Chapter 2.3 Purpose and Features of the ICJ

Purpose and Features of the ICJ

The purpose of the ICJ is defined in Article I of the compact.  Among its major purposes are the following:

• Ensure that the adjudicated juveniles and status offenders subject to the compact are provided adequate supervision and services in a receiving state as ordered by the adjudicating judge or parole authority in the sending state;
• Ensure that the public safety interests of the citizens, including the victims of juvenile offenders, in both the sending and receiving states are adequately protected;
• Return juveniles who have run away, absconded or escaped from supervision or control or have been accused of an offense to the state requesting their return;
• Establish orderly mechanisms for controlling the movement of juvenile offenders and ensure that authorities in receiving states are properly and timely notified of the presence of such offenders in their states;
• Establish a system of legally enforceable rules that are binding on the member states;
• Coordinate the operations of the ICJ with other compacts including the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) and the Interstate Compact on Adult Offender Supervision (ICAOS);

The ICJ seeks to achieve these purposes by significantly updating the agreement and creating an interstate commission to oversee its implementation. The compact provides enhanced accountability, enforcement, visibility and communication.  Among the changes in the ICJ are:

• The establishment of an interstate commission with operating authority to administer ongoing compact activity, including rulemaking authority and enforcement authority.
• Gubernatorial appointments of representatives for all member states to the interstate commission.
• The establishment of state councils to coordinate interbranch activities with respect to juveniles subject to the compact.
• A mandatory funding mechanism sufficient to support essential compact operations.
• Language to compel collection of standardized information on juvenile offenders.
• Dispute resolution and technical assistance mechanisms to ensure timely and efficient compliance with the compact.