[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 79 (Monday, June 7, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S6470]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNITION OF WV JUVENILE JUSTICE COMPLIANCE MONITORING BY DCJS

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, it is my honor to commend the 
West Virginia Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) for its 
outstanding compliance monitoring program. The exceptional quality of 
this program has been recognized by Attorney General Janet Reno and the 
Department of Justice as an example of how a monitoring program should 
work. All new Juvenile Justice Compliance Monitors will travel to West 
Virginia to be trained by DCJS staff.
  The West Virginia Division of Criminal Justice Services has an 
admirable track record of meeting or surpassing the goals set for 
juvenile justice systems by federal and state regulations. In August 
1998, a five-year compliance audit of the DCJS reported a faultless 
monitoring system for its juvenile justice and delinquency programs 
(JJDP). West Virginians are right to be proud of the efficient, 
organized system in use by DCJS, and we can take even more pride in the 
fact that the DCJS compliance monitoring program will serve as a guide 
for compliance monitors throughout the country. West Virginia expertise 
and innovation will be instrumental in streamlining juvenile justice 
and delinquency prevention programs.
  The recent acclaim for West Virginia's compliance monitoring program 
is a reflection of the many other virtues within the Division's 
purview. The success of the Juvenile Crime Enforcement Coalition plan 
has prompted other states' juvenile justice agencies to model their 
programs after West Virginia's. In her speech, Attorney General Reno 
noted our state's Underage Drinking Plan as a possible approach for 
other jurisdictions. To their credit, the staff and management of DCJS 
do not invest these laurels with more importance than they have. The 
hard-working people of DCJS understand that one of their agency's 
greatest strengths is the sharing of responsibility and expertise among 
DCJS, state juvenile justice facilities, and other state agencies in 
complying with regulations. Rather than imposing its will on the 
agencies with which it works, DCJS builds lasting relationships with 
correctional facilities to help meet statutory and administrative 
mandates in a cooperative fashion.
  Further, DCJS operates with a definite purpose and an open mind. The 
agency is firmly grounded in law, yet remains flexible with respect to 
improvements and changes in regulations. Such a balance is particularly 
important in the juvenile justice and delinquency prevention context, 
where frequent governmental experiments result in the involvement of 
new agencies and new personnel, and increased societal vigilance adds 
even more members to the pool of at-risk youth. Finally, through its 
carefully organized and straightforward monitoring program, DCJS 
strives to teach while it continues to serve. In so many respects, the 
West Virginia DCJS juvenile justice program is a model for the nation.
  I wish to express my sincere admiration and heartfelt thanks to the 
Division of Criminal Justice Services for making juvenile justice 
services in West Virginia, and now the rest of America, more efficient 
and effective.

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