National Centers for Youth in Custody

OJJDP's Demonstration Programs Division Grants were established to provide grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance to organizations. This program is authorized by the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, Pub. L. 112-110.

This program will establish the OJJDP National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Youth in Custody (the Center) to provide education, training, and technical assistance for state, local, and tribal departments of juvenile justice and corrections, service providers, and private organizations that operate juvenile facilities. The Center will serve the range of facilities in which juveniles are placed, including adult facilities, and the unique population of juveniles in these institutions. The Center will emphasize the rehabilitative goals of the juvenile justice system and provide comprehensive training, technical assistance, and resources directly to justice facilities that detain or confine youth. The Center will also update and contribute to the knowledge base of best practices in detaining or confining youth. Legislative authorization for this program can be found under Sections 221¨C223 of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDP Act), 42 U.S.C. 5631-5633. OJJDP has decided to make awards to two organizations to fulfill the responsibilities of this initiative. One of the organizations, the National Partnership for Juvenile Services (NPJS), is a collaborative of five national professional associations addressing issues related to youth in custody, in collaboration with the Center for Children's Law and Policy (CCLP) and the Youth Law Center (YLC), and supported by many leading foundations and universities. NPJS will utilize a multi-disciplinary network of centers for youth in custody that makes full use of advances in web-based technologies, applications of evidence-based programs, development of standards and policies that protect youth safety through improved conditions, and enhance workforce development through quality training and technical assistance services. NCA/NCF

OJJDP's Demonstration Programs Continuation Grants program was established to provide grants and cooperative agreements to organizations that OJJDP has selected for funds in prior years. This program will be authorized by an Act appropriating funds for the Department of Justice.

OJJDP created the National Center for Youth in Custody (NC4YC) in October 2010 through funding provided to the National Partnership for Juvenile Services (NPJS), a collaborative of four national professional associations addressing issues related to youth in custody. NPJS has partnered with the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA) to operate the NC4YC. In addition to these primary partners and OJJDP, the NC4YC is supported by the following: National Institute of Corrections (NIC), a nationally representative Work Group, a strong practitioner-based consultant pool, many leading foundations and universities, and juvenile justice experts spanning the youth in custody service continuum. Together, this team proposes a multi-disciplinary network in response to issues presented by the youth custody profession that makes full use of advances in web-based technologies, applications of evidence-based programs, development of standards and policies that protect youth safety through improved conditions, and enhanced workforce development through quality training and technical assistance services. The creation of NC4YC has formed the infrastructure for providing a systemic response, however, two years later, the needs presented from the field remain similar and in some cases have been made worse by economic challenges beyond the scope of control of the facility or system administrators. Therefore, NPJS will continue their joint efforts with CJCA begun in 2010 to operate the NC4YC.
CA/NCF

The Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) of the Annie E. Casey Foundation is a juvenile justice reform effort that fosters juvenile justice system improvement. Through a public/private partnership, OJJDP has endorsed and supported the expansion of JDAI. A continuing part of this cooperative agreement is a grant to the National Partnership for Juvenile Services (NPJS) to provide additional logistics for the delivery of quality JDAI training programs or new and existing JDAI sites, which are essential elements of any jurisdiction's success. Logistics include training preparation, delivery, and follow-up. Additionally, NPJS is responsible for developing training processes and products to further advance the effectiveness of JDAI training events. Cost analysis, trainer and site coordinator feedback, and training participant evaluations will be used to measure the success of project goals. NCA/NCF