OJJDP News @ A GlanceOJP Seal
OJJDP News @ A Glance
November | December 2011

  Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention  ·  Jeff Slowikowski, Acting Administrator
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National Native American Heritage Month

imageDuring the month of November, communities across the country honor and celebrate the traditions, culture, and history of American Indians. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November as National American Indian Heritage Month. Similar proclamations have been issued each year since 1994.

On November 1, 2011, President Barack Obama, by official proclamation, called on all Americans to commemorate National Native American Heritage Month with appropriate programs and activities.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) marked Native American Heritage Month with a special program, "Indians and the Law: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" on November 8, 2011, at the Robert F. Kennedy Main Justice Building's Great Hall. The event included a cultural presentation and a Memorial Song by Dennis W. Zotigh, a member of the Kiowa Gourd Clan. A traditional opening was provided by Laura Ansera, OJJDP's Tribal Youth Program Coordinator and a member of the San Felipe/Isleta Pueblos.

Photo of Laura Ansera, OJJDP's Tribal Youth Program Coordinator.
Laura Ansera, OJJDP's Tribal Youth Program Coordinator and a member of the San Felipe/Isleta Pueblos, provided a traditional opening at the U.S. Department of Justice's program, "Indians and the Law: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow," held in honor of National Native American Heritage Month.

Speakers included Hilary C. Tompkins, Solicitor of the U.S. Department of the Interior and a member of the Navajo Nation, and James C. Cole, Deputy Attorney General. Among the federal activities highlighted by Deputy Attorney General Cole was the DOJ-wide initiative on tribal justice and public safety to address the significant public safety challenges facing many tribal communities.

Photo of Morgan Fawcett, keynote speaker at the Office of Justice Programs' event marking National Native American Heritage Month.
Morgan Fawcett, keynote speaker at the Office of Justice Programs' ceremony commemorating National Native American Heritage Month, plays the American Indian flute and has released three CDs. He holds flute workshops with youth to encourage participation in music as a way to cope with their challenges and as a healing and positive alternative to drugs and alcohol.
On November 29, 2011, the Office of Justice Programs held a ceremony, "Native Youth: Overcoming Challenges," which featured, among other highlights, keynote remarks by Morgan Fawcett (see photo at right), founder of a nonprofit organization, One Heart Creations, which aims to raise public awareness about and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Fawcett, who has FASD, travels across the country speaking at colleges, middle schools, high schools, detention centers, treatment centers, and hospitals.

On December 1, Fawcett and 10 other American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth leaders were honored at the White House as Champions of Change. These youth were recognized for innovative programs that help their communities and raise awareness about important issues impacting tribal youth.

The ceremony also included a viewing of a public service announcement (PSA), That's My People, which was filmed onsite at the National Intertribal Youth Summit in July 2011 and disseminated via the DOJ Web site and You Tube. The PSA explores the issues tribal youth identified at the summit as important to address with their tribal leaders.

OJJDP's Tribal Initiatives

The Administration and DOJ are working vigorously on numerous fronts to support comprehensive and innovative programs and services that foster public safety, honor native traditions and culture, and help build a better future for those who live in Indian country. These programs and services have been developed in close consultation with tribal leaders. OJJDP, a component of DOJ's Office of Justice Programs, has a long history of commitment to addressing the challenges faced by tribal youth. These challenges include limited access to quality education, health care, youth development activities, and meaningful employment.

Between 1999 and 2011, OJJDP provided 452 grants to 218 federally recognized tribes in 27 of the 34 states where tribes reside. From January through June 2011 alone, OJJDP's Tribal Youth Program funded services to more than 12,300 youth.

Following are a few highlights of OJJDP's tribal youth initiatives:

OJJDP also offers comprehensive training and technical assistance (TTA) to tribal initiatives grantees and all federally recognized tribes to increase AI/AN communities' skills and knowledge about programs and strategies, and build tribes' capacity to develop effective and sustainable programs for reducing juvenile crime. OJJDP-sponsored TTA also helps improve services to tribal youth in detention or reentry, improve tribal justice systems, protect children from abduction and related victimization, and enhance state and law enforcement agencies' investigative response to technology-facilitated crimes against children.

Resources:

The Library of Congress, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Gallery of Art, and other federal partners have created a Web site in honor of this year's National Native American Heritage Month. In addition, the National Criminal Justice Reference Service invites users to view its Web page "Justice in Indian Country," which includes links to related topics of interest, including juvenile justice, tribal law, tribal justice systems, and law enforcement.

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OJJDP Funds a Total of $393 Million in FY 2011 Awards

In fiscal year (FY) 2011, OJJDP awarded $393 million in grants to help at-risk youth, protect children, and improve juvenile justice systems nationwide. The 514 awards were made through formula, block, and discretionary grant funding.

OJJDP awarded nearly $100 million to national and local organizations to strengthen, expand, and implement youth-mentoring activities and youth-development programming throughout the nation. The Office distributed about $20 million to state and local law enforcement agencies under its Internet Crimes Against Children task force program to support joint local, state, and federal efforts to investigate and prosecute technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children and to keep children safe from Internet predators. In addition, OJJDP awarded almost $17 million in block grants to enforce state and local underage drinking laws nationwide.

More information about OJJDP's FY 2011 awards is available through the program links listed below.

Formula and Block Grants

Funding through formula and block grants is available to states and territories through the state agency designated by the Governor. Juvenile Justice Specialists in each state administer the funding through subgrants to units of local government, local private agencies, and federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native jurisdictions for programs in accordance with legislative requirements. In FY 2011, OJJDP awarded more than $106 million under the following formula and block grants programs.

Discretionary Grants

OJJDP awards discretionary grants to states, units of local government, and private organizations to administer programs. More than $287 million in discretionary grants was awarded in FY 2011 under the programs listed below.

Resource:

For more detail on OJJDP's FY 2011 awards, visit the Office's Web site.


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National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence Holds First Public Hearing

Defending ChildhoodThe Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence held its first public hearing on November 29 and 30, 2011, at the University of Maryland's Francis King Carey School of Law in Baltimore. The hearing—one of four to be held around the country in the coming year—featured testimony from practitioners, policymakers, academics, and community members about the problem of children's exposure to violence in the United States. A major goal of the hearing was to identify promising practices, programming, and community strategies. Following the four hearings, the task force will issue a report to the Attorney General that will serve as a blueprint for addressing children's exposure to violence across the United States.

"If history is any indicator, task forces like this one can help to inspire extraordinary progress," Attorney General Holder said in his opening remarks. He cited the creation in 1984 of the Attorney General's Task Force on Family Violence. The task force's recommendations became the core principles of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. "Today, with the Defending Childhood Task Force, this tradition continues. I am confident that its members will strengthen the work that's underway to raise awareness about the issue of children exposed to violence—and that they'll play a critically important role in informing responses to this national epidemic."

Recent OJJDP-sponsored research shows that more than 60 percent of American children have been exposed to crime, abuse and violence—many in their own homes. Ten percent of children in the United States have suffered some form of abuse or neglect and 1 in 16 has been victimized sexually.

As part of the Attorney General's Defending Childhood initiative, the task force's charge is to bring national awareness to the issue of children's exposure to violence, increase the scientific knowledge base about the problem and related issues, and gain insights into potential policies that may be developed and recommended to the Attorney General for preventing, responding to, and mitigating the effects of exposure to violence.

The task force, which was officially launched at OJJDP's National Conference for Children's Justice and Safety in mid-October, is composed of 13 leading experts from diverse fields and perspectives, including practitioners, child and family advocates, academic experts, and licensed clinicians.

The task force is co-chaired by Robert Listenbee, J.D., Chief, Juvenile Unit Defender Association of Philadelphia; and Joe Torre, Major League Baseball's Executive Vice President for Baseball Operations and Chairman of the Board of the Joe Torre Safe at Home Foundation, an organization that educates students, parents, and teachers about the effects of domestic violence.

Speakers at the hearing included Sonja Sohn, founder and CEO of ReWired for Change and star of HBO's "The Wire"; Patrick McCarthy, President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation; Nigel Cox, chair of the SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere) National Advisory Board; Marshall T. Goodwin, Chief of Police for Baltimore City Schools; Dr. David Finkelhor, a leading researcher in the area of children's exposure to violence; and Baltimore area residents who have experienced family, community, and other types of violence.

Future hearings will take place in 2012 in Albuquerque, NM (January 31–February 1), Miami, FL (March 20–21), and Detroit, MI (April 24–25). Details on these hearings will be available on the Defending Childhood Web site.

Available Online: Findings of the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence

The National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV), sponsored by OJJDP and supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provides the most comprehensive information available on the incidence and prevalence of children's exposure to violence.

NatSCEV is the first attempt to measure children's exposure to all types of violence in the home, school, and community across age groups from birth to age 17 and the first attempt to measure the cumulative exposure to violence over a child's lifetime. The reports of lifetime exposure indicate how certain types of exposure change and accumulate as a child grows up.

In interviews conducted by the University of New Hampshire's Crimes against Children Research Center between January and May 2008, researchers gathered data on both past-year and lifetime exposure to violence across a number of categories, including physical assault, bullying, sexual victimization, child maltreatment, dating violence, and witnessed and indirect victimization.

OJJDP is producing a series of bulletins to highlight the findings from NatSCEV. The following publications have been released and are available online:

In the coming months, OJJDP will release two more bulletins in the NatSCEV series—one on child and youth victimization known to police and other authorities; and the other on victimization and delinquency in a national sample of youth.


Resources:

Information about the Attorney General's Defending Childhood initiative is available online. For more information about the National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence, visit the U.S. Department of Justice Web site.


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Six Cities Work To Prevent Youth Violence

Photo of working session of National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention
Teams of youth violence experts from Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Salinas, CA, and San Jose, CA, gathered in Washington, DC, for a 2-day meeting to share successful strategies for reducing youth violence in their communities.
In a working session of the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention on October 31–November 1, 2011, teams from the cities of Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Salinas, CA, and San Jose, CA, met with federal agencies in Washington, DC, to share information and experience about evidence-based practices to prevent youth and gang violence and to help formerly incarcerated youth successfully reenter their communities. The teams were composed of law enforcement officers, policy and public-health experts, educators, researchers, city officials, social services providers, community and faith leaders, and concerned parents. The forum was launched at the direction of President Barack Obama in October 2010.

The working session offered presentations and panel discussions designed to help the six cities implement their comprehensive plans to reduce violence and improve opportunities for youth. The cities officially released the plans in a meeting of the forum in April 2011. Topics covered at the working session included youth and family engagement; community- and faith-based outreach; evidence-based prevention, intervention, and enforcement strategies; multidisciplinary partnerships; successful strategies for data integration; and Web resources to assist forum sites in finding critical resources and information.

photo of  Attorney General Eric Holder
Attorney General Eric Holder and Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Laurie O. Robinson (seated to the Attorney General's left) offered opening remarks at the working session of the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention.

In a blog posted on the U.S. Department of Justice's Web site on November 8, 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder reported that the work of the forum was "already beginning to take hold." He cited several examples of cities' progress in implementing their comprehensive plans to address youth violence:

"The work we are doing is sending an unmistakable message: that, in this country, we will not give up on our children when it comes to combating youth violence," Attorney General Holder said in his opening remarks. "The priorities that we set now are what will allow America's next generation of leaders to rise above the current threats and obstacles, break destructive cycles and seize tomorrow's opportunities."

 Resource:

To learn more about the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, visit FindYouthInfo.gov.


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OJJDP Releases First Publication in Bullying in Schools Series

Photo of teenage boyBullying can happen in many ways: physically, through shoving, pushing, and hitting; verbally, through name-calling and insults; or socially, through the spreading of rumors or exclusion of others. Bullying occurs among both boys and girls and spans a range of ages—from children to teens to young adults. It can happen face to face, in text messages, or on the Web. Reports of suicide among bullying victims have captured media attention. Bullying can also cause other types of serious and lasting harm, including physical injury, anxiety, depression, and withdrawal from academics and other school activities.

To determine the causes of bullying in schools and to inform the development of effective intervention strategies, OJJDP funded three studies in 2007 conducted by the National Center for School Engagement (NCSE).

The first, a quantitative study, surveyed 1,000 students in the fall and the spring of their 6th-grade year. The data collected were analyzed to determine the connections, if any, between being victimized, being engaged in school, and the outcomes reflected in school records of attendance and achievement (measured by grade point average). In addition, two qualitative studies explored instructional, interpersonal, and structural factors at school that affect the connection between victimization and school attendance, and teachers' experiences in attempting to ameliorate the impact of school victimization.

The researchers found that a caring school community, in which students are challenged academically and supported by the adults, can serve as a powerful antidote to the process by which victimization distances students from learning and contributes to myriad other problems, including truancy and academic failure.

In December, OJJDP released the first in a series of five bulletins that summarize findings from the studies. The publication, Bullying in Schools: An Overview describes the OJJDP-funded studies, summarizes the findings from the research, and makes recommendations for policy and practice. Among the key findings were that bullying does not directly cause truancy, that school engagement protects victims from truancy and low academic achievement, and that schools can foster engagement and mitigate the negative effects of bullying by providing a safe learning environment in which adults model positive behavior.

Forthcoming OJJDP bulletins in the series include Bullying, Victimization, and School Engagement: A Structural Model; Bullying in Schools: A Critical Analysis of the Literature; Experiences of Young Adults Bullied in School; and What Teachers Have To Say About Bullying in Schools.

In 2011, OJJDP sponsored the following Webinars to inform researchers, juvenile justice practitioners, educators, parents, and youth about how to help prevent and reduce bullying in schools and communities across the country:

Resources:
To download or order a printed copy of Bullying in Schools: An Overview, visit the NCJRS Web site. For comprehensive information about bullying, including strategies for preventing and intervening in bullying, go to StopBullying.gov. OJJDP Acting Administrator Jeff Slowikowski's blog entry on the issue of bullying, posted in October 2010, is available on the Department of Justice Web site.


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Upcoming Events

Poster for 26th  Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment26th Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment: January 23–26, 2012

Sponsored by OJJDP and the Chadwick Center for Children and Families at Rady's Children's Hospital–San Diego, the event will take place in San Diego, CA. Workshops at the conference will cover a range of topics related to child and family maltreatment, including legal issues, investigations, technology, training, mental health, trauma treatment, forensic interviewing, research, prevention, child welfare, and child advocacy center management. Registration is available online.

2012 National Leadership Forum: February 6–9, 2012

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) will hold its 2012 National Leadership Forum in National Harbor, MD. The forum brings together more than 2,500 participants representing community antidrug coalitions from all regions of the country, government officials, youth, addiction treatment specialists, researchers, educators, law enforcement professionals, and faith-based leaders. CADCA trains local grassroots groups, known as community antidrug coalitions, in effective community problem-solving strategies, teaching them how to assess their local substance abuse-related problems and to develop a comprehensive plan to address them. Registration is available online.

National Conference on Bullying: February 15–17, 2012

Sponsored by the School Safety Advocacy Council and Students Against Violence Everywhere, this national conference will examine the causation, prevention, and mitigation of bullying. Nationally recognized speakers will address a range of topics, including using digital literacy to combat bullying, bullying trends in the United States, cyberbullying and online social networking, bullying-prevention success at the district and school level, building more caring schools and communities, and the reality television generation and the bullying connection. Attendees will include law enforcement professionals, educators, parents, students, counselors, social workers, and representatives of youth agencies. The event will take place in Orlando, FL. A conference brochure and registration are available online.

28th National Symposium on Child Abuse: March 19–22, 2012

The National Children's Advocacy Center (NCAC) will hold its 2012 symposium in Huntsville, AL. The symposium will offer more than 130 workshops presented by nationally recognized experts. Workshop tracks are designed specifically for professionals working in the areas of administration, child protective services, law enforcement, the law, medicine, mental health, prevention, victim advocacy, and wellness. Preconference sessions take place on March 19. Registration is available online.

National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges logo

National Conference on Juvenile and Family Law: March 21–24, 2012

Organized by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the conference will feature innovations in programming and practice and provide new opportunities for courts and communities to improve outcomes for children, youth, families, and victims. The conference, which will be held in Las Vegas, NV, will focus on the challenges faced by many children and families, including child abuse and neglect, mental health, delinquency, custody, immigration, domestic violence, and substance abuse. Registration is available online.

Joint Meeting on Adolescent Treatment Effectiveness: April 10–12, 2012

The theme of the 2012 Joint Meeting on Adolescent Treatment Effectiveness (JMATE) is "Collaborating and Integrating to Support Youth and Families in an Era of Change." Within the current era of change and reform in treatment and numerous other systems, stakeholders serving youth—adolescents ages 12 to17, transitional youth ages 18 to 27—need to develop meaningful ways to coordinate and, in some cases, integrate their services while maintaining youth and family voices. JMATE will serve as a platform for these stakeholders to share information about evidence-based practices, youth and family issues, and effective collaboration and integration strategies. Registration is available online.

Blueprints for Violence Prevention: April 11–13, 2011

The goal of this conference, which will be held in San Antonio, TX, is to disseminate science-based information on effective youth violence, delinquency, and drug prevention programs. Program experts will provide support, guidance, and tools to help practitioners implement these programs successfully in their communities. Participants will include community prevention advocates, department heads of agencies responsible for violence and drug prevention efforts, state and local government leaders responsible for prevention funding and initiatives, leaders of the criminal justice systems, and program implementers. Registration is available online.

Logo for 18th National Conference on Child Abuse & Neglect

18th National Conference on Child Abuse & Neglect: April 16–20, 2012

This annual conference, sponsored by the Children's Bureau's Office on Child Abuse and Neglect (Administration on Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) is one of the field's leading training and technical assistance events. "Celebrating the Past—Imagining the Future," will take place next spring in Washington, DC. More details about the conference will be available in the coming months. Registration will open in early 2012.


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News in Brief

OJJDP Launches DMC Virtual Resource Center

OJJDP has launched the Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Virtual Resource Center. This online center provides DMC Coordinators, state advisory group members, and other juvenile justice professionals with tools and resources to support their state and local DMC efforts.

The Web site also provides networking opportunities for users to exchange data and information, share DMC training materials, and notify others about upcoming conferences, events, and current policies, practices, and procedures. Regular Web site spotlights will feature state and local DMC delinquency prevention and systems improvement activities.

OJJDP, IACP Develop Youth-Focused Policing Resource Center

International  Association of Chiefs of Police logo The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and OJJDP have created the Youth Focused Policing Resource Center. This Web site provides a directory of law enforcement programs and services for youth, training and technical assistance in juvenile justice, information on IACP resources, a searchable resource library, a secure discussion forum for law enforcement officials, and comprehensive information and resources relating to youth crime, delinquency, and victimization.

NIJ Study Finds School Interventions Significantly Reduce Dating Violence

A National Institute of Justice (NIJ) study has found that school-level interventions reduced dating violence as much as 50 percent in 30 New York City public schools. These interventions included using school-based restraining orders, increasing faculty and security presence in dating violence "hot spots," and hanging posters to increase awareness of the issue and encourage students to report it to officials. NIJ is a research branch of the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice.

"The success of school-level interventions is particularly important because they can be implemented with very few extra costs to schools. The scientific methods in this study were rigorous," said NIJ Director John H. Laub, Ph.D. Dr. Laub has posted a blog on teen dating violence. A press release about the study is available online.

New Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire Released

Logo for National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence

As a supplemental tool to the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV), the Crimes against Children Research Center has released the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire-2nd Edition (JVQ-R2). The questionnaire, which is the core of NatSCEV, attempts to document the full range of victimization that youth experience, including conventional crime, maltreatment, peer and sibling victimization, sexual victimization, witnessing, and other exposure to violence. It can also help practitioners determine youth's needs, assess whether victimization programs are effective, raise awareness about youth victimization, and improve victimization research. JVQ-R2 is free and available online. To view and download publications from the NatSCEV series, visit the OJJDP Web site.

Federal Reentry Council Releases Three MythBuster Fact Sheets Focusing on Juvenile Reentry Issues

The Federal Interagency Reentry Council has released three fact sheets that address issues facing juveniles and their families during reentry. The fact sheets are part of the council's MythBuster series, which is designed to clarify federal policies that affect formerly incarcerated individuals. The three fact sheets address the following misperceptions: that access to juvenile criminal records is strictly limited, that confined youth can easily return to school after release from juvenile confinement, and that Medicaid agencies are required to terminate benefits if an otherwise eligible juvenile is incarcerated. All the MythBuster fact sheets are available online.

New Search Tool Helps Users Find Federal Grants To Fund Youth Programs

The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs has created an online Web tool that allows users to search for federal grant opportunities by topic or federal agency on Grants.gov. The tool uses a filter to search for grants that are likely to fund youth programs. Grants.gov is a Web site that allows users to search and apply for thousands of federal grants.

Teen Alcohol Risk Screening Guide Now Available

The National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has released Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention for Youth: A Practitioner's Guide. This tool helps healthcare professionals identify youth at risk for alcohol-related problems, counsel or advise them, and connect them to sources of treatment. It contains a risk assessment survey and links to motivational interviewing resources. The guide is free and can be downloaded or ordered online.

Results of Evaluation of Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Initiative Now Available

The OJJDP-funded National Evaluation of the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Randomized Community Trial, conducted by the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, is now available online. The goal of the evaluation was to determine the effects of a local, coalition-based approach to implementing best or most promising strategies for increasing enforcement of laws related to underage drinking and reducing underage drinking. OJJDP has administered the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws program since Congress created the initiative in 1998.

Thirty-four sites in five states (California, Connecticut, Florida, Missouri, and New York) received funding, intensive technical assistance and training, and program oversight. All of the sites met the grant requirement for enforcement actions to reduce the social availability of alcohol; 33 (97 percent) met the requirement for enforcing laws against driving while intoxicated; 29 (85 percent) met the requirement for activities that relate to or have the goal of changing local policy to enforce underage drinking laws and prevent and reduce underage drinking; and 24 (71 percent) met the requirement for conducting compliance checks. Overall, 18 of the sites (53 percent) met all 4 requirements of the Community Trials Initiative.

Survey on Substance Abuse Prevention and Collaboration Seeks Participants

The Partnership at Drugfree.org is conducting a survey to increase understanding of the best way to develop collaborations between law enforcement, substance abuse prevention agencies, and educators to prevent teens and young adults from engaging in substance abuse. Results of the survey will inform the development of a substance abuse collaboration training manual that will be free and available to participants and interested communities.

The survey is funded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. All members of the juvenile justice community are encouraged to participate. It is available online, and takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete.


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New Publications

All OJJDP publications may be viewed and downloaded on the publications section of the OJJDP Web site. Print publications also may be ordered online at the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Web site.

Cover of Bullying in Schools: An Overview Bullying in Schools: An Overview (Bulletin)
NCJ 234205

Researchers from the National Center for School Engagement conducted a series of studies to explore the connections between bullying in schools, school attendance and engagement, and academic achievement. This bulletin provides an overview of the OJJDP-funded studies, a summary of the researchers' findings, and recommendations for policy and practice.

To order a printed copy, visit the NCJRS Web site.

Cover of Juvenile Arrests 2009 Juvenile Arrests 2009 (Bulletin)
NCJ 236477

This bulletin, which draws on data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, summarizes crimes known to the police and juvenile arrests made during the 2009 reporting year. The authors use the UCR data to characterize the extent and nature of juvenile crime that comes to the attention of the justice system. This information also serves as a benchmark for juvenile justice professionals and other concerned citizens who wish to assess America's progress in reducing juvenile delinquency.

Contrary to the popular perception that juvenile crime is on the rise, the data reported in this bulletin tell a different story. As detailed in these pages, juvenile arrests for violent offenses declined 10 percent between 2008 and 2009, and overall juvenile arrests fell 9 percent during that same period.

To order a printed copy, visit the NCJRS Web site.

Online Only—

Cover of Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Court, 2008 Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Court, 2008 (Fact Sheet)
NCJ 236479

It is estimated that nearly 1.7 million delinquency cases were handled in juvenile courts nationwide in 2008.This fact sheet presents statistics on delinquency cases processed between 1985 and 2008 by U.S. courts with juvenile jurisdiction. The national estimates were generated using information contributed to the National Juvenile Court Data Archive. The estimates are based on data from nearly 2,300 courts with jurisdiction over 82 percent of the nation's juvenile population (youth age 10 through the upper age of original juvenile court jurisdiction in each state).

Cover of Delinquency Cases Waived  to Criminal Court, 2008 Delinquency Cases Waived to Criminal Court, 2008 (Fact Sheet)
NCJ 236481

This fact sheet presents estimates of the number of cases transferred from juvenile court to criminal court through the judicial waiver mechanism between 1985 and 2008. The number of delinquency cases judicially waived peaked in 1994 at 13,700 cases. This represented a 90-percent increase over the number of cases waived in 1985 (7,200). In 2008, juvenile courts waived an estimated 8,900 delinquency cases, 35 percent fewer cases than in 1994.


Cover of Juvenile Probation Caseload, 2008 Juvenile Delinquency Probation Caseload, 2008 (Fact Sheet)
NCJ 236478

This fact sheet presents statistics on delinquency cases resulting in probation between 1985 and 2008. Probation supervision was the most severe disposition in 34 percent of all delinquency cases. Between 1985 and 2005, the number of cases placed on probation increased 33 percent. During that time, the overall delinquency caseload increased 43 percent.



Cover of Person Offense Cases in Juvenile Court, 2008 Person Offense Cases in Juvenile Court, 2008 (Fact Sheet)
NCJ 236480

This fact sheet presents statistics on person offenses (assault, robbery, rape, and homicide) handled by juvenile courts between 1985 and 2008. In 2008, U.S. juvenile courts handled an estimated 403,300 delinquency cases in which the most serious charge was an offense against a person. The 2008 person offense caseload was 119 percent greater than in 1985. In 2008, person offenses accounted for 24 percent of the delinquency caseload, compared with 16 percent in 1985.


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Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention logo
News From the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

The October 21, 2011, meeting of the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention covered a range of topics, including the educational and behavioral health needs of children in military families, updates on the Supportive School Discipline Initiative, and an overview of the activities of the White House Council for Community Solutions. Following are a few highlights of the meeting:

Photo of panelists at the meeting of the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
The October 21, 2011, meeting of the Coordinating Council included a panel discussion about strengthening military families. The panel's moderator was Robert L. Gordon, III, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy (on the far left). Other panelists included (from l. to r.) Dr. Mary Keller, President and CEO, Military Child Education Coalition; Dr. Patricia Lester, Associate Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Director of Welcome Back Veterans Family Resilience Center, University of California, Los Angeles; Dr. Anita Chandra, Manager, Behavioral and Social Sciences Group, RAND Corporation; and Barbara Thomson, Director, Office of Family Policy/Children and Youth, U.S. Department of Defense.

Meetings of the council are open to the public. Visit the Web site to learn more about the council and read minutes from past meetings.

The Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is an independent body within the executive branch of the federal government operated under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The council's primary functions are to coordinate federal juvenile delinquency prevention programs, federal programs and activities that detain or care for unaccompanied juveniles, and federal programs relating to missing and exploited children.

The council is made up of 22 members—13 ex officio and affiliate members and 9 practitioners. The ex officio members are: the Attorney General; the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development, and Labor; the Assistant Secretary of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy; and the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Affiliate members are the Secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Defense, and the Interior, and the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of HHS. The nine juvenile justice practitioner members are appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Senate Majority Leader, and the President of the United States.


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Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice logo
News From the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice

The newly constituted Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice (FACJJ) held its organizing meeting on October 11, 2011, at the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor, MD. The FACJJ meeting was held in concert with OJJDP's National Conference for Children's Justice and Safety, which took place on October 12–14, 2011, at the same location. The meeting included an overview of OJJDP leadership; an introduction to the committee, member roles, and ethical issues; a discussion of FACJJ's core values and proposed areas of focus; and the election of a chair and vice chair.

OJJDP restructured FACJJ to allow for greater flexibility and responsiveness. The reorganized committee is made up of 14 primary members, whose terms are 2 years (with the possibility of being reappointed for a second term), and 14 alternate members, also appointed for 2 years. It is anticipated that a number of subcommittees composed of FACJJ members and other experts will be constituted to focus on particular topics.

The new members will continue FACJJ's mission by:

The committee's meetings are open to the public; anyone may register to attend and observe. Additional information is available on the committee's Web site.

The Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice is a consultative body established by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended (Section 223), and supported by OJJDP. Composed of 14 members of state advisory groups on juvenile justice, the committee advises the President and Congress on matters related to juvenile justice, evaluates the progress and accomplishments of juvenile justice activities and projects, and advises the OJJDP Administrator on the work of OJJDP.



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