| Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin today announced the formation of the West Virginia Intergovernmental Task Force on Juvenile Justice, the first step of landmark, comprehensive review of West Virginia’s juvenile justice system. The task force was formed through Executive Order No. 6-14.”Through our justice reinvestment efforts, we’ve learned data-driven and research-based programs can be successful,” Gov. Tomblin said. “By bringing together those in the community and working with experts like Pew, we can work together to identify ways to best serve our young people and prepare them to become contributing members of our communities.”
Members of the task force will work with Pew Charitable Trusts to review West Virginia’s juvenile justice system and data and develop system-level recommendations to improve outcomes for youth, families and communities, enhance accountability for juvenile offenders and the system and contain taxpayer costs by focusing resources on serious juvenile offenders. The task force is charged with developing and offering new policies in a cooperative effort of members from all branches of government as well as community leaders, representatives from local education systems, and parent advocates to review current date trends, evaluate the use of evidence-based programs in West Virginia, develop specific, tailored recommendations for improvements, and implement a common-sense approach to juvenile justice. The taskforce is chaired by the Governor or his designee and is comprised of 26 members, including the following:
Six members of the West Virginia Legislature also will serve on the taskforce. |
