Fragmented state statutes
Age standards, diversion rules, transfer mechanisms, and procedural safeguards vary widely. The Model Act organizes these elements within a shared logical framework while preserving state flexibility.
Flagship Legal-Policy Framework
Model Juvenile Justice Act for States
A complete twelve-module legal-research and policy framework for comparative analysis, professional education, and jurisdiction-specific study of state juvenile justice systems.
Draft 4.0 · Version 0.4Current Complete Edition12 Interdependent Modules
03 · ANALYSIS
Analytical Report
Rationale, implementation conditions, KPIs, expected impact, and next steps.
02 · GUIDANCE
Commentary
Module-by-module interpretation and guidance for state-level adaptation.
01 · MODEL LAW
Model Juvenile Justice Act
Draft 4.0 · Version 0.4 · Hanna Kotyk · August 2, 2026
12interdependent reform modules
3coordinated documents
Modularfull or phased state adoption
Measurabledata, reporting, and KPIs
Why This Framework
From fragmented rules to a connected reform architecture.
School-to-prison pipeline
A presumption of diversion, review of diversion denials, and defined limits on school-based arrest and court referral create a structured alternative to unnecessary formal system entry.
Transfer to adult court
The framework prohibits prosecutorial direct file, narrows waiver eligibility, requires individualized hearings, and creates a structured reverse-waiver pathway.
Data and accountability gaps
Mandatory collection, annual public reporting, disparity assessment, and defined indicators turn juvenile justice reform into a measurable learning system.
The Complete Resource Suite
Draft 4.0: the current three-part research suite.
The current edition combines model statutory language, section-by-section commentary, and an analytical implementation and evaluation framework.
Model Juvenile Justice Act
Complete twelve-module statutory framework for comparative legal study and jurisdiction-specific reform design.
View Current Publication →Commentary
Section-by-section rationale, legal foundations, drafting choices, and jurisdictional application guidance.
View Current Publication →Analytical Report
Rationale, theory of change, implementation dependencies, fiscal considerations, and baseline-driven evaluation framework.
View Current Publication →Guiding Principles
A rights-based framework built for real decisions.
The Act's principles are designed to guide courts, prosecutors, probation authorities, child-protection agencies, schools, and other system actors.
Rights of children
Protect constitutional and statutory rights through developmentally appropriate procedures and safeguards.
Public safety through developmentally appropriate responses
Use individualized, evidence-informed interventions that recognize the legal significance of youth and support safer outcomes.
Prevent unnecessary system entry
Prioritize screening, diversion, and proportionate responses before formal adjudication when appropriate.
Reduce disparities
Make racial, ethnic, disability-related, geographic, and socioeconomic disparity reduction an express statutory objective.
Family and community connections
Preserve family and community ties whenever consistent with safety, lawful process, and the needs of the child.
Transparent data and continuous evaluation
Use uniform data, public reporting, independent oversight, and baseline-driven evaluation to support accountable reform.
Inside the Framework
Twelve modules designed for integrated or phased use.
Draft 4.0 expands the architecture to twelve interdependent modules while preserving modular adoption and jurisdiction-specific adaptation.
General Provisions
Purposes, scope, governing principles, definitions, and modular adoption.
Age, Jurisdiction & Status Offenses
Preferred minimum age, upper and continuing jurisdiction, venue, and status-offense protections.
Intake, Diversion & School-Based Conduct
Screening, diversion presumption, review of denials, school referral limits, and program standards.
Transfer to Adult Criminal Court
Exceptional transfer, eligibility, notice, counsel, clear-and-convincing standard, appeal, and reverse waiver.
Restorative Justice & FGC
Availability, voluntariness, facilitator standards, confidentiality, agreements, and review.
Procedural Safeguards & Competency
Counsel, notice, interrogation safeguards, competency, discovery, admissions, proof, and appeal.
Disposition, Probation & Reentry
Individualized disposition, proportionality, probation, technical violations, review, and reentry planning.
Detention & Conditions of Custody
Release presumption, detention review, separation, education and health, isolation limits, and independent inspection.
Records & Collateral Consequences
Confidentiality, automatic sealing and expungement, legal effect, notice, and remedies.
Data, Evaluation & Independent Oversight
Uniform data standards, disaggregation, baseline-driven performance, public reporting, and research access.
Implementation, Financing & Rulemaking
Implementation planning, fiscal and capacity analysis, training, rulemaking, conforming amendments, and phased dates.
Construction, Remedies & Periodic Review
More-protective law, remedies, no child financial liability, retroactivity, severability, and periodic review.
Designed for Use
Built for the people who shape systems.
The resource suite supports analysis, drafting, adaptation, implementation planning, and evaluation.
State policymakers
Assess reform options and understand how individual modules connect across the juvenile justice continuum.
Legislative drafters
Use structured model language and commentary as a reference for state-specific statutory work.
Institutions & practitioners
Identify operational implications for courts, schools, agencies, diversion programs, and data systems.
Researchers & educators
Examine a connected legal-policy framework, its comparative rationale, and measurable implementation design.
Companion Comparative Research
U.S. State Juvenile Justice Statutory Index.
The State Index provides a separate comparative research layer for examining how selected state approaches align with, partially align with, or differ from Draft 4.0.
Current Index · v0.4
Expanded 10-State Research Edition
New York, Texas, Michigan, California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Colorado, and Washington. Published August 10, 2026.
View current State Index Previous Sample · v0.3Original 2-State Sample
New York and Texas validation-stage sample dated August 1, 2025, retained to document the development record.
View historical sampleVersion Archive
Previous public-facing edition: v0.3 (2025).
Version 3.0 remains available as a preserved development milestone. Draft 4.0 / Version 0.4 is the current complete edition.
Model Juvenile Justice Act
First full public-facing modular framework.
View Archived Publication →Commentary
Initial section-by-section explanation and implementation guidance.
View Archived Publication →Analytical Report
Initial problem analysis, module crosswalk, and preliminary measurement framework.
View Archived Publication →A model for adaptation, not a substitute for state-specific legal review.
Draft 4.0 is a published research and policy framework, not enacted law or legal advice. Any jurisdiction-specific application requires research into the relevant state constitution, codes, court structure, appropriations rules, institutional responsibilities, and youth-service capacity.