Improving the Juvenile Justice System for Girls Act of 2016

Summary: Improving the Juvenile Justice System for Girls Act of 2016  This bill amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to include gender-responsive services in the grant program for juvenile delinquency prevention.The bill defines &quot;gender-responsive services&quot; as practices and evidence-based services, including trauma-informed services and trauma-specific interventions, that comprehensively address the unique challenges that girls face in the juvenile justice system. The bill adds, as requirements for delinquency prevention grant eligibility, that a unit of general local government provide statements of how funds will increase the effectiveness of plans and activities to be carried out under them.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Improving the 
Juvenile Justice System for Girls Act of 2016''.
    (b) Findings.--The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) The proportion of girls entering the justice system has 
        increased steadily over the past several decades, and girls are 
        among the fastest growing segment of the juvenile justice 
        population. In 1991, around 20 percent of the juvenile arrests 
        were girls. By 2012, girls represented nearly 30 percent.
            (2) Girls' pathways into juvenile justice involvement are 
        distinct from boys' pathways. Girls account for a much larger 
        proportion of nonviolent status offenders than delinquency 
        offenders (40 percent compared to 14 percent, respectively).
            (3) Girls are, on average, younger than boys when they 
        enter the juvenile justice system and frequently experience 
        multiple traumatic events.
            (4) The trauma of untreated physical and sexual abuse 
        results in lifetime consequences for girls. These consequences 
        include a higher risk for a number of negative social and 
        health outcomes such as higher mortality rates, a variety of 
        psychiatric problems, dysfunctional and violent relationships, 
        poor educational achievement, less stable work histories, 
        increased risk for sexually transmitted diseases and early 
        pregnancy, substance abuse or addiction, and increased reliance 
        on social services as compared to non-delinquent girls.
            (5) A growing body of evidence suggests that girls who 
        enter the juvenile justice system have equal if not higher 
        rates of mental health issues than boys who enter the system.
            (6) Current research and data have shown that gender-
        responsive, strength-based programming providing trauma-
        informed care and trauma-specific services is the most 
        effective means of preventing juvenile offenses and reducing 
        recidivism.

SEC. 2. INCENTIVE GRANTS FOR LOCAL DELINQUENCY PREVENTION PROGRAMS.

    The second title V of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 
Prevention Act of 1974 (relating to Incentive Grants for Local 
Delinquency Prevention Programs, as added by Public Law 102-586 and 
amended by Public Law 107-273) is amended--
            (1) by amending section 502 (42 U.S.C. 5781) to read as 
        follows:

``SEC. 502. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this title:
            ``(1) State advisory group.--The term `State advisory 
        group' means the advisory group appointed by the chief 
        executive officer of a State under a plan described in section 
        223(a).
            ``(2) Gender-responsive services.--The term `gender-
        responsive services' means practices or evidence-based services 
        that--
                    ``(A) comprehensively address the unique social, 
                emotional, and physical, mental, and behavioral health 
                needs of girls in the juvenile justice system through 
                the development or improvement of programs, treatment, 
                counseling, and resources, and the selection and 
                training of staff, in a manner that reflects an 
                understanding of--
                            ``(i) the unique pathways of girls into the 
                        juvenile justice system;
                            ``(ii) the need for interventions that 
                        address experiences of girls in the juvenile 
                        justice system, including histories of 
                        physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, 
                        violence, unhealthy family relationships, and 
                        substance abuse;
                            ``(iii) the social and cultural factors 
                        affecting girls in the juvenile justice system 
                        and girls who are at risk of entering the 
                        juvenile justice system; and
                            ``(iv) the increased risk of unplanned 
                        pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections 
                        among girls in the juvenile justice system; and
                    ``(B) includes trauma-informed services and trauma-
                specific interventions, that are evidence-based and 
                research based.
            ``(3) Trauma-informed services.--The term `trauma-informed 
        services' means services that--
                    ``(A) address the neurological, biological, 
                psychological, and social effects of traumatic stress 
                on those who have experienced such stressors;
                    ``(B) provide youth, staff, and family members with 
                psychoeducational resources to enhance their 
                understanding of trauma exposure, the impact of 
                traumatic stress, and interventions to address post-
                traumatic reactions;
                    ``(C) engage in efforts to strengthen the 
                resilience and protective factors of those who have 
                experienced traumatic stress;
                    ``(D) include trauma-informed interventions that 
                are based on an understanding of the triggers 
                associated with post-traumatic stress, and are designed 
                to provide support to, and avoid re-traumatization of, 
                individuals who have experienced traumatic stressors;
                    ``(E) emphasize continuity of care and 
                collaboration among the providers of services and 
                families of youth who have experienced traumatic 
                stress; and
                    ``(F) universally screen for signs of trauma and 
                traumatic stress, with additional assessment and 
                treatment performed by a mental health provider with 
                specific training in, and qualified to provide, trauma-
                specific interventions for those individuals who have 
                experienced traumatic stress.
            ``(4) Trauma-specific intervention.--The term `trauma-
        specific intervention' means an empirically supported 
        therapeutic intervention designed to reduce or prevent the 
        adverse impact of post-traumatic stress symptoms and enhance 
        recovery and resilience for persons who have experienced 
        traumatic stressors.'';
            (2) in section 504 (42 U.S.C. 5783)--
                    (A) in subsection (a)--
                            (i) by striking ``and'' after the semicolon 
                        in paragraph (7);
                            (ii) by redesignating paragraph (8) as 
                        paragraph (9); and
                            (iii) by inserting after paragraph (7) the 
                        following:
            ``(8) gender-responsive services; and''; and
                    (B) in subsection (b)--
                            (i) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``, 
                        including a description of how the funds made 
                        available under this section will increase the 
                        effectiveness of such plan and the activities 
                        to be carried out under such plan'' before the 
                        semicolon; and
                            (ii) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``, 
                        including a description of how the funds made 
                        available under this section will increase the 
                        effectiveness of such plan and the activities 
                        to be carried out under such plan'' before the 
                        semicolon; and
            (3) in section 505 (42 U.S.C. 5784)--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' before ``2008''; and
                    (B) by inserting before the period at the end the 
                following: ``2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022''.