Since 1995, juvenile crime in this country has significantly decreased. The most recent figures from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program indicate that, in 1997, juveniles accounted for 19 percent of all arrests and 17 percent of arrests for violent crimes. Although the juvenile violent crime arrest rate increased more than 60 percent between 1988 and 1994, it decreased 23 percent between 1994 and 1997. Similarly, the juvenile homicide arrest rate increased substantially between 1988 and 1993 but declined 39 percent between 1993 and 1997. It is also important to note that, in 1997, only a fraction—less than one-half of 1 percent—of all juveniles were arrested for a violent crime.

Although these figures are encouraging, there is still much work to be done. During the past year, OJJDP remained at the forefront in providing national leadership to help prevent and control juvenile delinquency and address the victimization of children. The Office's many activities were designed to help sustain the ebbing tide of juvenile crime and to help make the Nation's communities safe for both children and adults. The Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders continued to be the foundation of the Office's programs in FY 1998. The Comprehensive Strategy is a research-based plan that calls for using a balanced approach to aggressively address juvenile delinquency and violence by preventing the onset of delinquency, improving the juvenile justice system's ability to respond to juvenile offending, and establishing graduated sanctions.

The Comprehensive Strategy and other accomplishments highlighted in this chapter represent the types of programs OJJDP funded during FY 1998 to help States and localities ensure a continuing decline in the juvenile crime rate. The programs run the gamut from research and evaluation to training and technical assistance to demonstration programs. They include several major new programs established by Congress and many ongoing programs. Recognizing the importance of knowing how well programs work, OJJDP has built evaluation components into many of its programs and continued efforts on documenting what works and what does not. OJJDP activities addressed a number of issues in FY 1998, including accountability, alcohol and drug abuse, gangs, hate crimes, and effective court programs. Sharing information with practitioners in the field remained a priority; dissemination activities are highlighted in chapter 2. The Missing and Exploited Children's Program also had many accomplishments, which are highlighted in chapter 4. Although this report highlights several key OJJDP research, statistical, and evaluation projects, more detailed descriptions are contained in OJJDP Research: Making a Difference for Juveniles. The document is available from the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (see "How To Access Information From JJC").

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OJJDP Annual Report 1998	October 1999