Bills In Congress Essay, Research Paper

Bills Waiting to be Passed

Bill summaries and statuses in congress. Some are still floating around in congress waiting to get passed. One bill is the Juvenile Crime Control Act of 1997. This bill states that if a juvenile is alleged of committing an offense to the United States Juvenile Delinquency Act be surrendered to the state authority and be tried as an adult. This bill also authorizes a juvenile to be proceeded against as a juvenile in Federal court if the alleged offense or act is committed within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States and is one for which the maximum authorized term of imprisonment does not exceed six months. This bill also authorizes that the court does not have jurisdiction over the juvenile regarding the alleged act and there is substantial Federal interest in the case or the exercise of Federal jurisdiction. When the juvenile goes to court the court must be open to the public. The juvenile must be tried as an adult if they are if the age of 14 and have committed a felony or a drug offense. This bill limits the term for which probation may be given to a juvenile that is found to be a juvenile delinquent to five years for a felony and one year for a misdemeanor of infraction. Detention may be ordered for a juvenile to the least of the maximum term. Supervised release may also be ordered for up to five years.

The Accountability for Juvenile Offenders and Public Protection Incentive Grants is used to replace provisions regarding grants to develop alternative methods of punishments for the youth offenders with provisions authorizing the Attorney General to provide grants to promote greater accountability in the juvenile justice system.

Juveniles must do after school activities to keep them out of trouble. The programs are meant to keep juveniles out of gangs or from being in crimes. They must establish community service programs, based on the models that teach skills and discipline. Peer mediation programs, big brother and big sister programs, programs to strengthen family units, and operating drug prevention treatment, and education programs are some of the things that are being done to keep juveniles out of trouble while they are away from schools. Establishing prevention programs for at risk juveniles are being put into action to keep most of the young from going the wrong path when they grow up.