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“RECOGNITION OF WV JUVENILE JUSTICE COMPLIANCE MONITORING BY DCJS” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S6470 on June 7, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNITION OF WV JUVENILE JUSTICE COMPLIANCE MONITORING BY DCJS
Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, it is my honor to commend the West Virginia Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) for its outstanding compliance monitoring program. The exceptional quality of this program has been recognized by Attorney General Janet Reno and the Department of Justice as an example of how a monitoring program should work. All new Juvenile Justice Compliance Monitors will travel to West Virginia to be trained by DCJS staff.
The West Virginia Division of Criminal Justice Services has an admirable track record of meeting or surpassing the goals set for juvenile justice systems by federal and state regulations. In August 1998, a five-year compliance audit of the DCJS reported a faultless monitoring system for its juvenile justice and delinquency programs
(JJDP). West Virginians are right to be proud of the efficient, organized system in use by DCJS, and we can take even more pride in the fact that the DCJS compliance monitoring program will serve as a guide for compliance monitors throughout the country. West Virginia expertise and innovation will be instrumental in streamlining juvenile justice and delinquency prevention programs.
The recent acclaim for West Virginia's compliance monitoring program is a reflection of the many other virtues within the Division's purview. The success of the Juvenile Crime Enforcement Coalition plan has prompted other states' juvenile justice agencies to model their programs after West Virginia's. In her speech, Attorney General Reno noted our state's Underage Drinking Plan as a possible approach for other jurisdictions. To their credit, the staff and management of DCJS do not invest these laurels with more importance than they have. The hard-working people of DCJS understand that one of their agency's greatest strengths is the sharing of responsibility and expertise among DCJS, state juvenile justice facilities, and other state agencies in complying with regulations. Rather than imposing its will on the agencies with which it works, DCJS builds lasting relationships with correctional facilities to help meet statutory and administrative mandates in a cooperative fashion.
Further, DCJS operates with a definite purpose and an open mind. The agency is firmly grounded in law, yet remains flexible with respect to improvements and changes in regulations. Such a balance is particularly important in the juvenile justice and delinquency prevention context, where frequent governmental experiments result in the involvement of new agencies and new personnel, and increased societal vigilance adds even more members to the pool of at-risk youth. Finally, through its carefully organized and straightforward monitoring program, DCJS strives to teach while it continues to serve. In so many respects, the West Virginia DCJS juvenile justice program is a model for the nation.
I wish to express my sincere admiration and heartfelt thanks to the Division of Criminal Justice Services for making juvenile justice services in West Virginia, and now the rest of America, more efficient and effective.
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