Vermont's response to Juvenile Accountability Block Grant.

The Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Program (JABG) Program is authorized under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 3796ee et. seq.). The goal of the JABG program is to reduce juvenile offending through accountability-based programs focused on both the juvenile offender and the juvenile justice system. The objective is to ensure that States and Territories are addressing the specified purpose areas and receiving information on best practices from OJJDP. JABG funds are allocated to States and Territories based on each State's relative population of youth under the age of 18. The underlying premise of juvenile accountability programming is that young people who violate the law should be held accountable for their actions through the swift, consistent application of graduated sanctions that are proportionate to the offenses, both as a matter of basic justice and as a way to combat juvenile delinquency and improve the quality of life in the nation's communities.

Vermont's Department for Children and Families bears over 90 percent of the primary financial burden for the administration of juvenile justice within the State. Therefore, Vermont retains 100 percent of JABG funds with no pass-through amount to units of local government to fund the following state level initiatives: Purpose Area 9: Establishing and maintaining a system of juvenile records designed to promote public safety. Purpose Area 16: Hiring detention and correctional personnel, and establishing and maintaining training programs for such personnel, to improve facility practices and programming, including activities to address the requirement of the PREA.

All JABG sub-grantees collect, analyze, and report data on grant funded activities quarterly. Sub-grantees track output and outcome measures to monitor the quality and impact of programming.

NCA/NCF