This issue reports on the activities and resources of the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).
In the opening section, OJJDP Administrator Flores reflects on 6 years of progress in juvenile justice as his tenure draws to a close. This is followed by an announcement of the completion of the work of the Study Group on Very Young Offenders, which was created in 2001 in order to examine the prevalence and frequency of very young offending, how such offenders are managed by the juvenile justice systems, the services available to them, and the solutions recommended. OJJDP’s efforts at outreach to faith-based groups serving high-risk juveniles are also described, as are the objectives of the National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children. This is followed by a description of the activities of OJJDP’s signature Gang Reduction Program, which is attempting to reduce youth gang activity in four neighborhoods across the country. OJJDP’s initiatives to counter the commercial sexual exploitation of children are also described, along with the nature of its leadership role in improving conditions of confinement for juveniles. In response to requests for information on effective programs that deliver impressive outcomes, OJJDP announces that users can now search the Model Programs Guide’s database by program category, target population, risk and protective factors, effectiveness, rating, and other parameters. This issue also provides information on OJJDP activities related to disproportionate minority contact with the juvenile justice system, the Girls Study Group, the development of the Socioeconomic Mapping and Resource Topography (SMART) system, and interagency collaboration through the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Other OJJDP activities mentioned pertain to Internet crimes against children, Helping America’s Youth Initiative, juvenile justice in Indian Country, and underage drinking among Tribal youth. A listing of OJJDP’s new publications