This is an archive of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP's) electronic newsletter OJJDP News @ a Glance. The information in this archived resource may be outdated and links may no longer function. Visit our website at https://www.ojjdp.gov for current information.
November | December 2015

How OJJDP Is Helping Baltimore and Other Cities Address Youth Violence

On October 28, 2015, Administrator Listenbee joined Kristina Rose, Deputy Director of the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC); Joanne Grossi, Regional Director at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake; and Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen at a press conference to announce federal grants of $1.5 million to bolster Baltimore’s violence prevention efforts. Baltimore, MD, is 1 of 15 cities taking part in the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention.

A grant of nearly $1 million from OVC will enable service providers to develop more effective interventions for male survivors of violence and their families. A $278,000 grant from OJJDP will facilitate the implementation of evidence-based programs and strategies to reduce youth violence and enhance school climate. An additional OJJDP grant of $70,000 will help integrate the faith community into activities aimed at preventing and reducing youth violence and victimization within and around the Safe Streets Baltimore areas. HHS’ grant of $175,000 will fund a pilot of Safe Streets in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood of Baltimore.

On November 17–18, 2015, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs, Karol V. Mason; Administrator Listenbee; and Eugene Schneeberg, Director, Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships took part in a Youth Violence Prevention Communities of Practice Fall Convening. “It is important that we gather to share what is working in our communities to prevent youth violence,” Mr. Listenbee said as he welcomed representatives from youth violence prevention demonstration sites nationwide and members of the faith community to the convening.

U.S. Attorney General and council chairperson, Loretta Lynch addresses the November 13 meeting of the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Seated next to her is OJJDP Administrator and vice chairperson of the council, Robert Listenbee.
U.S. Attorney General and council chairperson, Loretta Lynch addresses the November 13 meeting of the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Seated next to her is OJJDP Administrator and vice chairperson of the council, Robert Listenbee.

The Communities of Practice event was the second youth violence prevention knowledge-building event that OJJDP participated in over the past few months. In October, OJJDP representatives joined delegates from Jamaica, the city of Baltimore, the World Bank, and the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention's Forum Coordination Team for a 2-day Youth Crime and Violence Prevention Knowledge Exchange held in Baltimore and at the World Bank.

Baltimore is just one of the many U.S. cities benefitting from OJJDP’s youth violence prevention measures. The Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s November meeting was dedicated to looking at efforts at the federal, state, and local levels to address and prevent youth violence across the nation.

In her address to the Council, U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch provided an overview of the Justice Department’s recent activities surrounding violence prevention. She said the Council’s efforts are “crucial to breaking the cycles of poverty, criminality, and incarceration that ensnares far too many young people before they have a chance to find out who they really are—what they can be—and to really flourish.”

Resources:

Read more about OJJDP’s youth violence prevention initiatives on the OJJDP website.

Information about additional federal initiatives to address youth violence, such as the My Brother’s Keeper and Defending Childhood initiatives, as well as OJJDP’s Community-Based Violence Prevention Demonstration Program is available online.