The 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act (DOJ reauthorization), signed into law on November 2, 2002, supports the established mission of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) while introducing important changes that streamline OJJDP’s operations and bring a sharper focus to its role. The provisions of the reauthorization originally were to take effect in federal fiscal year 2003, but a subsequent appropriations act postponed the effective date to FY 2004 (beginning October 2003).

OJJDP is working within the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) to evaluate the impact of the reauthorization’s provisions and to ensure that all transitions are implemented as smoothly as possible. As this work progresses, OJJDP will keep the field informed through its Web site and other dissemination tools (including OJJDP News @ a Glance). This article begins the information-sharing process with the following summary of changes mandated by the DOJ reauthorization:

Program consolidation. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 2002, which is part of the DOJ reauthorization, consolidates seven previously independent juvenile justice programs of the JJDP Act of 1974 into a single prevention block grant. It repeals the following parts of Title II of the JJDP Act: Part C (National Programs), Part D (Gangs), Part E (State Challenge Activities), Part F (Treatment of Juvenile Offenders Who Are Victims of Child Abuse or Neglect), Part G (Mentoring), Part H (Boot Camps), and the first subpart of Part I (White House Conference on Juvenile Justice). In their place, it creates a new Part C that establishes the Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Block Grant Program, under which states and Indian tribes may receive block grants to carry out the general purposes of the repealed programs.

Research, training, technical assistance, and information dissemination. The new JJDP Act further amends Title II by creating a new Part D that authorizes research, training, technical assistance, and information dissemination regarding juvenile justice matters. The Act also adds a new Part E that authorizes awards of grants for developing, testing, and demonstrating new initiatives and programs for the prevention, control, and reduction of juvenile delinquency.

Title V Community Delinquency Prevention. The new JJDP Act reauthorizes the Title V Community Prevention Grants Program, expands its purpose areas, and creates a new reporting requirement on the effectiveness of funded programs.

Juvenile Accountability Block Grants. The reauthorization also revises the purpose areas, reporting and monitoring requirements, and other aspects of the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants (JAIBG) program, which will be called the Juvenile Accountability Block Grants (JABG) program.

Future issues of OJJDP News @ a Glance will identify activities and resources related to implementation of these and other provisions of the DOJ reauthorization. For the latest information, check the OJJDP Web site at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office for Victims of Crime.

News @ a Glance is OJJDP’s bimonthly newsletter, bringing you up-to-date notices of agency activities, recent publications, funding opportunities, and upcoming events—with an emphasis on providing quick access to online sources for publications and other resources. Let us know what types of features would be most useful to you (e-mail [email protected]). Subscribe to and receive OJJDP News @ a Glance electronically so you can be sure to receive every issue. Visit the OJJDP home page at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp and click on "OJJDP News @ a Glance" in the "Get Information" box.