Since its establishment in 1974, OJJDP has provided national leadership to support federal, state, tribal, and local efforts to prevent delinquency, strengthen the juvenile justice system, and protect children from violence, abuse, and exploitation.
OJJDP is the only federal agency with a specific mission to develop and disseminate knowledge about what works in the juvenile justice field. One of the ways the Office achieves this mission is by funding a broad array of evidence-based initiatives. In fiscal year (FY) 2017, OJJDP awarded nearly $254 million to help at-risk youth, protect children, reduce violence, and improve public safety nationwide. The 296 awards were made through discretionary and formula grant funding.
OJJDP awarded approximately $218.6 million in discretionary grants in FY 2017. Under its Mentoring Opportunities for Youth initiative, the Office awarded nearly $61 million to state and national organizations that engage youth through mentoring activities and youth development programs. OJJDP awarded an additional $1.87 million to mentoring project sites that provide programming for child victims of commercial sexual exploitation and domestic sex trafficking. Approximately $520,000 of that amount is funding training and technical assistance to the sites.
In FY 2017, OJJDP awarded more than $28 million to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The center offers critical intervention and prevention services to families and supports law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, and local levels in cases involving missing and exploited children. An additional $1.8 million was awarded for training and technical assistance to implement best practices related to the investigation and prosecution of such cases. The Office also distributed $22 million to state and local law enforcement agencies under its Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force program. Those funds are supporting the investigation and prosecution of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children while an additional award of $5 million funds training and technical assistance for practitioners.
In support of the Justice Department’s priority of combating the abuse of opioids and other drugs, OJJDP awarded $9.5 million under the Family Drug Court Statewide System Reform Implementation program and the Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Grant program. These programs help jurisdictions build effective family drug treatment courts and ensure juvenile drug treatment courts follow established guidelines.
Jointly funded by OJJDP and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the National Gang Center serves as a clearinghouse for individuals and agencies seeking information about gang prevention, intervention, and suppression. In fiscal year 2017, OJJDP awarded nearly $3.5 million to support the center’s work.
American Indian and Alaska Native youth experience violence and trauma at levels higher than any other racial or ethnic group. OJJDP awarded approximately $10.5 million to tribal initiatives to help youth recover from exposure to violence, gain life and leadership skills, address alcohol and drug abuse, and stay out of the juvenile justice system. The Office awarded discretionary grants in a range of other areas, including promising practices for juvenile justice system improvement, ending racial and ethnic disparities, juvenile prosecutor training, reentry, public education and training on the effects of children’s exposure to violence, and emergency preparedness for juvenile justice residential facilities.
OJJDP also provides formula grants to support state and local delinquency prevention and intervention efforts and juvenile justice system improvements. Funding through formula grants is available to states and territories through the state agency designated by the Governor. In fiscal year 2017, OJJDP awarded $35 million under the Title II Formula Grants and Prison Rape Elimination Act programs.
Through grant funding, research and demonstration programs, training and technical assistance, and the dissemination of information resources, OJJDP is working hand-in-hand with all of its partners in the juvenile justice field to build a better future for America’s youth.
Resources:
For more information about the Office’s awards, visit OJJDP’s Funding webpage.