OJJDP's celebration of Youth Justice Action Month—YJAM 2024—kicked off on October 1 in Pittsburgh, PA, where Café Momentum, a nonprofit restaurant and culinary training facility for young people, hosted a “family meal” with OJJDP staff and Administrator Liz Ryan, members of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Café Momentum staff and youth interns. Restaurants often host staff family meals before or after a shift to build camaraderie. Café Momentum’s youth interns and Executive Director Cheyenne Tyler also took Administrator Ryan on a tour of the training facility.

“The idea that all young people who have involved in the justice system are dangerous or irredeemable is outdated and just wrong. We know better, and you are showing them better,” Administrator Liz Ryan said, addressing the interns. “You are developing life skills and broadening your employment opportunities at the same time. Young people in the justice system don't need more punishments. They need more prospects.”

The first Café Momentum launched in Dallas, TX, in 2015, when Chef Chad Houser sought to give justice-impacted young people culinary training and holistic support as they transitioned to the working world. The 12-month internship program offers youth ages 15 to 19 living wages, case management, educational opportunities, and training in life skills. The Pittsburgh restaurant opened in March 2023 and development of Café Momentum Atlanta is underway. 

More than 1,200 young people have been Café Momentum interns since 2015. The Pittsburgh interns presented “vision boards”—collages that reflect where a young person has been and tell their hopes for the future. The trifolds included inspirational statements and images from magazines. “Leave a legacy,” said one. “What’s missing in my life? Fairness and encouragement!” another read. “Self-esteem comes from what you think of you, not what other people think of you.”

“Set a high bar for yourself and remember that you and your peers are better than the lifestyle this world pushes on teenagers.”

—Quote taken from a Café Momentum intern’s vision board.

YJAM activities continued throughout October, including panel discussions on youth justice issues and the YJAM Tour 2024 (see sidebar). On October 17, the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) held a “master class” on the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), the law that introduced federal guidance and national standards dictating safety and equity for young people in the juvenile justice system. The JJDPA also established OJJDP, charging the Office with providing national leadership, funding, and resources to help state, local, and Tribal communities protect children, prevent delinquency, and improve juvenile justice systems. This year marks the JJDPA’s 50th anniversary.

“During National Youth Justice Action Month . . . we strengthen our resolve to ensure that our juvenile justice system reflects America’s promise of liberty and justice for all.”

—President Joseph Biden, in his YJAM proclamation

Led by OJJDP Senior Policy Advisors Jill Ward and Marcy Mistrett in Washington, DC, the virtual class offered an indepth overview of the JJDPA, its purpose and provisions, and the amendments that have extended its reach over the last 50 years. The presenters spoke about the nature of youth justice in the United States prior to the law’s passage. In 1971, The New York Times published reports of children held for months in jails and reform schools without court hearings or legal representation, for example. In some cases, the youth were detained because they had run away—or because their parents said they were “uncontrollable.” Although data on youth incarceration were not formally tracked prior to 1974, a 1976 report by the Children’s Defense Fund estimated that as many as 500,000 children were held in adult jails each year.

The JJDPA has “really reshaped juvenile justice in the United States,” Ms. Ward said. It introduced core requirements—minimum standards for the treatment of youth in the juvenile justice system. States must meet the core requirements to qualify for Title II Formula Grants funding. Currently, they include deinstitutionalizing youth who have committed status offenses, separating youth from adults in secure facilities, removing youth from adult jails and lockups, and reducing racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system. Over time, the JJDPA has also prompted research into issues affecting youth, such as adolescent brain development and the impact of juvenile justice system involvement on a child.

Ms. Ward noted several examples of the JJDPA’s influence. For example, between 1974 and 2021, the number of youth in residential placement dropped by almost 70 percent—from 76,671 to fewer than 25,000. Fifty-four of the country’s 56 total states and territories have enacted legislation protecting youth from being held in adult jails and lockups, and 27 states do not detain youth who are charged with status offenses. Such progress is “a reflection of how these minimum national standards have become embedded in the state jurisprudence when it comes to dealing with young people who are system involved,” Ms. Ward said.