OJJDP Welcomes New Associate Administrator for Core Protections Division

OJJDP is pleased to welcome Dr. TeNeane Bradford as Associate Administrator of the Core Protections Division (CPD). CPD provides guidance and specialized assistance to the states regarding compliance with the four core requirements of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act. The division also conducts reviews and field audits to assess how well the states' monitoring systems comply with the JJDP Act.

Dr. Bradford comes to OJJDP from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), where she served as senior supervisory policy analyst in the Grants Administration Division and for a year as the division’s Acting Assistant Director. Prior to her managerial role, Dr. Bradford served as a Lead Grant Monitoring Specialist at the COPS Office and has a significant background in compliance.

From 2003 to 2009, Dr. Bradford served as the State Reentry Director and Intensive Supervision State Coordinator for the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, where she managed the Serious and Violent Reentry Initiative that was funded through the U.S. Department of Justice. She also has experience working on disproportionate minority contact issues.

Dr. Bradford holds a master’s degree in Management and Human Resource Development from Webster University and a doctorate in Public Service Leadership with an emphasis in Criminal Justice from Capella University.

“I am excited to steward the team and be a part of ensuring that states comply—and are empowered to comply—with the JJDP Act,” Dr. Bradford said. “I am looking forward to building relationships and further cementing the significance and purpose of the Core Protections Division.”

OJJDP Acting Administrator Blogs on Keeping Children Safe Online

OJJDP Acting Administrator Eileen M. Garry recently blogged on the importance of safeguarding youth online. Bureau of Justice Statistics research shows that 21 percent of 12–18 year-old students experienced bullying in 2015 and approximately 16 percent of high school students experience some form of electronic bullying. Youth who have been bullied report negative impacts on school, relationships, mental health, and physical well-being.

Acting Administrator Garry notes that October, National Cyber Security Awareness Month, presents a special opportunity to educate children on how to identify dangerous situations online and how to properly respond.

“When they are online, children and teenagers are particularly vulnerable to criminal acts because they are often naive, curious, and eager for attention,” writes Ms. Garry. “Through online resources, research, grant funding, and additional training programs, OJJDP continues to support law enforcement and parents as they seek to keep children safe online.”

Ms. Garry notes the work of the OJJDP-sponsored Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and highlights resources from the OJJDP-supported Stopbullying.gov and NetSmartz.org that teach children and parents how to identify and address cyberbullying.

Read the blog post, “Keeping Our Children Safe Online.”

The bulletin, The Role of Technology in Youth Harassment Victimization, examines technology-involved harassment in the context of other types of youth victimization and risk factors. Access the bulletin on the OJJDP website.

OJJDP Launches Tribal Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center Website

OJJDP’s Tribal Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center has launched its new website. The center’s goal is to help tribes build capacity to develop, expand, improve, and maintain their juvenile justice systems.

The website serves as a clearinghouse of culturally appropriate resources, training, and technical assistance and provides information in areas, such as juvenile healing to wellness courts; tribal youth-specific prevention, intervention, and treatment programming; and tribal-state collaborations to meet the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native children exposed to violence.

Visit OJJDP’s Tribal Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center website and learn more about OJJDP's tribal youth programs and services.

OJJDP-Funded Brief Helps Judges Use Data To Improve Their Courtrooms and Youth Outcomes

With support from OJJDP, the National Center for Juvenile Justice has published 5 Ways Juvenile Court Judges Can Use Data. The brief provides examples of how juvenile court judges can use data to learn more about their courtroom practices and the jurisdictions they serve. This publication is the first in a series that will include briefs for law enforcement and corrections administrators. Developed through the OJJDP-funded Juvenile Justice Model Data Project, this effort seeks to improve the quality and consistency of juvenile justice data through developing guidance for states and jurisdictions on how to collect, analyze, and use juvenile justice data.

View and download the brief.

 

Statistical Briefing Book Updates Juvenile Residential Placement and Juvenile Homicide Data

OJJDP’s Statistical Briefing Book has been updated. Developed for OJJDP by the National Center for Juvenile Justice, the research division of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the Statistical Briefing Book provides easy online access to statistics on a variety of juvenile justice topics. The updates include answers to new frequently asked questions (FAQs) describing racial and ethnic fairness in the special topics section. Additional FAQs were updated in several areas, including a description of the number and characteristics of child maltreatment victims and trends in school crime victimization. The data analysis tool for Easy Access to FBI Arrest Statistics has been updated to include county-level arrest estimates through 2014.

National Gang Center Redesigns Website

The National Gang Center (NGC) has launched its redesigned website. The new website’s focus areas are criminal justice, safe communities, and research. There is an inquiries section for quicker responses from staff and new forms to request technical assistance, consultations, and training. The website also includes the NGC blog, which features blog posts on topics, such as responding to gangs in schools and using social media for gang investigations. Users can also access the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model, which is designed to help community efforts to combat gang activity. It includes tools for identifying appropriate target areas and groups to focus resources on.

Jointly funded by OJJDP and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the National Gang Center works to reduce gang-related crime and violence by delivering resources, training, and technical assistance to practitioners nationwide.

National Mentoring Resource Center Tools Strengthen Match Support and Closure

The OJJDP-sponsored National Mentoring Resource Center has released a suite of tools to help mentors and mentees thrive through enhanced support of matches and a successful closure process. These tools include resources on how to clarify expectations to avoid mentoring match challenges; estimate staffing hours needed to make, support, and close matches; and examine the health of a match.

Download the full suite of tools and sign up to receive monthy updates about new tools, resources, and learning opportunities.

October Is National Bullying Prevention Month

Every October, communities across the country recognize National Bullying Prevention Month through events, activities, and outreach intended to raise awareness about the prevalence of bullying and its impact on youth.

OJJDP’s School-Based Bullying Prevention Implementation Guide (I-Guide) is a research-based resource that assists school personnel, parents, and youth-serving practitioners with creating safe school environments. The I-Guide provides information on needs assessment tools, ways to analyze the problem, evidence-based programs to prevent and intervene in bullying, and guidance on gaining support for prevention program implementation. There is also a literature review and additional information about bullying prevention programs on OJJDP's Model Programs Guide website.

OJJDP is a member of the Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention, an interagency effort that coordinates policy, research, and communications on bullying topics. To learn more about bullying prevention and to access helpful resources, visit StopBullying.gov.