Bill > H2017

This bill establishes a special commission to investigate and study gender-responsive programming for girls involved in the juvenile justice system. The commission will be composed of diverse members, including state legislators, various state agency commissioners and heads, and 8 state vendors who provide direct services to high-risk girls. The commission's comprehensive responsibilities include conducting reviews of gender-responsive programming implementation, examining best practices, analyzing leading indicators that contribute to girls' involvement in the juvenile justice system, reviewing state training curricula and data collection methods, evaluating state contracts with service providers, tracking recidivism and educational attainment rates, and holding regional meetings to gather community input. Critically, the commission will also establish a mechanism to incorporate the perspectives of girls who have been involved in the juvenile justice system. The commission is required to meet at least six times per year and will file periodic reports with recommendations for community-based and statewide programming, with the initial report due by January 31, 2014, and subsequent reports filed biennially. The goal is to improve the effectiveness of services and programming for girls in the juvenile justice system by taking a comprehensive, gender-responsive approach.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H2017