The Iowa Supreme Court created the Juvenile Justice Task Force in December 2021 to review the continuum of care in Iowa’s juvenile justice system and to make recommendations to improve its services, governance, and data collection. The supreme court also asked for options to address the juvenile justice system’s racial and gender disparities.
More than 120 people participated in six task force work groups. Comprising judges, attorneys, juvenile court officers, social workers, youth and others with lived experience, legislators, treatment providers, and law enforcement, the work groups looked at services, governance, funding, and data collection. Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen and Iowa Director of Juvenile Court Services Chad Jensen co-chaired the task force.
On February 9, 2023, the 65-member task force released its final report. The report includes 55 recommendations to improve the services provided to Iowa youth in both child welfare and juvenile delinquency proceedings. You can read the report here: Juvenile Justice Task Force Final Report.