STATUS OFFENDER PROJECT
When it comes to status offenders; children that runaway, are truant, and/or are incorrigible and those that disobey an order of the court (contemnors), the educational, mental health, social service and juvenile justice system is at a loss as to what works best in trying to help these children. In South Carolina the methods for processing and keeping track of the children that fall into these categories is inconsistent at best and nonexistent at worst. Without knowing the extent of this problem, any means used in addressing the problem is hampered.  

The Children's Law Center has received a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention through the South Carolina Department of Public Safety to research existing systems affecting status offenders in South Carolina. The grant will also allow for the development of educational and training materials to ensure compliance with the federal mandates of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. South Carolina has been losing federal grant dollars due to noncompliance with mandates concerning the incarceration of status offenders. 

The Children's Law Center will be analyzing existing systems that process status offenders through the education, social service and juvenile justice systems in the state. The development of a uniform reporting and monitoring system of status offenders would allow South Carolina to move toward compliance with federal mandates. Workshops and trainings will be held educating staff in the fields of education and juvenile justice on the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act and how compliance with this act will secure future grant funding for South Carolina in the area of juvenile justice. This can allow for federal grant dollars to be used for prevention and intervention of status offenses and move this state away from reliance on incarcerating these non-criminal offenders.