purpose

purpose Sec. 102. (a) It is the purpose of this Act— (1) to provide for the thorough and prompt evaluation of all federally assisted juvenile delinquency programs; (2) to provide technical assistance to public and private agencies, institutions, and individuals in developing and implementing juvenile delinquency programs; (3) to establish training programs for persons, including professionals, paraprofessionals, and volunteers, who work with delinquents or potential delinquents or whose work or activities relate to juvenile delinquency programs; (4) to establish a centralized research effort on the problems of juvenile delinquency, including an information clearinghouse to disseminate the findings of such research and all data related to juvenile delinquency; (5) to develop and encourage the implementation of national standards for the administration of juvenile justice, including recommendations for administrative, budgetary, and legislative action at the Federal. State, and local level to facilitate the adoption of such standards; (6) to assist States and local communities with resources to develop and implement programs to keep students in elementary and secondary schools and to prevent unwarranted and arbitrary suspensions and expulsions; and (7) to establish a Federal assistance program to deal with the problems of runaway youth. (b) It is therefore the further declared policy of Congress to provide the necessary resources, leadership, and coordination (1) to 88 Stat. 1111develop and implement effective methods of preventing and reducing juvenile delinquency; (2) to develop and conduct effective programs to prevent delinquency, to divert juveniles from the traditional juvenile justice system and to provide critically needed alternatives to institutionalization; (3) to improve the quality of juvenile justice in the United States; and (4) to increase the capacity of State and local governments and public and private agencies to conduct effective juvenile justice and delinquency prevention and rehabilitation programs and to provide research, evaluation, and training services in the field of juvenile delinquency prevention.