Formula Funds T II 2021

This FY 2021 Grant Application presents Puerto Rico’s Comprehensive Three Year Plan for the period of 2021-2023, in accordance with the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP), Act. In line with this statute, the Commonwealth of PR is committed to advancing work for promoting civil rights, increase access to justice and develop more effective education and prevention services in order to improve the juvenile justice system and prevent juvenile delinquency.

The Plan was developed following a participatory approach, where information was combined from different agencies that work with youth. As well, units of local government were consulted which allowed for a more comprehensive and contextualized view of juvenile delinquency problems.

The data gathered for purposes of developing the Plan reflects how the unprecedented economic and social challenges that Puerto Rico has faced in past years, have had a direct impact in our youth, one of our most vulnerable populations.  Groups consulted during the planning phase coincide on how the situation of juvenile delinquency has worsen during the past three years and pointed out to the need of comprehensive prevention programs related to the provision of after-school services, recreation, family strengthening, and school truancy.

In that direction, during the three-year period, the Office for Socio-Economic and Community Development (ODSEC, its Spanish acronym) will focus the efforts of this plan on the promotion of delinquency prevention and educational programs, in accordance with Program Area at 34 U.S.C. § 11133(a)(9)(c) & (e)). As a result of these efforts, the state seeks to reduce and prevent juvenile delinquency and promote the implementation, scalability and replicability of programs to prevent, reduce and address risk factors of juvenile delinquency implemented by community-based organizations and units of local government, including educational programs. As resources are limited, ODSEC will focus its efforts on advancing those programs based on evidence and that have the capacity to be replicated, in order to have a broader impact on the Island, in the long term.