State lawmakers gave their approval to an overhaul of the juvenile justice system during the 2015 Legislative Session.

Over the course of 2014, the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Initiative Work Group, a bipartisan, inter-branch, data-driven group, analyzed juvenile justice data and considered whether policies could be developed to improve outcomes for juvenile offenders at a lower cost. The work group developed a package of policies that resulted in SB 73.

The bill was designed to achieve the goals laid out for the Work Group: increase public safety by improving outcomes, hold juvenile offenders more accountable, and reduce costs by investing in proven community-based practices while saving residential facilities for juveniles who are a public safety risk; mirroring those of the South Dakota Public Safety Improvement Act of 2013, which overhauled the adult criminal justice system.

The Juvenile Justice Oversight Council is responsible for monitoring and reporting performance and outcome measures related to the JJRI. Additional information on the Oversight Council, including a list of members, meeting agendas and minutes, can be found on the Boards and Commissions website.