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In September 1974, Congress enacted the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act. This landmark legislation created OJJDP to support local and state efforts to prevent juvenile delinquency, improve the juvenile justice system, and protect children from violence and abuse. In December 2018, another major legislative milestone was passed: President Donald Trump signed into law the Juvenile Justice Reform Act, which reauthorizes the JJDP Act and continues the important work of the Office.
Watch Administrator Harp’s video message on the 45th anniversary of the JJDP Act. |
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OJJDP envisions a nation where our children are free from crime and violence. If they come into contact with the justice system, the contact should be both just and beneficial to them.
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According to the recently released Juvenile Arrests, 2017, the number of arrests involving juveniles in 2017 (809,700) was the lowest since at least 1980. However, arrests for certain offenses increased in the past few years. Among violent crimes, juvenile arrests for aggravated assault declined 9 percent between 2013 and 2017, while arrests for robbery increased about 1 percent and arrests for murder increased 23 percent. Juvenile arrests for burglary, larceny-theft, and arson reached historic lows in 2017, while arrests for motor vehicle theft increased in each year since 2013. Relative declines in arrests have been greater for boys than for girls across many offenses.
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Watch video message
