OJJDP Announces Deputy Administrator Job Opening

This Senior Executive Service position serves as the Deputy Administrator in OJJDP’s leadership team. The incumbent will (1) oversee the overall administration of OJJDP’s research, training and technical assistance, budget and operations, and communication portfolios; (2) be involved in the advocacy of the juvenile justice and delinquency prevention policies and objectives that the OJJDP Administrator establishes; and (3) oversee OJJDP’s management plan and associated activities, including budget, human resources, acquisition management, information technology, performance measures, and administrative services. The closing date for applications is July 8, 2016. Learn more and apply.

OJJDP Convenes Listening Session on Children of Incarcerated Parents

More than 5 million U.S. children have had at least one parent in prison at one time or another. Parental incarceration can negatively impact a child’s mental health, social behavior, and educational prospects. The emotional trauma that can occur and the difficulties of a disrupted family life can be compounded by the social stigma that many young people in this situation face. On June 28–29, 2016, OJJDP, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Human Services Policy, hosted a listening session to hear from young people who have or previously had a parent in jail or prison. The purpose of the listening session was for federal officials to learn about the challenges the youth and families face, the supports the youth found useful, and ways the federal government can better assist them and their families. The listening session was moderated by Ann Adalist-Estrin, a White House Champion of Change for children of incarcerated parents.

This listening session continues the Office’s commitment to support youth with incarcerated parents and to ensure that all young people get the best possible start in life. Access OJJDP’s 2013 Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents listening session report.

Implementation Planning Resources Now Available via OJJDP's Model Programs Guide

OJJDP’s Model Programs Guide (MPG) is an online resource of more than 260 evidence-based prevention, intervention, and reentry programs for juvenile justice practitioners, policymakers, and communities. MPG uses expert study reviewers and the CrimeSolutions.gov review process to rate program effectiveness. Programs address a variety of topics, such as child protection, health, and welfare; children’s exposure to violence and victimization; delinquency prevention; and detention, confinement, and supervision.

MPG now includes Implementation Guides (iGuides) that provide practical implementation planning resources for practitioners. The iGuides highlight the steps that should be taken and decisions that should be made prior to identifying or implementing an evidence-based program or practice.

The iGuide on School-Based Bullying Prevention is available now.

OJJDP Staff Participate in OJP on the Hill Event

On June 22, 2016, the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) hosted the third OJP on the Hill Day at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. Karol V. Mason, Assistant Attorney General of OJP, and leadership from the bureaus and offices opened the event by briefing Members of Congress and their staff about key OJP programs and priorities.

OJJDP staff participated in the event and shared information and resources on juvenile justice and delinquency prevention topics, including mentoring, youth and law enforcement, indigent defense, the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, data improvement efforts, and the OJJDP-led Defending Childhood, Supportive School Discipline, and Smart on Juvenile Justice initiatives.

The Office of Justice Programs works in partnership with the justice community to identify the most pressing crime-related challenges confronting the justice system and to provide information, training, coordination, and innovative strategies and approaches for addressing these challenges. An open house with exhibits, staffed with subject matter experts and tables devoted to OJP-related resources, was available to congressional staff to learn more about the OJP programs available to their constituents and communities.

United States, Mexico, and Canada Strengthen Ties at AMBER Alert Forum

The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training and Mexico's Office of the Attorney General convened a Trinational Forum on May 25–26, 2016, in Mexico City. The event brought together AMBER Alert Coordinators from the United States, Mexico, and Canada to discuss ways the three countries can better respond to cross-border cases of missing children. In her remarks at the recent National Missing Children’s Day Ceremony in Washington, DC, U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch made mention of the Trinational Forum and stated that, “Our commitment to rescuing missing children does not stop at the border. I am proud to say that our Department of Justice has collaborated with the Attorney General of Mexico on the development of Mexico’s AMBER Alert System, which has already resulted in the rescue of hundreds of Mexican children.”

AMBER Alert has led to the rescue of more than 350 children in Mexico since 2012. The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs manages the AMBER Alert program with the support of OJJDP.