Minors and alcoholic beverages are a volatile combination—a mix that can lead to foolish choices, destructive behavior, and lives that are ruined or lost. Alcohol plays a part in teen assaults, rapes, murders, thefts, and suicides and is a major factor in automobile crashes and fatalities involving teens.

In fiscal year 1998, Congress established what is now called the Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws Program to address the growing problem of alcohol use by minors. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), which administers the program, has received an appropriation of $25 million for the program each year since its inception. To assist States and local jurisdictions in their efforts to reduce underage drinking, OJJDP funds block grants, discretionary programs, training and technical assistance, and a national evaluation of the program. Funds support activities in the areas of enforcement, public education, and innovative programs.

Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws: A Compendium of Resources provides practical information that States and units of local government can use to determine how these Federal funds can enhance their strategies to prevent underage drinking. The Compendium describes programs and lists contacts and source materials that will help jurisdictions maximize the impact of this Federal initiative.

Because this Compendium is offered online, OJJDP will, on an ongoing basis, update information contained within the Compendium. Outreach includes working through the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to continue to seek out and document the work across all the agencies of the Federal government which address underage drinking. It is a top priority of the Council to support the development and evolution of the Compendium.

Underage drinking is not a harmless rite of passage. It is illegal and dangerous. Those responsible for enforcing underage drinking laws need to rally community support and raise public awareness of the problem. This Compendium should assist you in your efforts to substantially reduce underage drinking in your community and State.

John J. Wilson
Acting Administrator