On May 3, 2013, OJJDP Administrator Robert L. Listenbee delivered a keynote address at the Coalition for Juvenile Justice’s annual conference in Washington, DC. Attendees included State Advisory Group members, judges, juvenile justice practitioners, advocates, and youth. The Administrator shared his views on a range of key topics, including juvenile justice appropriations for fiscal year (FY) 2013 (see table below), the President’s FY 2014 budget, the reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 1974, and OJJDP’s reorganization.

The Administrator reported that OJJDP received a slight increase in appropriations in FY 2013. Specifically, the Title II Formula Grants program increased from $40 to $44 million. Taking into account the sequestration decrease of approximately 5 percent, Formula Grants funding remains close to last year’s level. “Given the current economic environment, this is a positive sign for the Office and juvenile justice programs,” Listenbee said. He cautioned, however, that even with this increase in 2013, the FY 2012 and 2013 appropriations for the Formula Grants and Juvenile Accountability Block Grants programs are substantially lower than those in FY 2011.

The President's FY 2014 budget brings core juvenile justice funding—Formula Grants and Juvenile Accountability Block Grants—back to levels of 2011 and earlier. The budget also restores funding for Title V Local Delinquency Prevention Grants. The budget also includes a new competitive Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Initiative for states, in addition to the existing formula and block grants. This initiative supports state efforts to implement evidence-based reforms designed to save on system costs. The President's budget also includes funding for a new girls delinquency program. In addition, there is a substantial increase for Children Exposed to Violence (up to $23 million) and the Community-Based Violence Prevention Initiative (up to $25 million). The 2014 budget doubles funding for the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention. “The President’s FY 2014 budget reflects the Administration’s firm commitment to youth justice and safety,” Listenbee said.

Listenbee noted that since the JJDP Act was first enacted almost 40 years ago, significant progress has been made in the juvenile justice field: the detention of status offenders has decreased nearly 98 percent, instances of youth held with adults have decreased 99 percent, and instances of youth held in adult jails and lockups have decreased nearly 98 percent. But he cautioned that “there’s still work to be done,” particularly in the area of reducing disproportionate minority contact within the juvenile justice system.

“As many of you know, the reauthorization has been stalled in Congress,” Listenbee said. “And we certainly plan to work with the folks on the Hill to see how we might be able to move forward. But in the meantime, that certainly doesn’t mean our work and your work in the field comes to a standstill.”

The Administrator also announced that the agency has completed its reorganization to enable the Office to better integrate its research, policy, program, and capacity development activities to support the juvenile justice field and other partners. For more information on the reorganization, read the article, “Interview With OJJDP Administrator Robert L. Listenbee,” in this issue.

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More information about the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, the President’s FY 2014 budget, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, and OJJDP’s reorganization is available online.