Develop programs to address juvenile delinquency and improve North Dakota's juvenile justice system.

North Dakota’s Fiscal Year 2021 Title II Formula Funds will be used to improve outcomes for youth involved in the juvenile justice system as well as those at risk.  Funding is allocated to support community-based alternatives to incarceration and institutionalization under Program Area A.  Non-secure alternatives to detention and placement will be supported as well as service interventions such as screening and assessment, crisis intervention, diversion, counseling, and family reunification.  Funding will assist local government, including tribal governments, with non-secure holdover sites for juvenile offenders that are picked up by law enforcement.      

Funding is also being allocated for services that create youth development opportunities, under Program Area L, particularly for minority youth that are over-represented in North Dakota’s juvenile justice system.  Services to be funded would provide mentoring opportunities that build supportive relationships with at-risk youth and families, create leadership roles for youth that will have a positive impact on them and their community, provide opportunities for skill-building, and/or increase trust among minority youth and families

In addition, funding is being allocated to address gaps in meeting the needs of girls that are in or at risk of entering the juvenile justice system, particularly minority girls, under Program Area V.  Compared to national statistics, girls in North Dakota have higher rates of arrest and detention, and minority girls, particularly Native American and Black girls, are disproportionately represented across all system points.  Funding will be used for gender-responsive programming with a focus on early diversion programs.

None of the federal funding will be used for research and/or evaluation.