OJJDP Remains Committed to Keeping Kids Out of Adult Correctional Facilities
Young people must never be incarcerated in adult jails and prisons. OJJDP advocates for a justice system that treats children as children—respecting their developmental needs, providing them opportunities for growth, protecting them from harm, and serving all youth equitably. No child should be exposed to the dangers inherent in adult correctional facilities.
San Francisco Family Court Emphasizes the Parent-Child Bond
Since its establishment in 2007, the San Francisco Family Treatment Court has sought to emphasize family-centered programming, elevating the needs of parents and children to promote safe family reunification. Family treatment courts serve children, parents, and families involved in the child welfare system in cases when parental substance use contributes to child abuse or neglect.
From the Administrator's Desk
Filled With Hope for a More Equitable Future
“OJJDP’s National Conference on Youth Justice was a tremendous success. More than 2,500 people filled the conference hall with a palpable energy. Attendees represented every aspect of the youth justice field—practitioners, researchers, lawmakers, OJJDP grantees—and the largest cohort was young people, most of them youth with lived experience. Attendees traveled to Washington, DC, from all 50 states and every U.S. territory, ready to exchange ideas and insights. Our conference theme was ‘Shaping the Next 50 Years’ of youth justice, and I witnessed a commitment to the future that fills me with hope for a more equitable, more responsive, and more effective juvenile justice system.”
—OJJDP Administrator Liz Ryan, reflecting on OJJDP's National Conference
Youth Voices: Emerging From Trauma “Strong, Capable, and Full of Love”
Chaos, trauma, and loneliness defined Shimaine Holley’s childhood, with frequent moves between youth detention, foster care, and psychiatric facilities. Adolescence was “a constant rollercoaster” of new faces, new rules, and unknown expectations, never staying anywhere long enough to develop real friendships. It wasn’t until her final group home—the Anne Elizabeth Shepherd Home for females who have experienced sexual trauma—that Shimaine settled in and “found who I was as a person.” There—the only group home Shimaine didn’t run away from—she finally learned what it means to feel safe. Now 27, Ms. Holley is founder and CEO of Change is Inevitable LLC and offers trainings on topics related to youth justice, including child welfare policy, trauma-informed care, adolescent brain development, and strategies to prevent and intervene in childhood trauma.
Tribal Connections: Celebrating Cultural Heritage To Remedy Social Isolation
Isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic left youth from the Squaxin Island Tribe (in Mason County, WA) struggling with their social and emotional health, says Julie Youngs, the Tribe’s Education Director. The Tribe’s Teen Development program responded with programming focused on grounding youth in their culture and strengthening connections to the community, engaging youth to help plan and prioritize those activities. OJJDP funding enabled the Tribe to offer youth multiple opportunities to participate in cultural activities, reconnect with Squaxin Island history, and practice skills handed down from their ancestors—including canoeing. During a 6-week summer program, youth visited Skookum Inlet, traditional territory of the Squaxin Island people, and carved their own paddles, guided by a Tribal artist. They also spent a week with other Tribes at Paddle to Puyallup Youth Canoe Journey 2024.
News In Brief
- OJJDP Title II Funding Helps Georgia Keep System-Involved Youth at Home, in Their Communities
- New OJJDP Microsite Offers a One-Stop Introduction to Youth Justice
- OJJDP Videos Address Racism, Bullying, Digital Hate, and Radicalization
- New AMBER Guides Explain How To Form Child Recovery and Search Teams
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Juvenile court caseloads for delinquency offenses increased between 2021 and 2022 but remained below pre-pandemic levels, according to OJJDP’s Trends and Characteristics of Delinquency Cases Handled in Juvenile Court, 2022 data snapshot. The proportion of delinquency cases involving person offenses increased from 26 percent in 2005 to 40 percent in 2022. During the same period, the likelihood of waivers to adult court for person offenses increased by 53 percent.