Overview:
OJJDP's Congressional Charge
For Further Information
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is helping States address the problem of underage drinking through a program of block and discretionary grants, training and technical assistance, and a national evaluation. The Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) program (formerly the Combating Underage Drinking program) is helping all 50 States and the District of Columbia develop comprehensive and coordinated initiatives to enforce State laws that prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages to minors and to prevent the purchase or consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors (defined as individuals under 21 years of age).
Background
Congress has appropriated $25 million to OJJDP for EUDL in each of FY's 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001. The purpose of this program is to support and enhance efforts by States, in cooperation with local jurisdictions, to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages to or the consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors. OJJDP has allocated $360,000 to each State and the District of Columbia in a block grant each fiscal year for a total of $73,440,000 to implement the EUDL program. Through a competitive process, 22 States have received discretionary grants in the first 3 years of EUDL funding to support State-local collaborative programming in community sites. Each State may apply for up to $400,000 in discretionary funding.
Block Grant Funds
States are using block grant funds to support activities in one or more of the three areas outlined in the legislation: enforcement, public education activities, and innovative programs. An example of a law enforcement activity is creating statewide law enforcement and prosecution task forces to target establishments suspected of consistently selling alcohol to minors. Public education activities range from sponsoring media contests to creating billboard messages. Innovative programs include creating youth task forces to examine community norms and messages young people are receiving or hiring an individual to act as a liaison between youth and communities on the issue of underage drinking. Under the EUDL block grant eligibility requirements, each Governor and the Mayor of the District of Columbia must designate an agency to serve as the point of contact to apply for, receive, and administer the block grant. (The designated agency also serves as the point of contact for discretionary grants.) The designated agency must design a comprehensive approach to addressing underage drinking and describe how Federal funds will be used to implement that approach. States are encouraged to join existing public and private partnerships, including those of foundations and national organizations.
Discretionary Funds
States receiving discretionary grants have provided subgrants to approximately 160 local jurisdictions to implement collaborative programs. Local programs have included (1) community coalitions; (2) needs assessments and strategic plans; (3) a special emphasis on increased enforcement efforts; (4) enhancement of policies, regulations, and laws; (5) prevention and awareness campaigns; and (6) documentation of accomplishments and the process by which they were achieved.
Discretionary funding also supports EUDL programming in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and for Native American/Alaska Native tribes, including: Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Juneau, AK; Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, Poplar, MT; Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, Pawnee, OK; Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma, Ponca City, OK; Pueblo of Zuni, Zuni, NM; Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, Redlake, MN; Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska, Niobrara, NE; and Southern Ute Tribe, Ignacio, CO. Native American Connections, Inc., a nonprofit organization located in Phoenix, AZ, is using a grant from OJJDP to contract with these Native American/Alaska Native tribes, provide them with training and technical assistance to support their efforts, and collect and present their program assessment information.
A national evaluation by Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC, is designed to determine what State and local programmatic activities are being supported by the EUDL initiative and the impact of EUDL programming in a sample of local communities.
OJJDP is also using EUDL discretionary funding to partner with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to support the Governors' Spouses Initiative, "Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free." This multiyear, public-private partnership focuses on preventing the use of alcohol by children. In addition to OJJDP, the initiative is funded by NIAAA and other Department of Health and Human Services' agencies, the Department of Transportation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. OJJDP is partnering with NIAAA and the Governors' Spouses Initiative on the second phase of the project, which will explore all aspects of underage drinking and identify programs and activities from around the country that have shown promise in reducing underage drinking. OJJDP's support will facilitate the enhancement of public information materials, including literature and brochures targeting youth ages 9 to 15. OJJDP's partnership with NIAAA will be coordinated with activities funded under the EUDL Program.
Training and Technical Assistance
Since FY 1998, OJJDP has provided funding to the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) Center for Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws to equip states and communities with practical, science-based tools to help grantees focus their efforts on prevention, intervention, and enforcement issues related to retail and social availability of alcohol to minors, possession of alcohol by minors, and drinking and driving by minors. These tools are designed to help raise awareness, change community environments, and protect young people from the dangers of underage drinking. The Center provides a wide range of services, including training events, technical assistance, products and materials, a national Web site, and an annual leadership conference.
The Center's partners include Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), American Indian Development Associates (AIDA), the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), and the National Liquor Law Enforcement Association (NLLEA). These partners provide specialized expertise in building coalitions, empowering youth, and working with the Indian Nations and law enforcement executives.