All OJJDP publications may be viewed and downloaded on the publications section of the OJJDP Web site. Print publications also may be ordered online at the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Web site.

Conditions of Confinement: Findings From the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement (Bulletin)
NCJ 227729

The environment in which juvenile offenders are confined can affect their future behavior and may even contribute to recidivism. To obtain a clearer picture of the conditions of juvenile confinement, OJJDP initiated the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement (SYRP), the first comprehensive national study to gather information about youth in custody by interviewing the detained offenders. This bulletin draws on SYRP's findings to examine the characteristics of the facilities in which youth are confined and of the programs provided to them. It reports on the security status of these residential facilities and the types of youth offenders in various programs and their placement with other youth. It also describes the physical and program environments, the access offenders have to emotional support and legal representation, the relationship between youth and staff, the clarity of the facility's rules, and the nature of the disciplinary measures used to enforce those rules. To order a printed copy, visit the NCJRS Web site.

Suitability of Assessment Instruments for Delinquent Girls (Girls Study Group Bulletin)
NCJ 226531

Because of the increase in the numbers of girls in the juvenile justice system and heightened public awareness about issues concerning girls and gender, practitioners and policymakers have begun to question whether the instruments currently in use are appropriate for girls. Literature has indicated that gender is an important variable in understanding delinquent behavior and must be addressed when developing assessment tools. This bulletin examines whether current risk-assessment and treatment-focused instruments are appropriate for use with girls, while providing guidance to practitioners on how to select instruments for use.

Publications Released on Missing Children's Day (May 25, 2010)

The Crime of Family Abduction: A Child's and Parent's Perspective
NCJ 229933

The U.S. Department of Justice reports that as many at 200,000 children are victims of the crime of family abduction each year. This publication dispels the prevailing misconceptions surrounding family abduction by providing a firsthand account of the psychological trauma and physical dangers often faced by children who are abducted by family members. The guide includes strategies to help parents searching for their children to cope with the aftermath of the abduction and provides suggestions for assisting the child during the transition from abduction to life after he or she has been recovered. To order a printed copy, visit the NCJRS Web site.

When Your Child Is Missing: A Family Survival Guide (Fourth Edition)
NCJ 228735

Each year, nearly 1.3 million children are reported missing. Although the unforeseen absence of a child is always upsetting, fortunately most missing children are returned home in a short period of time. This fact, however, provides little consolation for the parents of children whose whereabouts and welfare remain unknown. When Your Child Is Missing: A Family Survival Guide was written 12 years ago by parents who had experienced the trauma of a missing child and who wanted to help other parents facing the same overpowering loss. It provides firsthand knowledge and sound advice about what to do when your child is missing, whom to contact, and how to best help law enforcement. To ensure that the information it provides is as helpful as possible, this fourth edition of the guide has been thoroughly revised and updated. It includes information on new technologies, particularly those that facilitate Internet crimes against children. To order a printed copy, visit the NCJRS Web site.

Coming Soon

Effects of Federal Legislation on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (Bulletin)
NCJ 228631

Each year, as many as 300,000 children become victims of commercial sexual exploitation in the United States. Such victimization can have devastating effects on a child's physical and mental health and well-being. In an effort to stop the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), Congress enacted the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act (TVPA) in 2000. As the seminal legislation in America's efforts to end CSEC, the Act criminalizes human trafficking on a federal level. This bulletin describes the results of a study funded by OJJDP to examine TVPA's impact on the prosecution of CSEC cases. The authors draw on CSEC cases processed in federal courts between 1998 and 2005 to examine how current laws addressing CSEC are enforced, indicate key features of successful CSEC prosecutions, and describe how legislation has affected sentences imposed on CSEC perpetrators, as well as legislation's effects on the provision of services to victims.