Maryland Civic Justice Corps

The OJJDP FY 10 Earmarks Program furthers the Department's mission by providing grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to organizations identified in the Conference Report to accompany the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (P.L. 111-117), H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 111-366 at 702-714.

The Maryland Civic Justice Corps (CJC) is a six-month residential conservation corps program in the Western Region for 200 underserved and court-involved youth, ages 14-17. The project provides outdoor experiences for youth in juvenile facilities in partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The program will include a 6-month planning phase and an 18-month implementation phase which will primarily involve youth from the four Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) Youth Centers: Meadow Mountain, Backbone Mountain, Green Ridge Regional and Savage Mountain and the State's only secure treatment facility, Victor Cullen Center. The program offers job and life skills training while engaging youth in conservation service projects in Maryland State Parks. CJC is operated in partnership with the Maryland Park Service, a unit of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, as an expansion of the Maryland Conservation Corps. The program seeks to use the power of nature and outdoor experiential activities to enrich the lives of youth, developing a love of the outdoors in youth fosters an environmental stewardship ethic. Skill building components of the program help youth grow into responsible citizens who make informed decisions about our environment and the quality of life and health of our communities. NCA/NCF