The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) annual conference, held October 19–22 in Boston, MA, featured several sessions devoted to youth justice issues, including the “Engaging Police in Youth Continuums of Care” roundtable. A closed session, the roundtable included law enforcement executives and OJJDP grantees funded under the Building Local Continuums of Care to Support Youth Success initiative. OJJDP Administrator Liz Ryan offered opening remarks, underscoring the important role law enforcement agencies play in OJJDP’s work.
“Conversations like this are essential to our efforts to reimagine and reform the juvenile justice system,” Administrator Ryan said. “OJJDP already works with law enforcement agencies across the country to protect children from victimization, exploitation, and abuse—but we can do more together. OJJDP is tremendously grateful to Domingo Herraiz, Director of IACP Programs, for inviting us to host this roundtable at IACP's national convening."
Administrator Ryan introduced OJJDP’s Continuum of Care framework, the Office’s holistic approach to youth justice work. The framework spans prevention, intervention, treatment, and reentry strategies, which are implemented alongside enforcement strategies. When fully implemented, a continuum of care ensures that young people have access to resources and services where they live and at every point in the juvenile justice system. OJJDP’s ultimate goal is to keep youth from entering the system in the first place.
Roundtable discussion focused on the use of OJJDP’s framework to help divert youth from juvenile justice system involvement, said OJJDP Senior Program Manager Scott Pestridge, who opened the event. Participants discussed ways to reduce offending by youth and improve public safety and youth outcomes, and the benefits of incorporating law enforcement in community-led continuums of care. Law enforcement officials expressed keen interest in OJJDP’s Continuum of Care work and repeatedly advocated for diversion programming as an alternative to arrest. They also discussed the impact of trauma on young people, its contribution to delinquent behavior, and the need for support services for youth and their families.
The roundtable was facilitated by retired Chief of Police Dan Stump, Senior Vice President and Chief of Training Strategy and Innovation for the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR). IIR is one of three training and technical assistance providers supporting OJJDP’s Continuum of Care grantees.
On October 22, OJJDP held “A Call for Backup! An OJJDP Listening Session Building Police-Community Partnerships as a Solution to Youth-Involved Gun and Gang/Group Violence,” which was open to all conference attendees. Participants discussed challenges officers encounter when addressing youth-involved violence, and how law enforcement agencies help to build police-community partnerships that support prevention and early intervention efforts. They also considered ways OJJDP and law enforcement officers can partner to advance OJJDP's three priorities—treating children as children; serving children at home, with their families, in their communities; and opening up opportunities for system-involved youth.
The listening session was facilitated by retired Chief of Police R. Sean Baldwin, a Senior Research Associate for IIR. Participants included Administrator Ryan and Meena Harris, IIR’s Executive Vice President and Director of its Center for Youth and Community Justice Initiatives. Administrator Ryan also participated in a meeting of the IACP Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Committee on October 21, where she highlighted OJJDP’s recently released Preventing Youth Hate Crimes and Identity-Based Bullying Curriculum.