I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1064 
To provide for evidence-based and promising practices related to juvenile 
delinquency and criminal street gang activity prevention and intervention 
to help build individual, family, and community strength and resiliency 
to ensure that youth lead productive, safe, healthy, gang-free, and law- 
abiding lives. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 13, 2009 
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia (for himself, Mr. CASTLE, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, 
Ms. LEE of California, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. CONNOLLY of Vir-
ginia, Mr. CAO, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Ms. WATSON, Mr. 
WEINER, Mr. SESTAK, Mr. KENNEDY, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. 
GRIJALVA, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. CUMMINGS, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. 
SERRANO, Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. 
FATTAH, Mr. NADLER of New York, Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan, Ms. 
DEGETTE, Mr. HONDA, Ms. SUTTON, Mr. CLAY, Ms. WATERS, Mr. 
JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. NORTON, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. 
ZOE LOFGREN of California, Ms. HIRONO, Mrs. CAPPS, Ms. WASSERMAN 
SCHULTZ, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. COHEN, 
Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. ELLISON, Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of Cali-
fornia, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. SAR-
BANES, Mr. TIERNEY, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. 
BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. DAVIS of Alabama, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, 
Ms. CLARKE, Mr. BISHOP
of Georgia, Mr. RYAN
of Ohio, Mrs. 
NAPOLITANO, Mr. RUSH, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. STARK, Mr. 
CARSON of Indiana, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, 
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. WATT, Mr. 
FILNER, Mr. MILLER of North Carolina, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, and Mr. 
RANGEL) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Education 
and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Financial Services, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
22:23 Feb 14, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6652
E:\BILLS\H1064.IH
H1064
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with BILLS
A BILL 
To provide for evidence-based and promising practices related 
to juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity 
prevention and intervention to help build individual, fam-
ily, and community strength and resiliency to ensure 
that youth lead productive, safe, healthy, gang-free, and 
law-abiding lives. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Youth Prison Reduc-
tion through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Sup-
port, and Education Act’’ or the ‘‘Youth PROMISE Act’’. 
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title. 
Sec. 2. Table of contents. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
Sec. 4. Findings. 
TITLE I—FEDERAL COORDINATION OF LOCAL AND TRIBAL 
JUVENILE JUSTICE INFORMATION AND EFFORTS 
Sec. 101. PROMISE Advisory Panel. 
Sec. 102. Geographic assessment of resource allocation. 
TITLE II—PROMISE GRANTS 
Sec. 200. Purposes. 
Subtitle A—PROMISE Assessment and Planning Grants 
Sec. 201. PROMISE Assessment and Planning grants authorized. 
Sec. 202. PROMISE Coordinating Councils. 
Sec. 203. Needs and strengths assessment. 
Sec. 204. PROMISE Plan components. 
Sec. 205. Authorization of appropriations. 
Subtitle B—PROMISE Implementation Grants 
Sec. 211. PROMISE Implementation grants authorized. 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
22:23 Feb 14, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6211
E:\BILLS\H1064.IH
H1064
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with BILLS
Sec. 212. PROMISE Implementation grant application requirements. 
Sec. 213. Grant award guidelines. 
Sec. 214. Reports. 
Sec. 215. Authorization of appropriations. 
Subtitle C—General PROMISE Grant Provisions 
Sec. 221. Non-supplanting clause. 
Sec. 222. Grant application review panel. 
Sec. 223. Evaluation of PROMISE grant programs. 
TITLE III—PROMISE RESEARCH CENTERS 
Sec. 301. Establishment of the National Research Center for Proven Juvenile 
Justice Practices. 
Sec. 302. Grants for Regional Research Proven Practices Partnerships. 
TITLE IV—YOUTH–ORIENTED POLICING SERVICES 
Sec. 401. Purpose. 
Sec. 402. Definitions. 
Sec. 403. Grants to State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to hire 
and train youth-oriented policing officers. 
Sec. 404. Establishment of Center for Youth-oriented Policing. 
Sec. 405. Authorization of appropriations. 
TITLE V—ENHANCED FEDERAL SUPPORT OF LOCAL LAW 
ENFORCEMENT 
Subtitle A—Comprehensive Gang Prevention and Relief 
Sec. 501. Short title. 
Sec. 502. Findings. 
Sec. 503. Designation as a comprehensive gang prevention and relief area. 
Sec. 504. Interagency Gang Prevention Task Force. 
Sec. 505. Authorization of appropriations. 
Subtitle B—Community and Police Collaboration 
Sec. 511. Gang prevention grants. 
Subtitle C—City Youth Violence Recovery 
Sec. 521. Findings. 
Sec. 522. Grants to prevent or alleviate the effects of youth violence. 
TITLE VI—PRECAUTION ACT 
Sec. 601. Short title. 
Sec. 602. Purposes. 
Sec. 603. Definitions. 
Sec. 604. National Commission on Public Safety Through Crime and Delin-
quency Prevention. 
Sec. 605. Innovative crime and delinquency prevention and intervention strat-
egy grants. 
TITLE VII—ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS TO JUVENILE JUSTICE 
Sec. 701. Youth Victim and Witness Assistance Program. 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
22:23 Feb 14, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6211
E:\BILLS\H1064.IH
H1064
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with BILLS
‘‘Sec. 31707. Authorization of appropriations. 
Sec. 702. Expansion and reauthorization of the Mentoring Initiative for system- 
involved youth. 
Sec. 703. Study on adolescent development and sentences in the Federal sys-
tem. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Office of Ju-
venile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 
(2) 
COMMUNITY.—The 
term 
‘‘community’’ 
means a unit of local government or an Indian 
Tribe, or part of such a unit or Tribe, as determined 
by such a unit or Tribe for the purpose of applying 
for a grant under this Act. 
(3) DESIGNATED
GEOGRAPHIC
AREA.—The 
term ‘‘designated geographic area’’ means a 5-digit 
postal ZIP Code assigned to a geographic area by 
the United States Postal Service. 
(4) EVIDENCE-BASED.—The term ‘‘evidence- 
based’’, when used with respect to a practice relating 
to juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang ac-
tivity prevention and intervention, means a practice 
(including a service, program, or strategy) that has 
statistically significant juvenile delinquency and 
criminal street gang activity reduction outcomes 
when evaluated by— 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
22:23 Feb 14, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1064.IH
H1064
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with BILLS
(A) an experimental trial, in which partici-
pants are randomly assigned to participate in 
the practice that is the subject of the trial; or 
(B) a quasi-experimental trial, in which the 
outcomes for participants are compared with 
outcomes for a control group that is made up 
of individuals who are similar to such partici-
pants. 
(5) INTERVENTION.—The term ‘‘intervention’’ 
means the provision of programs and services that 
are supported by research, are evidence-based or 
promising practices, and are provided to youth who 
are involved in, or who are identified by evidence- 
based risk assessment methods as being at high risk 
of continued involvement in, juvenile delinquency or 
criminal street gangs, as a result of indications that 
demonstrate involvement with problems such as tru-
ancy, substance abuse, mental health treatment 
needs, or siblings who have had involvement with ju-
venile or criminal justice systems. 
(6) JUVENILE
DELINQUENCY
AND
CRIMINAL 
STREET
GANG
ACTIVITY
PREVENTION.—The term 
‘‘juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activ-
ity prevention’’ means the provision of programs and 
resources to children and families who have not yet 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
22:23 Feb 14, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1064.IH
H1064
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with BILLS
had substantial contact with criminal justice or juve-
nile justice systems, that— 
(A) are designed to reduce potential juve-
nile delinquency and criminal street gang activ-
ity risks; and 
(B) are evidence-based or promising edu-
cational, health, mental health, school-based, 
community-based, faith-based, parenting, job 
training, social opportunities and experiences, 
or other programs, for youth and their families, 
that have been demonstrated to be effective in 
reducing juvenile delinquency and criminal 
street gang activity risks. 
(7) PROMISING.—The term ‘‘promising’’, when 
used with respect to a practice relating to juvenile 
delinquency and criminal street gang activity preven-
tion and intervention, means a practice that is not 
evidence-based, but— 
(A) that has outcomes from an evaluation 
that demonstrate that such practice reduces ju-
venile delinquency and criminal street gang ac-
tivity; and 
(B) about which a study is being con-
ducted to determine if such practice is evidence- 
based. 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
22:23 Feb 14, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1064.IH
H1064
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with BILLS
(8) YOUTH.—The term ‘‘youth’’ means— 
(A) an individual who is 18 years of age or 
younger; or 
(B) in any State in which the maximum 
age at which the juvenile justice system of such 
State has jurisdiction over individuals exceeds 
18 years of age, an individual who is such max-
imum age or younger. 
SEC. 4. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) Youth gang crime has taken a toll on a 
number of urban communities, and senseless acts of 
gang-related violence have imposed economic, social, 
and human costs. 
(2) The use of a wide range of evidence-based 
and promising programs, integrated into a youth-ori-
ented community system of care, has been dem-
onstrated to reduce youth violence, delinquency, and 
crime risks, as well as criminal justice, public assist-
ance, victim assistance, and other costs. 
(3) Coordinated efforts of stakeholders in the 
juvenile justice system in a local community, to-
gether with other organizations and community 
members concerned with the safety and welfare of 
children, have a strong record of demonstrated suc-
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
22:23 Feb 14, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1064.IH
H1064
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with BILLS
cess in reducing the impact of youth and gang-re-
lated crime and violence, as demonstrated in Boston, 
Massachusetts, Chicago, Illinois, Richmond, Vir-
ginia, Los Angeles, California, and other commu-
nities. 
(4) Investment in prevention and intervention 
programs for children and youth, including quality 
early childhood programs, comprehensive evidence- 
based school, after school, and summer school pro-
grams, mentoring programs, mental health and 
treatment programs, evidence-based job training 
programs, and alternative intervention programs, 
has been shown to lead to decreased youth arrests, 
decreased delinquency, lower recidivism, and greater 
financial savings from an educational, economic, so-
cial, and criminal justice perspective. 
(5) Criminal justice costs have become burden-
some in many States and cities, requiring reductions 
in vital educational, social, welfare, mental health, 
and related services. 
(6) Targeting interventions at special youth risk 
groups and focusing upon relatively low-cost inter-
ventions increases the probability of fiscal benefit. 
(7) Savings achieved through early intervention 
and prevention are significant, especially when non- 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
22:23 Feb 14, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1064.IH
H1064
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with BILLS
criminal justice social, educational, mental health, 
and economic outcomes are considered. 
(8) Evidence-based intervention treatment fa-
cilities have been shown to reduce youth delinquency 
and to be cost-effective. 
(9) The prevention of child abuse and neglect 
can help stop a cycle of violence and save up to 
$5.00 for every $1.00 invested in preventing such 
abuse and neglect. 
(10) Quality early childhood education pro-
grams have been demonstrated to help children start 
school ready to learn and to reduce delinquency and 
criminal street gang activity risks. 
(11) Evidence-based mentoring programs have 
been shown to prevent youth drug abuse and vio-
lence. 
(12) Evidence-based school-based comprehen-
sive instructional programs that pair youth with re-
sponsible adult mentors have been shown to have a 
strong impact upon delinquency prevention. 
(13) After-school programs that connect chil-
dren to caring adults and that provide constructive 
activities during the peak hours of juvenile delin-
quency and criminal street gang activity, between 
3:00 and 6:00 in the afternoon, have been shown to 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
22:23 Feb 14, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1064.IH
H1064
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with BILLS
reduce delinquency and the attendant costs imposed 
on the juvenile and criminal justice systems. 
(14) States with higher levels of educational at-
tainment have been shown to have crime rates lower 
than the national average. Researchers have found 
that a 5 percent increase in male high school grad-
uation rates would produce an annual savings of al-
most $5,000,000,000 in crime-related expenses. 
(15) Therapeutic programs that engage and 
motivate high-risk youth and their families to 
change behaviors that often result in criminal activ-
ity have been shown to significantly reduce recidi-
vism among juvenile offenders, and significantly re-
duce the attendant costs of crime and delinquency 
imposed upon the juvenile and criminal justice sys-
tems. 
(16) Comprehensive programs that target kids 
who are already serious juvenile offenders by ad-
dressing the multiple factors in peer, school, neigh-
borhood, and family environments known to be re-
lated to delinquency can reduce recidivism among ju-
venile offenders and save the public significant eco-
nomic costs. 
(17) There are many alternatives to incarcer-
ation of youth that have been proven to be more ef-
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
22:23 Feb 14, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1064.IH
H1064
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with BILLS
fective in reducing crime and violence at the Na-
tional, State, local, and tribal levels, and the failure 
to provide for such effective alternatives is a perva-
sive problem that leads to increased youth, and later 
adult, crime and violence. 
(18) Drug- and alcohol-dependent youth, and 
youth dually diagnosed with addiction and mental 
health disorders, are more likely to become involved 
with the juvenile justice system than youth without 
such risk factors, absent appropriate prevention and 
intervention services. 
(19) Research funded by the Department of 
Justice indicates that gang-membership is short- 
lived among adolescents. With very few youth re-
maining gang-involved throughout their adolescent 
years, ongoing opportunities for intervention exist. 
(20) Excessively punitive juvenile justice poli-
cies, including over-reliance on incarceration and 
confinement of youth, particularly in the early stages 
of delinquent behavior and for non-violent delinquent 
behavior, have been shown to increase long-term 
crime risks. 
(21) Children of color are over-represented rel-
ative to the general population at every stage of the 
juvenile justice system. 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
22:23 Feb 14, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H1064.IH
H1064
rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with BILLS