Hi! I am Chyrl Jones, Acting Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, or OJJDP.

I have been with OJJDP for more than 20 years. Most recently, I served as Deputy Administrator of the Office, overseeing programs ranging from mentoring to formula grants. Prior to that, I was the Deputy of the State Relations and Assistance Division, where I focused on advancing juvenile justice programs throughout the country. This has been my life’s work, and I am honored to serve in this role.

Our mission is to prevent juvenile delinquency, improve the juvenile justice system, and protect children.

OJJDP’s budget for fiscal year 2021 is $390 million. We have already started posting funding opportunities that will support state, local, and Tribal efforts to empower and protect young people.

We will fund mentoring—continuing a decades-long commitment. We will support programs for child victims. Through drug courts and other targeted initiatives, we will help individuals and families struggling with addiction.

We will continue to fund efforts to improve the juvenile justice system and to make reentry more successful. We will work with tribes to improve outcomes for native youth. And we will support critical prevention and intervention efforts.

In addition to all this, we’ll provide vital training and technical assistance for the juvenile justice field.

To stay up to date on OJJDP activities and funding news, I encourage you to subscribe to our newsletter, OJJDP News @ a Glance, and our JUVJUST listserv at ojjdp.ojp.gov/news. You can also connect with us on social media. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.

I know I speak for our entire staff when I say that we look forward to working with you in 2021. Together, we can help more children find safe havens, more youth plot positive paths, and more families realize success. Thank you.