By Associated Press

State officials are acknowledging they don’t know whether Nevada’s juvenile justice programs meet current standards, but say they expect that’ll change with federal help for a sweeping review of how youthful offenders are treated.

Gov. Brian Sandoval and state Supreme Court Justice Nancy Saitta announced Tuesday that Nevada is the only state picked for technical assistance under the Justice Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The goal is for the nonprofit, nonpartisan Council of State Governments Justice Center to conduct a review and make recommendations that the Nevada Legislature can take up next year.

The officials say Nevada lacks information about program costs, effectiveness and whether the state is meeting program and practice benchmarks.

The state has youth detention centers in Elko, Caliente and Mount Charleston outside Las Vegas.