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H.R. 5537 110th Congress House

Juvenile Justice Improvement Act of 2008

Official title: To amend the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 with respect to juveniles who have committed offenses, and for other purposes.

Introduced: March 5, 2008 Introduced by: Christopher Murphy Democratic · Connecticut See on congress.gov
Crime and Law Enforcement Child healthCorrectional personnelCorrectionsDetention of persons
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Economics and Public FinanceEmployee trainingFamiliesFederal aid to law enforcementHealthImprisonmentJuvenile delinquencyLabor and EmploymentMental health servicesPrison alternativesStatus offenders
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This bill died when the 110th Congress ended
It never became law before the 110th Congress (2007–2008) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 5, 2008
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Mar 5, 2008
Introduced in House
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 Latest action March 5, 2008

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Juvenile Justice Improvement Act of 2008 - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to: (1) revise and add definitions under such Act relating to the treatment of juveniles held in custody while awaiting trial for criminal offenses; (2) require state plans under such Act to separate juveniles from the adult prison population, eliminate the use of dangerous practices used for holding juveniles in custody, and provide training of prison staff on techniques for effective behavior management of juvenile offenders; (3) provide incentive grants to states to adopt programs for the mental health treatment needs of juveniles in custody and for the placement of such juveniles in the least restrictive detention or correctional settings; and (4) prohibit the placement of juveniles who have not been charged with adult criminal offenses in secure detention or correctional facilities.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 5537: Juvenile Justice Improvement Act of 2008. 110th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/110-HR-5537/
MLA
"H.R. 5537: Juvenile Justice Improvement Act of 2008." 110th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/110-HR-5537/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 5537, 110th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/110-HR-5537/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 5537: Juvenile Justice Improvement Act of 2008](https://openamerica.io/bill/110-HR-5537/)
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