submit their crime data either through a state UCR program or directly to the FBI's UCR Program.
United States Drug Enforcement Administration
The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States.Their website provides information on their mission and responsibilities, prevention programs, drug scheduling, and law enforcement activities.
American Academy of Forensic Sciences
The American Academy of Forensic Sciences is a multidisciplinary professional organization that provides leadership to advance science and its application to the legal system. The objectives of the Academy are to promote professionalism, integrity, competency, education, foster research, improve practice, and encourage collaboration in the forensic sciences.
The Innocence Project, founded in 1992 by Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck at Cardozo School of Law, exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. Their works focuses on exonerating the wrongly convicted, improving case law through targeted legal work, passing laws and implementing policies that prevent wrongful conviction, and supporting exonerees as they rebuild their lives.
National Center for Victims of Crime
The National Center for Victims of Crime is a nonprofit organization that advocates for victims’ rights, trains professionals who work with victims, and serves as a trusted source of information on victims’ issues. Rather than focus the entire organization’s work on one type of crime or victim, the National Center addresses all types of crime.
The Sentencing Project works for a fair and effective U.S. criminal justice system by producing groundbreaking research to promote reforms in sentencing policy, address unjust racial disparities and practices, and to advocate for alternatives to incarceration. Issues of focus center around sentencing issues and incarceration, drug policy, racial justice, voting rights, and the campaign to end life imprisonment.
