This is an archive of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP's) electronic newsletter OJJDP News @ a Glance. The information in this archived resource may be outdated and links may no longer function. Visit our website at https://www.ojjdp.gov for current information.
November | December 2016

How OJJDP Is Promoting Youth Justice and Safety: 2016 Wrap-Up

Photo of happy familyOJJDP has two primary responsibilities—to address the needs of youth who have come into contact with the juvenile justice system or who are at risk of doing so and to protect children who are victims of violence, crime, and abuse.

In fiscal year 2016, OJJDP awarded more than $283 million in grants to help at-risk youth, protect children, and improve juvenile justice systems nationwide. Following are highlights of how OJJDP’s research, programs, and initiatives are helping to make a difference in the lives of the youth and families we serve.

Budget and Administration Division

Led by Associate Administrator Janet Chiancone and Deputy Associate Administrator Will Bronson, the Budget and Administration (B & A) Division is responsible for OJJDP's budget, human resources, office support, contract and procurement support, performance measurement, and award administration activities.

In 2016, B & A conducted an officewide efficiency assessment, which revealed the need for a better document tracking and information management system to improve communication and efficiency within the Office. In October, OJJDP launched its enhanced SharePoint Portal Main Page. The SharePoint site is the central tool for information dissemination, project team management, as well as document, records, and workflow management across the Office. The B & A-managed tool is expected to improve the overall operating efficiency of OJJDP, resulting in enhanced service to internal and external stakeholders.


 

Core Protections Division

Led by Acting Associate Administrator Marlene Beckman, OJJDP’s Core Protection Division (CPD) helps states and territories comply with the regulations of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act. To ensure compliance, CPD provides training and technical assistance (TTA) on compliance monitoring. The states can request training and technical assistance through OJJDP TTA360—the Office’s web-based, user-friendly system.

CPD is also developing final rules that improve child protection and help states in meeting the JJDP Act’s mandates. In August, OJJDP published new proposed Title II Part B Formula Grant regulations in the Federal Register for public comment. The proposed regulations are designed to eliminate subjectivity in determining states' compliance. The Office received approximately 300 pages of comments from 72 respondents; the comments are undergoing internal review.


CPD recently updated the policy document, Monitoring of State Compliance With the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. The report describes the information states and territories must submit to demonstrate compliance with the core requirements of the Act.

Innovation and Research Division

Led by Associate Administrator Catherine Doyle and Deputy Associate Administrator Brecht Donoghue, the Innovation and Research Division administers the Office's research, training and technical assistance (TTA), and communications activities.

 

In 2016, the division’s Research Unit released a number of resources and tools to assist practitioners, such as the Implementation Guides section of OJJDP's Model Programs Guide and a Data Snapshots series, which provides information about justice system-involved youth in an easy-to-understand, graphical format. The Office's research team and Juvenile Justice and System Improvement Division partnered with American Institutes for Research to develop the recently released Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Guidelines. The Guidelines will ensure a more uniform approach to the provision of treatment and services based on current research in adolescent development, substance use, youth interventions, family engagement, and juvenile drug courts. The team also partnered with the Urban Institute on The Bridge Project—an effort to develop research-to-practice resources that will advance the understanding, translation, and application of research and research-based strategies. The project recently released a brief entitled Stakeholders' Perceptions of Research and Practice Gaps in Juvenile Justice. To learn more about The Bridge Project, visit the OJJDP website.

In January, the division hosted a Training and Technical Assistance Provider Network meeting. In addition to sharing information about the technical and administrative resources and support available to OJJDP-funded TTA providers, the event featured presentations designed to provoke discussion about how racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system can be identified and addressed. Presentations also centered on how providers can adopt a developmental approach to their TTA to ensure that practitioners are equipped to address the needs of children and youth.

OJJDP is committed to providing researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and the public with timely and reliable juvenile justice information. In 2016, the division’s Communications Unit disseminated information through a range of vehicles, including OJJDP.gov; social media; a newsletter and a listserv that alert subscribers to important funding opportunities, resources, and events; and research publications. The Communications Unit was responsible for the successful promotion of the Changing Minds public education campaign, which launched in October 2016.

Juvenile Justice System Improvement Division

Led by Associate Administrator Kellie Blue and Deputy Associate Administrator Nicole Dennis, the Juvenile Justice System Improvement (JJSI) Division coordinates OJJDP's work with law enforcement, judges and courts, corrections, and other juvenile justice components to promote system improvement and best practices. This work includes overseeing the OJJDP-sponsored National Juvenile Justice Prosecution Center (NJJPC), which provides curriculums and resources to educate, inform, and support juvenile prosecutors nationwide. NJJPC has developed a web-based databank to provide prosecutors with access to up-to-date information on case law and data-driven practices regarding adolescent brain development. Recently, NJJPC worked with the National District Attorneys Association to update its Juvenile Prosecution Standards and prepare an accompanying Policy Positions and Guidelines document. These tools will assist prosecutors and other juvenile justice professionals as they work toward consistency and fairness in the juvenile justice system.

JJSI is also working to address substance use by youth, a serious and widespread problem in the United States. JJSI, along with the Innovation and Research Division, coordinated the development of the research-informed Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Guidelines to ensure the effective treatment of substance-using youth who come into contact with juvenile courts. These courts are working with young people and their families to identify the mental, social, and/or emotional issues that may contribute to youth's substance use-related crimes. The Guidelines will provide juvenile drug courts with an evidence-based, treatment-oriented approach that emphasizes family engagement and that addresses the substance use and often co-occurring mental health challenges these youth experience.

State and Community Development Division

Led by Associate Administrator Robin Delany-Shabazz and Deputy Associate Administrator Jennifer Yeh, OJJDP’s State and Community Development (SCD) team manages OJJDP's state formula and block grants—working closely with Core Protections and training and technical assistance staff—and major U.S. Department of Justice youth violence prevention initiatives. This year, SCD completed its integration and alignment of separate prevention funding streams into the cohesive and strategically focused Safe and Thriving Communities initiative.


In all its efforts, SCD is raising awareness about children’s exposure to violence, the consequences of childhood trauma, and the need for developmentally appropriate interventions. These include national and focused technical assistance and initiatives, such as the Defending Childhood State Policy Initiative, the Tribal Policy Initiative, the Changing Minds national public awareness campaign, efforts to engage faith- and community-based organizations in youth violence prevention work, and training for law enforcement and educators on children’s exposure to violence. SCD also co-leads the Office for Victims of Crime-OJJDP Supporting Male Survivors of Violence initiative.

SCD has recently begun a focused effort to directly engage with State Advisory Groups (SAGs) to strengthen relationships with states. By the end of 2016, OJJDP leadership and SCD staff will have visited or met with eight SAGs. These meetings are the first wave in a multiyear plan to visit with each of the 56 SAGs. OJJDP’s participation in SAG meetings is part of a larger effort to provide more responsive support to states in their efforts to reform youth justice systems across the country. This effort will include webinars and trainings for SAG members to increase collaboration and infuse innovation nationwide.

Youth Development, Prevention, and Safety Division

Led by Associate Administrator James Antal and Deputy Associate Administrators Jeffrey Gersh and Jacqueline O'Reilly, the Youth Development, Prevention, and Safety (YDPS) Division administers policies and programs that focus on positive youth development and protecting children against victimization. In December, YDPS staff coordinated OJJDP’s Tribal Youth National Conference. The biennial conference brings together OJJDP-funded programs to share successes and challenges in creating, expanding, and sustaining innovative, developmentally appropriate, and culturally relevant approaches to support tribal youth. The conference featured a Trauma-Informed Policing With Tribal Youth virtual simulation which provided tribal law enforcement personnel with skills to improve outcomes in their interactions with youth. More than 40 federally recognized tribes attended the conference.

The explosion of technology has facilitated child exploitation, making it a global threat. Increasingly, child pornography is shared anonymously and untraceably via encrypted files on the “Darknet.” Keeping up to date is crucial in the rapidly evolving area of technology-facilitated crimes against children. In April, YDPS staff helped organize OJJDP’s 2016 National Law Enforcement Training on Child Exploitation. The conference brought together nearly 1,500 U.S. and international law enforcement professionals to learn cutting-edge techniques, improve collaboration, and learn from experts in their fields. Several federal officials attended the 3½-day event, including U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch who told participants, “I have no illusions that our task will be easy, but I also have no doubt that together, we can help to realize our nation’s most sacred obligationproviding security and opportunity for our children and ensuring justice for all.”