OJJDP Title II Funding Helps Georgia Keep System-Involved Youth at Home, in Their Communities 

Georgia has used funding from OJJDP’s Title II Formula Grants program to support its Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant (JJIG) program since fiscal year (FY) 2014. The JJIG is a competitive grant awarded to juvenile courts to fund evidence-based programs that help to reduce reoffending by system-involved youth, decrease the number of out-of-home placements, and maintain public safety. It promotes evidence-based programs as alternatives to out-of-home placements, enabling youth to remain in their home communities and reducing costs associated with youth detention.

OJJDP awards Title II funding directly to states and territories, enabling them to design and implement comprehensive juvenile justice plans based on their unique needs. Georgia launched the JJIG program in 2013 as part of the state’s youth justice reforms. Today, the program is funded primarily by the state, augmented with Title II funding. In FY 2014, OJJDP’s Title II Formula Grants program provided $1 million in funding and Georgia contributed $5 million. In FY 2024, Georgia’s funding totaled $7.9 million and the Formula Grants program provided $380,000. 

Achievements since 2013 include requiring risk assessments before detaining or incarcerating youth, limiting out-of-home placements to youth who commit multiple or felony offenses, and limiting secure placements to youth who commit the most serious offenses. Since 2012, the state has seen a 69-percent decrease in the number of admissions to short-term programs and commitments to the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice for felony offenses. In fiscal year 2024, the JJIG used 9 evidence-based programs to serve 1,027 youth in 25 grantee courts across 33 Georgia counties.

Nearly all states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia participate in OJJDP’s Title II Formula Grants program. To be eligible, states must submit 3-year plans outlining what they will do with the funding and how they will meet program requirements, including compliance with the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act’s four core requirements: deinstitutionalizing youth who have committed status offenses, separating youth from incarcerated adults, removing youth from adult jails and lockups, and reducing racial and ethnic disparities.

New OJJDP Microsite Offers a One-Stop Introduction to Youth Justice

“Facts About Youth Crime,” a new OJJDP microsite, offers a one-stop introduction to youth justice, with webpages explaining how the juvenile court system works and describing effective interventions for youth at risk for system involvement.

The microsite’s Fast Facts section includes statistics on youth at various stages of the juvenile justice system, including the number of delinquency cases referred to juvenile courts, the number requiring detention, and the number waived to adult court. The section also describes the disparities experienced by youth of color when encountering the juvenile justice system.

The What Works section lists suitable strategies for youth at each stage of OJJDP’s Continuum of Care and includes links to detailed literature reviews for each intervention. A separate section includes resources with additional information on evidence-based programs, practices, and statistics, including OJJDP’s Model Programs Guide, CrimeSolutions, and the Statistical Briefing Book.

The microsite also provides a timeline of milestones in juvenile justice. It begins with the establishment of the first juvenile court in the United States and covers landmark decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court and other judicial rulings throughout the nation’s history. Other sections provide a glossary of terms used in youth justice and answers to frequently asked questions.

OJJDP Videos Address Racism, Bullying, Digital Hate, and Radicalization

OJJDP’s Preventing Youth Hate Crimes & Identity-Based Bullying Initiative has released four new microlearning videos intended for youth justice professionals, law enforcement professionals, and school communities. The videos offer insights into hate groups and the radicalization of youth, and present strategies to help mitigate microaggressions, identity-based bullying, and implicit bias, and to prevent youth from committing hate crimes or incidents of hate.

How Racism Has Fueled Incidents of Hate, Hate Crimes, and Identity-Based Bullying features Kristin Henning, Blume Professor of Law and Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown Law. Professor Henning presents and analyzes research findings, exploring contemporary issues and the history of hate crimes. She also discusses strategies to reduce race-based hate crimes and identity-based bullying by youth.

Digital Hate and Radicalization: Trends and Effects on Adolescents is presented by Jeff Schoep, Founder and President of Beyond Barriers, who explores how digital platforms and social media contribute to the spread of hate speech and radical ideologies. He addresses how youth are radicalized in online spaces, hindering their ability to think critically, and offers strategies for helping youth navigate the online world safely.

Deconstructing Bullying: Information is Power is led by Julie Baron, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist who works with adolescents. Ms. Baron focuses on understanding and effectively addressing bullying among youth, emphasizing the importance of involving trusted adults, offering consistent responses, and creating a positive climate.

Strategies and Interventions for the Families of Radicalized Youth is presented by Kevin Lambert, Director of Programs at Parents for Peace. Mr. Lambert examines signs of radicalization, ideological obsession, and social isolation; shares strategies to assist young people who are experiencing radicalization; and offers resources and tips for accessing additional support.

New AMBER Guides Explain How To Form Child Recovery and Search Teams

OJJDP’s AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP) has created two new publications to help communities launch and certify child abduction response teams (CARTs). A CART is a multiagency, often multijurisdictional, resource that can quickly respond in the search for and recovery of an endangered or abducted child.

The Child Abduction Response Team (CART) Implementation Guide: A Guide to CART Program Components and Implementation offers law enforcement agencies an introduction to forming and sustaining a CART, starting with the need for stakeholder agencies to commit to the partnership. Other topics include:

• Critical skills, expertise, and resources needed by a CART.
• Criteria for activating the team.
• A CART’s geographic and jurisdictional scope.
• Protocols for activation and deployment.
• CART command and control.
• Search, canvass, and rescue operations.
• Communication with the public.
• Assistance to victims and families.

The Child Abduction Response Team (CART) Certification Guide: A Guide for Agencies and CART Programs Pursuing Certification describes the process AATTAP follows to determine whether a CART adheres to nationally recognized standards for policies, procedures, and protocols. The guide outlines the criteria that assessors evaluate for each of the 12 CART components covered in the implementation guide. The voluntary certification process relies on a review of documentation and observation of a field-based mock child abduction.

The AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program provides no-cost training to CARTs. OJJDP established the CART initiative in 2006.