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Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

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Coalition for Juvenile Justice Conference

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Liz Ryan, Administrator

May 25, 2023

Working for Youth Justice and Safety

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Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)

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OJJDP Principles & Priorities

Principles:

  • A commitment to racial equity and fairness
  • A promise to partner with youth and families who are directly impacted by the juvenile justice system

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Priorities:

  • Treat Children as Children
  • Serve youth at home, with their families and in their communities
  • Open up opportunities for young people who come into contact with the juvenile justice system

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OJJDP’s Action Steps

OJJDP is working to reimagine, reform and fundamentally improve youth justice. Here’s how…

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Overarching Principle 1

Centering impacted youth and families.

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OJJDP:

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  • Created a Youth and Family Working Group.

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  • Added language to solicitations urging prospective grantees to consider working with youth and families as part of their grant applications.

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  • Launched new youth peer review pilot program to effectively integrate youth voices in the grant awards process.

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  • In

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Overarching Principle 1 – Cont’d

Centering impacted youth and families.

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OJJDP will:

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  • Launch a youth fellowship program. They will be embedded in the training and technical assistance provided to grantees.

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  • Ensure justice-involved youth are assigned to critical leadership roles. The President recently appointed two youth to serve on the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

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Overarching Principle 2

Ending racial inequity within the juvenile justice system.

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OJJDP:

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  • Provides racial and ethnic disparities data on our website.

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  • Funds training and technical assistance to states data collection to ensure we are monitoring and tracking progress to reduce disparities.

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  • Partners with National Institute of Justice to support research that identifies best practices in reducing disparities.

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  • Assesses our programs and policies to ensure they advance racial equity and fairness.

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Priority 1

Treating children as children.

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OJJDP:

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  • Funds training and technical assistance to help states comply with the Deinstitutionalization of Status Offenders core requirement.

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  • Partners with the National Sheriff’s Association to ensure kids are never held in adult jails or prisons to help you find positive paths while enhancing community safety.

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Priority 2

Serving children at home, with their families, in their communities.

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OJJDP:

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  • Funds the Community-Based Alternatives to Youth Incarceration Initiative.

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  • Funds the Juvenile Justice System Reform and Reinvestment.

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  • Invest in research to determine the most effective approaches for serving youth who pose the highest risk to public safety and have the most complex needs.

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Priority 3

Open up opportunities for system-involved youth.

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OJJDP:

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  • Supports eliminating juvenile fines and fees. The Justice Department recently released Dear Colleague Letter that urges courts to presume youth are indigent and unable to pay fees & fines.

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  • Funds mentoring services to help youth involved in the system stay in school, address substance use issues, disassociate from gangs, and avoid further system involvement.

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  • Funds research to find—and address—gaps in our nationwide network of mentoring programs.

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Priority 3 – Cont’d

Open up opportunities for system-involved youth.

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OJJDP:

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  • Works to stem flow of youth to juvenile justice system through grants to schools to enhance their ability to address violence. In 2022, provided nearly $25 million to a service network of local community-based organizations that provide students with customized support that schools cannot offer on their own.

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  • Promotes collaboration among federal agencies through the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, supported by OJJDP.

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OJJDP Resources

  • Website: ojjdp.ojp.gov

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  • Funding Opportunities: ojjdp.ojp.gov/funding

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  • Publications: ojjdp.ojp.gov/library/publications/list

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  • Research and Statistics: ojjdp.ojp.gov/research-statistics

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Connect With OJJDP

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@OJPOJJDP

facebook.com/OJPOJJDP

youtube.com/OJPOJJDP

ojjdp.ojp.gov/enews/newsletter.html

ojjdp.ojp.gov/enews/juvjust.html

Working for Youth Justice and Safety

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