OJJDP News @ a Glance, January/February 2018

• NCJ Number: 251487
• Date Published: February 2018
• Length: 10 pages
• Publication Series: OJJDP News @ a Glance
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Report (Technical Assistance); Program/Project Description; Newsletter

Annotation

Feature articles in this issue address the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's (OJJDP's) participation in the 2018 National Mentoring Summit, the welcoming of OJJDP's new Administrator, Caren Harp; how OJJDP is countering the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children; OJJDP's staff participation in the National Conference on Juvenile Justice; Ceasefire Detroit's effective countering of violent crime; and research on improving outcomes in youth mentoring.

Abstract

Alan R. Hanson, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs spoke at the 2018 National Mentoring Summit, emphasizing the vital need for skilled, committed mentors to assist in guiding and supporting at-risk youth. The feature article on new OJJDP Administrator Caren Harp reports on her academic and professional background, with her most recent position being an associate professor at the Liberty University School of Law, where she taught courses on children and the law. The article on OJJDP's efforts to combat the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children reviews OJJDP's research and programs on preventing and intervening in the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Another feature article announces OJJDP Administrator Caren Harp's planned participation in the National Conference on Juvenile Justice (March 21, 2018) to discuss the importance and status of OJJDP's authorizing legislation, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. The article on Ceasefire Detroit notes that it is a promising component of the Detroit Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, whose goals include reducing gun violence committed by and against youth. Another feature article describes OJJDP's funding of research that improves knowledge about mentoring as a delinquency prevention strategy for youth at risk for or involved in delinquency. Other sections of this issue provide news on OJJDP activities and new publications related to OJJDP's mission.