Maryland's Fiscal Year 2013 Title II Formula Grant

The Formula Grants Program is authorized under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 1974, as amended. The purpose of this program is to support state and local delinquency prevention and intervention efforts and juvenile justice system improvements. Program areas may include: planning and administration; state advisory group allocation; compliance monitoring; disproportionate minority contact; juvenile justice issues for Native American Indian tribes; prevention of substance abuse by juveniles; prevention of serious and violent crimes by juveniles; prevention of juvenile gang involvement and illegal youth gang activities; prevention of delinquent acts and identification of youth at risk of delinquency; and improvement of juvenile justice system operations, policies, and procedures including establishing a system of graduated sanctions, treatment programs, and aftercare.

The Governor's Office of Crime Control & Prevention (GOCCP), in partnership with the State Advisory Group (known as the Juvenile Council in Maryland), continues to concentrate its efforts on juvenile justice system reform and reducing the overrepresentation of minorities in the juvenile justice system. While much progress has been made, data at the local, state, and national level show the cumulative impact of racial disparity through each decision point in Marylands juvenile justice system.

The Juvenile Council continues to improve Maryland's juvenile justice system by forming seamless, coordinated and consistent information-sharing between communities, state, and local agencies. The planning process engaged the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS), members of the Judiciary, and members of the Juvenile Council in assessing needs, developing strategic plans and identifying specific, data driven, proven or promising strategies to: reduce juvenile delinquency; provide early intervention programs; provide delinquency intervention programs, and/or; expand or enhance community-based programs and aftercare for youth in the juvenile justice system. In 2010, Maryland continued its reform by completing the statewide Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Assessment. The state will continue to address the issues and recommendations by building upon the successes of the assessment and the mission of the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS).
Maryland will engage the seven DMC sites and stakeholders in addressing community needs and juvenile crime analysis. DMC reduction strategies implemented in the seven local jurisdictions did not undergo formal evaluations in FY 2011, but the adoption of additional reduction measures to supplement the RRI data analysis to determine DMC reduction impact will continue in FY 2013. The additional measures include: reduced system entry by youth of color at the arrest and referral contact points as measured by comparative semi-annual analysis of pre- and post-implementation number of youth at identified contact points; reduced system penetration by youth of color at the detention, cases petitioned, probation placement, and confinement contact points, as measured by comparative semi-annual analysis of pre- and post-implementation number of youth at identified contact points; and reduced disparate treatment of youth of color who have contact with the system, as measured by the number of policies and practice modifications that determine decision outcomes at contact points where RRI analyses show reductions.
NCA/NCF