Minnesota Agencies

Determine distribution of funds to Minnesota applicants under the Juvenile Justice Program, funded pursuant to the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974. Funded programs (Minnesota counties and Minnesota Department of Corrections are typical recipients of sub-grants) generally provide alternatives to putting juveniles in adult jails.

The Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee (JJAC) serves Minnesota youth by:

• Advising the Governor and the Legislature about issues, trends and practices related to Minnesota’s juvenile justice system.
• Developing a strategic Three-Year Plan for allocating resources to meet emerging needs of Minnesota youth.
• Promoting best practices in juvenile justice programming.

The Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee has a complex history.

The Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee was reviewed by the Legislative Commission on Planning and Fiscal Policy (LCPFP) in 2013 as part of their biennial duty required by Minn. Stat. 3.885 Subd. 11. The LCPFP's 2013 Recommendations called for keeping the committee.

The committee provided a grant to the Juvenile Justice 21 (JJ21) project, a "multi-year project focused on building a unified vision for the future of juvenile justice in Minnesota." The JJ21 final report, published in 2018, details their work: Juvenile Justice 21: Information Sharing and Juvenile Justice in Minnesota.

2024 Minn. Laws Chap. 80 enacted this change: The governor shall designate the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee as the supervisory board for the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (formerly designated the Dept. of Public Safety) with respect to preparation and administration of the state plan and award of grants.

18 members (must have training, experience, or special knowledge concerning the prevention and treatment of juvenile delinquency or the administration of juvenile justice; at least 1/5 of the membership must be under the age of 24 at the time of initial appointment and at least 3 must have been or will currently be under the jurisdiction of the juvenile justice system; the majority of members including the chair must not be full time employees of the federal, state, or local governments); appointed by governor; 4-year terms; reimbursed for travel expenses.