There is nothing better we can do for our youth than to ensure that they have the chance to connect with dedicated, energetic, and well-trained mentors, according to Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Karol V. Mason. “The guidance and direction of a caring and respected adult is the key to keeping a young person on a path of responsible, productive behavior, headed to a bright future,” Ms. Mason said during the National Mentoring Summit.

From January 27–29, 2016, OJJDP joined with MENTOR: The National Partnership and other partners to host the annual summit, now in its sixth year. The event—which took place in Washington, DC—brought together nearly 1,000 individuals, including practitioners, researchers, corporate leaders, and representatives of national youth-serving organizations, among others. OJJDP Administrator Robert Listenbee and staff were also in attendance.

In her comments to the attendees, the Assistant Attorney General stressed how mentoring brings guidance to children’s lives and provides them with second chances and new beginnings. She praised the support that OJJDP has demonstrated for mentoring programs.

“I’m proud that the Office of Justice Programs has provided strong support for mentoring efforts, through the leadership of Bob Listenbee and his terrific staff in our Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention,” Ms. Mason said. “Since 2011, we’ve made more than $377 million in funding available for local and national mentoring programs and mentoring-related research.”

The 3-day summit featured more than 60 workshops, which touched on a variety of topics within the mentoring field, including research, effective practices, program models, and mentoring strategies for specific youth populations.

Jen Tyson, a social science analyst with OJJDP, led a session with American Institutes for Research principal researcher Roger Jarjoura discussing the interim findings of OJJDP’s Mentoring Enhancement Demonstration Program and how these findings might drive changes in the mentoring field. Dr. Jarjoura is the principal investigator for the evaluation of the program, which supported the development and implementation of new strategies to enhance the advocacy and teaching roles for mentors in 32 mentoring programs across the country.

OJJDP has long been a supporter of mentoring programs. In fiscal year 2015 alone, the Office awarded more than $77 million in discretionary grant funding to support programs around the country, including a focus on programs that support underserved populations.

These underserved populations include tribal youth, youth with disabilities, youth in foster care, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning youth.

Additionally, through the Second Chance Act, OJJDP has funded a grant that focuses on strengthening the relationships between young parents and their children as they transition from correctional facilities back to their families and communities. Mentoring programs have shown to be a promising form of support for youth with incarcerated parents. It is estimated that 1.7 million youth in this country have at least one parent currently in prison and millions more have a parent in jail.

OJJDP also supports advancing mentoring research, which includes investigator-initiated and demonstration projects to move the field toward evidence-based and effective practices for youth mentoring.

In 2015, OJJDP partnered with MENTOR to launch the National Mentoring Resource Center. The center supports effective youth mentoring programs through training and technical assistance, a research board, and an interactive website.

Recently, OJJDP unveiled a new feature within the National Mentoring Resource Center that highlights what research says about specific mentoring programs and their target populations. The first review focuses on group mentoring, where one or more mentors are matched with a group of youth for a shared mentoring experience.

January marks the 14th annual National Mentoring Month, a nationwide campaign that aims to recruit mentors and focus national attention on the importance of those working together to ensure positive outcomes for youth.

Resources:

More information about the 2016 National Mentoring Summit is available online.

To access further mentoring resources, visit OJJDP, MENTOR, the National Mentoring Resource Center, and read a recent blog post from Administrator Listenbee.

On January 13, 1996, 9-year-old Amber Hagerman of Arlington, TX, was abducted and subsequently assaulted and murdered. Although this heinous crime remains unsolved 20 years later, it resulted in the creation of the AMBER Alert system, which has since aided in the rescue and safe return of nearly 800 children.

Managed by the Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Office of Justice Programs with the support of OJJDP, the AMBER (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) Alert System began in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX. Broadcasters there teamed up with local police to develop an early warning system that would help find abducted children. The messages were broadcast via radio and TV. The system is now being used in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Indian country, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 22 other countries. Today, in addition to radio and TV, its messages are delivered via Department of Transportation signs, cell phone notifications, digital billboards, Internet service providers, text alerts, and web and social media posts.

Following are some AMBER Alert system milestones. A comprehensive, chronological timeline is available on the AMBER Alert website.

• 2002: AMBER Alerts become nationally focused and highway signs are added to the warning system. In conjunction with the first White House Conference on Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children, then-Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Deborah J. Daniels is appointed as the first National AMBER Alert Coordinator.
• 2003: The PROTECT Act is signed into law, strengthening the ability of law enforcement and the judicial system to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and punish violent crimes committed against children.
• 2005: DOJ launches a nationwide initiative to train Child Abduction Response Teams.
• 2011: DOJ’s Southern Border Initiative implements Alerta AMBER Mexico, a national protocol.
• 2015: The AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program launches the new Tribal Database. The database offers important child protection and human trafficking prevention resources to tribal communities.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), in its role as secondary distributor, has developed an expanded communications network for the system. DOJ funding to Fox Valley Technical College has provided states and U.S. territories with more than $50 million in AMBER Alert training and technical assistance.

OJJDP engages numerous partners across the nonprofit, corporate, and technology sectors to bolster the AMBER Alert program. Partners include NCMEC, federal law enforcement agencies, wireless carriers, Internet service providers, social media outlets, and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. In addition, collaboration with apps, such as Waze and Uber, and other communications entities like Google and Bing are strengthening the AMBER Alert system and helping to keep the memory of Amber Hagerman alive.

 

Resources:

Access OJP Assistant Attorney General and National AMBER Alert Coordinator Karol V. Mason’s blog "Two Decades of Rescuing Children," online.

Additional information on resources regarding missing children is available on NCMEC’s website.

Sign up to receive AMBER Alerts on Facebook or on Twitter using the handle @AMBER Alert.

As part of the Justice Department’s (DOJ’s) extensive efforts to reduce recidivism and improve reentry services, OJJDP awarded Connection Training Services (CTS) two Second Chance Act (SCA) grants in fiscal years 2014 and 2015. The nonprofit organization provides reentry services, including mentoring, job training, and job placement assistance to clients in the Philadelphia and New Jersey areas.

On December 14, 2015, Administrator Listenbee visited the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix (FCI Fort Dix) in New Jersey to learn how inmates might benefit from the 2015 grant. These funds support the development and delivery of services that will foster positive relationships among incarcerated parents, their children, and caregivers.

Mr. Listenbee was joined on the visit by Eugene Schneeberg, Director of the Office of Justice Programs’ Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships; other DOJ staff; and CTS personnel.

 

Following a briefing on the institution’s population and a tour of the facility, the delegation participated in a roundtable discussion with approximately 20 inmates. The men spoke candidly about the challenges of maintaining relationships with their children and families while incarcerated. Among their recommendations to the visiting officials was instituting video conferencing to facilitate connections with family members who may not be able to visit them.

 

There are currently more than 4,500 inmates at FCI Fort Dix; the average inmate is serving an 11-year sentence.

After the FCI Fort Dix visit, the DOJ officials headed to the CTS headquarters in Philadelphia to see OJJDP’s 2014 SCA Strengthening Relationships Between Young Fathers and Their Children: A Reentry Mentoring Project grant funds in action.

 

Via its Mentoring Young Fathers program, CTS provides mentoring and transitional services, with an emphasis on developing parenting skills, to program participants. Mr. Listenbee met with some of the fathers and their families during a holiday party organized by CTS.

 

The young men were full of praise for their mentors and expressed gratitude for being given a second chance. Their partners also offered words of appreciation. “I could raise my daughter alone, but I don’t want to,” said one spouse. “It’s a lot more fun when we can do it together and he is sober and committed to his children and working hard to make our marriage work.”

While at CTS, Mr. Listenbee toured the organization’s Energy Coordinating Agency facility where program participants are taught plumbing, electrical work, HVAC, roofing, insulation, and other skills. “The training and support you provide to these young men is impressive and commendable,” he said.

DOJ’s Second Chance Act grants support state, local, and tribal community organizations in their efforts to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for people returning from confinement. SCA funding covers a range of services, training, mentorship, and technical assistance programs. Since 2009, more than 700 awards have been made to grantees across 49 states.

 

Resources:

 

More information about the Second Chance Act is available online.

 

Visit the National Reentry Resource Center's What Works in Reentry Clearinghouse, a one-stop shop for research on the effectiveness of a variety of reentry programs and practices.

On December 13–15, 2015, the MacArthur Foundation hosted the 10th and final Models for Change National Working Conference in Washington, DC. The event marked the MacArthur Foundation’s exit from the juvenile justice arena.

In his plenary remarks, Administrator Listenbee hailed the foundation’s Models for Change initiative as an important vehicle for juvenile justice reform and called on states and communities to “act with ingenuity and initiative to continue carrying out the demands of this reform effort.”

Mr. Listenbee credited the MacArthur Foundation’s Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice with providing “answers to critical questions about young people and their interactions with the justice system” and laying the groundwork for two seminal studies on juvenile justice reform—the OJJDP-commissioned Reforming Juvenile Justice: A Developmental Approach and Implementing Juvenile Justice Reform: The Federal Role.

He also acknowledged the initiative’s efforts to address racial and ethnic disparities within the juvenile justice system and to improve young people’s access to competent defense, and noted that the Models for Change initiative helped influence legislative changes in many states.

Mr. Listenbee further discussed how OJJDP is building on the initiative’s work. Along with the MacArthur Foundation, the Office is funding—

• The Center for Children’s Law and Policy. The center supports states and local governments working to reduce the overrepresentation of youth of color at key decision points within the juvenile justice system.
• The National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. The center is enhancing mental health services for system-involved youth by funding training for staff who work in juvenile justice settings.
• The Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice. The resource center works to improve outcomes for youth involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
• The University of Massachusetts Medical School's National Youth Screening and Assessment Project. The project seeks to improve how probation offices integrate evidence-based assessments of mental health, substance abuse, and the criminogenic needs and risks of youth into case planning.
• The Center on Youth Justice at the Vera Institute of Justice. The center educates policymakers and practitioners about status offenses through the online Status Offense Reform Center.

The conference was supported by the Coalition for Juvenile Justice.

National Conference on Juvenile Justice: March 20–23, 2016

To be held in Las Vegas, NV, this conference, hosted by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, will feature information, programs, and current research of interest to juvenile justice practitioners. Topics will include alternatives to detention, trauma-informed justice, cross-over youth, dating violence, ending solitary confinement, disproportionate minority contact, LGBTQ issues in the juvenile justice system, sex trafficking of minors, juvenile drug courts, and runaways and the Interstate Compact for Juveniles. Registration information is available online.

Society for Research on Adolescence Biennial Meeting: March 31–April 2, 2016

The Society for Research on Adolescence will hold its biennial meeting in Baltimore, MD, this spring. National Institute of Justice Director Nancy Rodriguez will deliver the keynote speech. Registration information is available online.

34th Annual Protecting Our Children National American Indian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect: April 3–6, 2016

To be held in St. Paul, MN, workshop tracks to be offered at this conference include Data and Research; Child Welfare, Foster Care, and Adoption Services; Children’s Mental Health; Youth and Family Involvement; and Legal Affairs and Advocacy. Registration information is available online.

32nd International Symposium on Child Abuse: April 4–7, 2016

The National Children’s Advocacy Center will host its annual symposium in Huntsville, AL. Sessions will address topics such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, exposure to violence, polyvictimization, exploitation, intervention, trafficking, and prevention. Registration information is available online.

16th Annual International Family Justice Conference: April 12–14, 2016

The Family Justice Center Alliance will host its annual conference in San Diego, CA. This event includes training and interactive peer-to-peer discussions on issues related to the handling of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, elder abuse, and stalking cases with special focus on law enforcement response, criminal prosecution, civil legal assistance, and advocacy. The Alliance welcomes law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, shelter staff, community-based victim advocates, and all others interested in the future of family violence intervention and prevention. Registration information is available online.

Coalition for Juvenile Justice 2016 Annual Conference: April 20–23, 2016

This conference, cohosted by OJJDP and the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, will focus on the latest research, developments, and challenges in juvenile justice. Sessions will provide attendees with a hands-on opportunity to explore the newest methods for preventing delinquency and ensuring fairness through all stages of involvement with the justice system. Participants will also learn about establishing the best possible outcomes for children and families who do become involved with the juvenile justice system. The conference will take place in Washington, DC. Registration information is available online.

International Prisoners' Family Conference: May 4–6, 2016

This event, sponsored by Community Solutions of El Paso, will be held in Dallas, TX. Presenters will include professionals and advocates from the criminal justice, social service, academic, and faith-based arenas. Registration information is available online.

35th Annual National CASA/GAL Conference: June 4–7, 2016

At this event, sponsored by the National Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Association, CASA and guardian ad litem staff, board members, volunteers, judges, attorneys, and other child welfare professionals will gather to connect with peers and learn from leaders in the field. The conference will offer workshops and institutes, general sessions, and an exhibit hall featuring information and resources for the field. The conference will take place at the National Harbor in Maryland. Registeration information is available online.

13th Global Youth Justice Training Institute: June 14–16, 2016

This training institute, hosted by Global Youth Justice, is designed for individuals and teams of adults from communities interested in expanding, enhancing, and learning about volunteer-driven youth justice and juvenile justice diversion programs referred to as teen court, youth court, student court, peer court, and peer jury. The 3-day training will include adult peer-to-peer training sessions and a half-day grant writing and funding resources session. The institute will take place in Cape Cod, MA. Registration information is available online.

National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges 79th Annual Conference: July 17–20, 2016

To be held in Monterey, CA, this conference will feature training tracks on family law, juvenile justice, child welfare, and family violence. Presentations will include practical and innovative solutions to challenges facing the juvenile and family court system. The event is hosted by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. Registration information is available online.

11th Annual National School Safety Conference and Exposition: July 25–29, 2016

To be held in Orlando, FL, this conference will focus on national best practices and proven localized programs and efforts. The conference will include presentations by experts from the federal government, law enforcement, and education. The conference is sponsored by the School Safety Advocacy Council. Registration information is available online.

President Obama Bans Use of Solitary Confinement for Youth in Federal Prisons

On January 25, 2016, President Obama announced a ban on the use of solitary confinement for juveniles housed in federal prisons. “Research suggests that solitary confinement has the potential to lead to devastating, lasting psychological consequences,” wrote the President in an op-ed for The Washington Post. “Prisoners in solitary are more likely to commit suicide, especially juveniles and people with mental illnesses.”

The President said he plans to adopt the policy recommendations contained in a Department of Justice (DOJ) report on the use of solitary confinement in federal prisons. These include banning solitary confinement for juveniles, expanding treatment for the mentally ill, and increasing the amount of time inmates in solitary can spend outside their cells.

The DOJ report is available online.

Supreme Court Rules Inmates Sentenced to Life as Juveniles Eligible To Seek Parole

The U.S. Supreme court ruled on January 25, 2016, that inmates sentenced to mandatory life without the possibility of parole as juveniles have the right to seek a parole or resentencing hearing. The case before the Supreme Court was Montgomery v. Louisiana. Henry Montgomery was sentenced to life without parole for killing a deputy sheriff in 1963. He was 17 when the crime was committed. In presenting the majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that “prisoners like Montgomery must be given the opportunity to show their crime did not reflect irreparable corruption; and if it did not, their hope for some years of life outside prison walls must be restored."

The decision is in keeping with several of the Supreme Court’s rulings over the last decade in which it has held that it is wrong to equate crimes committed by youth with those committed by adults. In Roper v. Simmons, Graham v. Florida, and Miller v. Alabama, the court held that the death penalty and life without parole are not appropriate when applied to adolescents because they have diminished culpability and greater prospects for rehabilitation. In his opinion for the court in Graham v. Florida, Justice Kennedy wrote that, “juveniles are more capable of change than adults, and their actions are less likely to be evidence of ‘irretrievable depraved character’ than are the actions of adults.”

Justice Department Issues Gender Bias Policing Guidance

Gender bias, a form of discrimination, can result in law enforcement officers providing less protection to certain victims because of their gender, neglecting or downplaying crimes that disproportionately affect a particular gender, or allowing gender stereotypes to influence the quality of their services.

To help law enforcement officers identify and prevent gender bias when responding to sexual assault and domestic violence, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued guidance produced by its Office on Violence Against Women, Civil Rights Division, and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, with input from an array of stakeholders, including police leaders, victim advocates, and civil rights advocates.

Announcing the guidance, Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said, “Bias—whether implicit or explicit—can severely undermine the ability of law enforcement to keep survivors safe and to hold the offenders accountable.”

A video of the guidance presentation, a fact sheet, and the full guidance document may be downloaded from the DOJ website.

Administrator Listenbee Blogs on OJJDP Support of Tribal Youth

“Harnessing the unique voice and perspective of youth to inform practices is a critical tool for tribal leaders, government officials, and community organizations to use in addressing issues related to juvenile crime,” writes Administrator Listenbee in the blog post, “Supporting Our Native American and Alaska Native Youth.”

In the post, Mr. Listenbee welcomes Marilyn Bruguier Zimmerman to the Office as its new Senior Tribal Policy Advisor and enumerates several initiatives on which OJJDP has made “significant progress.” They include partnering with the United National Indian Tribal Youth to develop the Today’s Native Leaders program, and the Tribal Youth Program, which—as part of the Justice Department’s broader Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation—now serves more than 24,500 youth and family members nationwide.

OJJDP Announces National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest

OJJDP invites fifth graders nationwide to participate in the 2016 National Missing Children's Day poster contest. Submissions are due by March 16, 2016. The annual contest creates an opportunity for schools, law enforcement, and child advocates to discuss the issue of missing and/or exploited children with youth, parents, and guardians and to promote child safety.

OJJDP will invite the national winner and his or her parents and teacher to Washington, DC, to participate in the National Missing Children's Day commemoration on May 25, 2016. The ceremony honors the heroic and exemplary efforts of agencies, organizations, and individuals to protect children. National Missing Children’s Day has been commemorated in the United States since 1984, when it was first proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan.

Visit the poster contest page for contest rules and contact information for state contest managers.

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month Observed in January

Although slavery was abolished in the United States more than 150 years ago, “millions of men, women, and children around the globe, including here at home, are subject to modern-day slavery: the cruel, inhumane practice of human trafficking,” President Barack Obama stated in his proclamation of January 2016 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The President affirmed his Administration’s commitment to “assisting victims of human trafficking and … combating it in all its forms.”

OJJDP remains equally committed to addressing and preventing child sex trafficking across the United States. Through the Mentoring For Child Victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Domestic Sex Trafficking Initiative, the Office is providing funding to six communities—Boston, MA; Milwaukee, WI; Miami, FL; Wichita, KS; El Paso, TX; and Oakland, CA—to help enhance their response to victims’ needs. OJJDP also sponsored the National Academies report, Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States and accompanying infographic. The infographic illustrates how schools, police, victim services, businesses, the legal system, and health care providers can collaborate in preventing, identifying, and responding to commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors.

To learn more about human trafficking, read a literature review on the topic from OJJDP’s Model Programs Guide and browse the National Criminal Justice Reference Services’ Human Trafficking spotlight. A nine-part video series "Faces of Human Trafficking," is available on the Office for Victims of Crime website.

Winter Issue of The AMBER Advocate Now Available

The winter 2015 issue of The AMBER Advocate is now available online. Features in the current issue of this OJJDP-sponsored publication include—

• A profile of AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program Director James Walters.
• Recommendations from surviving relatives of people lost to homicide on how law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and others can help families facing similar tragedies.
• The story of how a California AMBER Alert distributed via the Wireless Emergency Alert system helped recover a child in 9 minutes.
• An update on AMBER Alert training and partnerships in Indian country.
• International AMBER Alert news from Jamaica and Belgium.

Archival issues are available on the National Criminal Justice Reference Service website.