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The job of State agencies and local jurisdictions that are responsible for the care and monitoring of juveniles is about to get a little easier, thanks to the recent passage of a law that coordinates the monitoring of juveniles across State lines. The Interstate Compact for Juveniles, which updates a 1955 law, is an agreement between States that establishes guidelines for the tracking and monitoring of juveniles who move across State borders.

The Council of State Governments (CSG), in cooperation with OJJDP, is currently supervising the introduction of the new Compact. CSG wrote the Compact in 2001 and has been coordinating with States for its adoption since that time. The Compact required approval by 35 States, and was recently ratified when the State of Illinois approved the law.

Under the previous 53-year-old law, States established individual agreements with other States on a case-by-case basis, typically, only with neighboring States. As society has become more mobile, the need for standing agreements with States across the country has increased. The Compact will provide for enhanced accountability, enforcement, visibility, and communication on juvenile cases.

Thousands of juveniles, delinquents, and status offenders on probation or parole disappear from the system each year as they escape or run away from States where they were originally sentenced. The new Compact will ease the process of tracking and transferring cases.

CSG will host a meeting in Las Vegas, NV, on December 15–17, to discuss the creation of a commission to oversee the establishment of the Compact. For more information, please see the CSG Web site.