Reforming Status Offense Systems: Keeping Kids Away from Court

This program furthers the Department's mission by providing grants and cooperative agreements for training and technical assistance to organizations that OJJDP designates.

The overarching aim of Vera’s proposed work is to provide tailored, data-driven and best practice-informed training and technical assistance (TTA) to policymakers and practitioners in two jurisdictions to allow those jurisdictions to better respond to the needs of youth engaged in status offense behaviors. Vera will apply the lessons learned from their own work in reforming status offense systems, including national best practices, seeking to limit the use of confinement and enhance community-based supports.

Vera will achieve their goals through these objectives: (1) identifying two jurisdictions poised for reform through an open and fair competition; (2) providing opportunities for active cross-site engagement and learning; (3) supporting the construction or repurposing of an effective multi-disciplinary body in each site; (4) assessing the strengths and gaps in current status offense processing in each jurisdiction through a combination of administrative data analysis, stakeholder interviews, and policy/statute review; and (5) assisting each site in setting priorities and developing a comprehensive set of strategies to achieve reforms.

Vera will collect and report all required performance information on these activities and others as required by OJJDP and will report on achievements related to their goals and objectives and progress toward those goals.

NCA/NCF