Virginia Juvenile Community Crime Control Act (VJCCCA)

History of VJCCCA

In 1993, the General Assembly received a number of requests to fund the construction of secure detention facilities for the pre-dispositional placement of juveniles. Because of this, legislators requested that the Commission on Youth study issues of access to alternative, non-secure pre-dispositional placements for juveniles. The study concluded that there were few non-secure pre-dispositional options available throughout the Commonwealth.

Simultaneously, Virginia was undergoing a reform of the statutes pertaining to the juvenile justice system. With increased emphasis on accountability and more severe sanctioning, many saw the need to intervene early in the lives of juveniles involved in the juvenile justice system in order to prevent their further offending and deeper involvement in the system. Few programs and services existed however, to provide such interventions.

In 1995, the General Assembly enacted the Virginia Juvenile Community Crime Control Act (VJCCCA) that restructured funding for local juvenile justice programming. Block grant funding was discontinued for all programs except secure detention. Established block grant funds formed the basis for VJCCCA. The General Assembly appropriated additional funding so that all localities could implement programs and services to meet the needs of juveniles involved in the juvenile justice system. As a component of the legislation, all localities were required to expend an amount equal to the sum of their fiscal year 1995 expenditures for pre-dispositional and post-dispositional block grant alternatives to secure detention. This required local funding is called the Maintenance of Effort (MOE).

Current VJCCCA Services in Orange

The Virginia Juvenile Community Crime Control Act legislated funds to specifically serve the Court Service Unit population. It provides services through the Office on Youth for the following:

• Community Service – matches youth with agencies who have need for volunteer services and can provide supervision. It gives the youth the opportunity to make restitution for his/her offenses.
• Child Specific Services – provides short-term, services for the youth to include but is not limited to independent living skills, anger management, Restorative Justice, etc.
• Substance Abuse Education and Treatment – provides funding for those juveniles referred from the Court Service Unit in need of substance abuse treatment and/or education.
• Thinking for a Change - An innovative, evidence-based cognitive behavioral curriculum for youth ages 13-18. The three main components of the program are: cognitive self-change, social skills, and problem solving skills.
• GPS Monitoring - An alternative to juvenile incarceration. This allows the juvenile to remain in the community under 24-hour location monitoring. This is done as a joint effort of the Orange County Office on Youth and the vendor, Satellite Tracking of People, LLC

For more information, please contact the Office on Youth Director.