FY 2013 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.

Nearly all aspects of juvenile justice are managed at the state level in Utah. As a waiver state, Utah retains 100% of JABG funding at the state level, funding projects at Juvenile Court and the Division of Juvenile Justice Services in the program areas of: graduated sanctions, training programs for court staff and juvenile programs improvement. Projects will include: 1) Providing community placements as an alternative to incarceration; 2) Probation officer safety training and juvenile court management; 3) Continuous program evaluation improvement, promoting evidence based practices to ensure that juvenile court programming is meeting the needs of the participating youth; 4) Supporting Utah's participation in the Interstate Compact for Juveniles to facilitate the movement of youth amongst states for their supervision and return runaway youth to their home states; and 5) As part of the Juvenile Court's Evidence Based Program (EBP) implementation efforts, training supervisors on effective EBP strategies and methods of continuous quality program improvement. NCA/NCF