U.S. Department of Justice

• Agency Mission and Goals
• Activities and Priorities Relating to Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
• Collaborative Efforts
• Future Directions
• FY 1995 Funding
• Legislative Citations

Agency Mission and Goals

Many U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) agencies support activities, research, and programs relating to juvenile delinquency and delinquency prevention. They include the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Community Relations Service (CRS), Drug Courts Program Office, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA), Executive Office for Weed and Seed, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and Violence Against Women Grants Office. With the exception of BOP, CRS, EOUSA, FBI, and INS, all of these agencies are part of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP).

Bureau of Justice Assistance

BJA helps State and local governments reduce and prevent crime and violence and improve the criminal justice system. BJA provides leadership and support for State and local strategies to achieve safe communities, and the agency works with communities to develop comprehensive strategies and problem-solving partnerships. Special emphasis is placed on antiviolence initiatives, particularly those implemented to reduce the availability of illegal firearms and provide young people with alternatives to drugs, gangs, and criminal involvement.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

BJS is the primary source for criminal justice statistics in the United States. These data are critical to Federal, State, and local policymakers in combating crime and ensuring that justice is efficient and evenhanded. BJA collects, analyzes, publishes, and disseminates information on crime, criminal offenders, victims of crime, and the operation of justice systems at all levels of government.

Bureau of Prisons

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) operates 86 institutions for adult offenders and is responsible for the custody of offenders convicted of violations of Federal laws and sentenced to the custody of the BOP. The BOP is also responsible for the confinement of Federal juveniles -- persons under the age of 18 convicted of federal crimes and persons under the age of 21 who are convicted of violating the Federal Juvenile Delinquency Act (18 United States Codes 5031 et. seq.). The juveniles are sentenced to the custody of the Attorney General or are confined as a condition of probation. These juveniles are housed in non-Federal correctional facilities under contract with the BOP. These facilities are secure institutions, as well as community-based facilities such as halfway houses. As required by the Federal Juvenile Delinquency Act, these facilities ensure that juveniles do not have regular contract with incarcerated adults.

The Community Corrections and Detention Division is responsible for contracting for appropriate bed space for federal juveniles and monitoring the quality of the programs and services provided.

The juvenile facilities are managed within the Community Corrections Branch of the Community Corrections and Detention Division through 29 field offices located throughout the United States. These offices seek to locate facilities willing to contract with the BOP. Once the contract is established, BOP field staff conducts monitorings to ensure compliance with contract requirements and that the juveniles are housed in appropriate facilities which provide education and other programs.

Community Relations Service

The Community Relations Service (CRS) seeks to prevent or resolve community conflicts and tensions arising from actions, policies, and practices perceived to be discriminatory on the basis of race, color, or national origin. CRS provides services, including conciliation, mediation, and technical assistance to people (i.e., youth, students in schools) and their communities to help them resolve conflicts that tear at the fabric of our increasingly diverse society.

Drug Courts Program Office

The Drug Courts Program Office assists in developing and implementing effective drug court programming and evaluation in State, local, and tribal courts, including juvenile courts. Drug courts are a response to the increased numbers of nonviolent substance abusing adult and juvenile offenders who repeatedly cycle through court, correction, and probation systems. Drug courts provide intensive judicial supervision combined with appropriate substance abuse treatment and incentives and sanctions for program compliance. Although the first drug courts were started to address adult offenders, interest in applying the concept within the juvenile justice system has increased.

Drug Enforcement Administration

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is actively involved in drug prevention and education efforts designed to reduce the demand for drugs in this country -- especially among the nation's youth. These efforts are coordinated through DEA's Demand Reduction Program, which was formally created in 1986 in response to the realization that in order to mount a comprehensive attack against the drug problem, efforts must be undertaken to reduce both the supply of and demand for illegal drugs. A major component of the program focuses on youth, educating them about the dangers associated with illegal drug use and working to prevent drug use/experimentation before it occurs. To that end, DEA provides leadership in coordinating and facilitating the involvement of law enforcement and the community in drug prevention and education activities.

DEA's drug prevention and education program is directed by its Demand Reduction Section at DEA Headquarters. Special Agents, known as Demand Reduction Coordinators (DRCs), are located in DEA's Field Divisions and carry out the program at the local level. There is at least one DRC in each of the agency's 21 Field Divisions. Volunteer employees within the agency are also involved in youth drug prevention and education activities.

With input from the DRCs, the Demand Reduction Section at DEA Headquarters designates the priority areas in which to concentrate drug prevention and education activities. The DRC's role is to provide leadership and support to local agencies and organizations as they develop drug education and prevention programs designed to meet their specific needs. As Special Agents, the DRCs bring a unique perspective to the drug prevention arena; they have a clear understanding of the overall drug situation and a broad range of experience in working with other law enforcement agencies. This expertise is critical to linking effective law enforcement with comprehensive prevention programs that provide a holistic response to the drug problem.

Executive Office for United States Attorneys

The Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) participates in juvenile issues through the United States Attorneys' offices, which are responsible for the enforcement of federal criminal laws against juveniles who commit crimes where there is an articulable federal interest. Thus, EOUSA's mission is the fair and equitable enforcement of Federal laws. Each United States Attorney's Office enforces federal juvenile laws in conjunction with other Federal agencies.

Executive Office for Weed and Seed

The Executive Office for Weed and Seed administers Operation Weed and Seed, a multiagency strategy that "weeds out" violence, crime, gang activity, drug use, and drug trafficking in targeted high-crime neighborhoods and then "seeds" and restores these neighborhoods through social and economic revitalization. The four basic elements or goals of the Weed and Seed strategy are suppression; community-oriented policing; prevention, intervention, and treatment; and neighborhood restoration.

One program goal is to provide a safe environment that is free of crime and drug use where law-abiding citizens can live, work, and raise families, thus providing an environment where youth can achieve their full potential. As described in the Weed and Seed Implementation Manual:

Prevention, intervention, and treatment should include youth services, school programs, community and social programs, and support groups designed to develop positive community attitudes toward combating narcotics use and trafficking. The Safe Haven, for example, is a mechanism to organize and deliver an array of youth- and adult-oriented human services in a multiservice-center setting such as a school.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

The mission of the FBI's Community Outreach Program is to provide a comprehensive program that deals with multiple interrelated societal problems, including crime, drugs, gangs, and violence, in support of our investigative mission. Linking community service, drug abuse prevention, and law enforcement is a major national trend as grass roots efforts have brought about Federal support for public safety initiatives. FBI employees have joined in this national movement, volunteering in a wide variety of FBI community-related efforts. The FBI focuses its community outreach efforts in three areas: the community, the schools, and the workplace.

Immigration and Naturalization Service

The mission of INS as it relates to juvenile justice and delinquency prevention is to remove from the United States alien minors who have entered this country unlawfully. An alien minor is a male or female foreign national under the age of 18 who is the subject of exclusion or deportation proceedings under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) or who has an application for asylum pending before INS. Most alien minors encountered by INS are noncriminals whose only offenses are INA violations. State or local law enforcement agencies turn other alien minors over to INS for removal following arrest or prosecution.

Four INS divisions are involved in the arrest and detention of juveniles. The Investigations Division locates illegal aliens (including juveniles) in the United States, investigates alien smuggling activities (including the smuggling of juveniles), investigates employers who hire illegal aliens, and locates aliens convicted of aggravated felonies and other criminal offenses in this country and then processes them for deportation. The Border Patrol apprehends illegal aliens attempting entry at the borders and aliens within the United States. The Inspections Division inspects aliens at the land, air, and seaports of entry; admits eligible aliens; and refuses entry to those who are not eligible or refers them for admissibility hearings before an immigration judge. The Detention and Deportation Division is responsible for detaining illegal aliens, including juveniles. Aliens are held in INS Service Processing Centers, contract facilities, Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities, and State and locally operated facilities. The Detention and Deportation Division also is responsible for effecting the deportation of illegal aliens by commercial airlines, DOJ airlifts, or buses to U.S. borders.

National Institute of Justice

NIJ conducts research and evaluation on crime prevention and crime control, including projects related to juvenile justice. In FY 1993, NIJ established six long-range goals to guide research, evaluation, and demonstration programs and activities. These goals are to:

• Reduce violent crime.
  
  
• Reduce drug- and alcohol-related crime.
  
  
• Reduce the consequences of crime.
  
  
• Improve the effectiveness of crime prevention programs.
  
  
• Improve law enforcement and the criminal justice system.
  
  
• Develop new technology for law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

The mission of NIJ is to establish new information on crime and to determine what works -- and why it works -- in preventing, enforcing, and adjudicating crime and its consequences. NIJ has three program offices: the Office of Development and Dissemination, the Office of Research and Evaluation, and the Office of Science and Technology.

• The Office of Research and Evaluation funds research on issues related to juveniles such as family violence, gangs, and the relationship between human development and criminal behavior.
  
  
• The Office of Development and Dissemination shares research findings with the juvenile justice field through a variety of publications.
  
  
• The Office of Science and Technology conducts research and develops technological innovations to improve the work of law enforcement and corrections officers.

Office for Victims of Crime

The mission of OVC is to enhance the Nation's capacity to assist crime victims and provide leadership in changing attitudes and practices to promote justice and healing for all victims of crime. OVC administers the Crime Victims Fund, which was authorized by the Victims of Crime Act of 1984, as amended. The Fund consists of criminal fines, forfeited bail bonds, penalty fees, and special assessments collected by the U.S. Attorneys, the U.S. courts, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

OVC makes awards annually to State crime victim assistance and compensation programs to supplement State funding for victim services. In addition, OVC provides victim assistance training and technical assistance for criminal justice personnel and direct service providers. Exploited children, families of missing and exploited children, and professionals investigating, prosecuting, and providing direct services are eligible to participate in OVC-sponsored programs.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

OJJDP provides national leadership in addressing juvenile delinquency issues and improving juvenile justice. OJJDP sponsors a broad array of research, program, and training initiatives that are designed to improve the juvenile justice system as a whole and to benefit individual youth-serving agencies. OJJDP also provides direction and resources to the juvenile justice community to help prevent and control delinquency throughout the country. OJJDP carries out its mission through the coordinated activities of its seven components:

• Research and Evaluation Division.
  
  
• Training and Technical Assistance Division.
  
  
• Special Emphasis Division.
  
  
• State Relations and Assistance Division.
  
  
• Information Dissemination Unit.
  
  
• Concentration of Federal Efforts Program.
  
  
• Missing and Exploited Children's Program.

As part of its mission, OJJDP emphasizes both intra- and interagency coordination and collaboration to maximize Federal resources, reduce overlaps, improve program input and outcomes, enhance critical information and knowledge that form the basis for new program development activities, and strengthen commitment and ownership in preventing and addressing juvenile crime and delinquency.

OJJDP's two-part approach -- protecting the public and protecting children -- lies at the heart of its strategy for preventing and combating delinquency. OJJDP's Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders outlines both prevention and intervention as the framework for its overall plan and mission. The prevention component calls for the establishment of community-based planning teams and collaborative efforts among juvenile justice and human service agencies to:

• Systematically assess delinquency problems as they relate to risk factors.
  
  
• Implement programs that address these risk factors.

The intervention component is based on a treatment and rehabilitation model for delinquent offenders that combines accountability and sanctions with increasingly intensive treatment and rehabilitation. It also calls for a continuum of graduated sanctions to provide immediate and intermediate interventions.

Violence Against Women Grants Office

The Violence Against Women Grants Office administers DOJ's formula and discretionary grant programs authorized by the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA). These grant programs help the Nation's criminal justice system respond to the needs and concerns of women who have been, or potentially could be, victimized. They also emphasize enhanced delivery of services to women who are victims of violence and, in doing so, support programs that serve battered women and their children.

Back to Top

Activities and Priorities Relating to Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Bureau of Justice Assistance

BJA's programs respond to two statutory mandates under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 et seq. Programs must help State and local governments reduce and prevent crime, violence, and drug abuse, and they must improve the criminal justice system.

BJA objectives that relate to juvenile justice and delinquency issues include:

• Providing young people with legitimate opportunities and activities that serve as alternatives to crime and involvement with gangs.
  
  
• Reducing the availability of illegal weapons and developing programs that address violence in communities, homes, schools, and workplaces.
  
  
• Encouraging the active participation of community organizations and citizens in crime and violence prevention efforts.
  
  
• Providing training and technical assistance on a nationwide basis to support efforts to prevent local crime, drug use, and violence.
  
  
• Encouraging the development and implementation of comprehensive strategies that reduce and prevent crime and violence.

Examples of programs supported by BJA to meet these mandates include the following:

• Boys & Girls Clubs provide comprehensive prevention programs and activities for youth. BJA allotted $4.3 million in FY 1995 to establish and expand Boys & Girls Clubs in public housing and other at-risk communities.
  
  
• Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) received BJA subgrants for five D.A.R.E. Regional Training Centers to provide training and technical assistance and support program development efforts for the D.A.R.E. program. These centers are the Arizona Department of Public Safety, City of Los Angeles Police Department, Illinois State Police, North Carolina Bureau of Investigation, and Virginia State Police.
  
  
• National Night Out emphasizes empowering neighborhoods and developing effective police-community partnerships to combat crime and violence in communities.
  
  
• National Citizens' Crime Prevention Campaign -- best known for McGruff the Crime Dog and his Take-a-Bite-Out-of-Crime slogan -- develops and implements crime, violence, and drug prevention materials to rally national, State, and local prevention efforts.
  
  
• Through the Vera Institute of Justice, Inc., the Transitional and Aftercare Services Program provides technical assistance and support to strengthen transitional and aftercare services for youth offenders who successfully complete correctional boot camp programs. The Program also supports the design of community-based intervention services for drug-dependent offenders.
  
  
• The Comprehensive Homicide Initiative is designed to combat homicide and increase homicide clearance rates through the development and demonstration of multifaceted programs and approaches.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

BJS statistical programs obtain data on criminal victimization, populations under correctional supervision, and Federal criminal offenders and case processing. Although BJS does not conduct any data collection programs that focus exclusively on juveniles, many ongoing statistical series (including those described below) obtain general information on persons age 18 and younger.

• The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is the primary source of information on crime victims and the consequences of crime. The survey reports the likelihood of victimization by rape, robbery, assault, larceny, household larceny, household burglary, or motor vehicle theft for various population segments. NCVS is the only national forum for victims to describe outcomes of crime and violent offender characteristics -- such as age, sex, race, and alcohol and drug use.
  
  A supplemental survey on school crime is being conducted to obtain student perceptions about difficulties obtaining drugs or alcohol, the prevalence of street gangs, and their fear of being attacked at school. Findings will be published in 1996.
  
  
• The BJS Corrections Statistics Program provides information on adult correctional populations and facilities gathered from Federal, State, and local corrections systems, including probation, jails, prisons, and parole. The program includes annual counts and characteristics of persons entering or exiting probation and parole, annual and midyear counts of incarcerated persons in State and Federal prisons and local jails, annual statistics on persons admitted or released from State and Federal prisons and on persons released from parole supervision, annual counts and characteristics of persons sentenced to death, and quinquennial surveys of national samples of prison and jail inmates and adult probationers.
  
  
• The National Judicial Reporting Program provides national data on judicial sentencing practices for persons convicted of a felony in State trial courts. These data include the number and characteristics of convicted felons, conviction offenses, types of sentences, sentence lengths, and amount of time from arrest to conviction and sentencing.
  
  
• State Court Processing Statistics provides data on the criminal justice processing of persons charged with felonies in 40 jurisdictions that account for about half the serious crime nationwide. The program tracks felony defendants from the charge by the prosecutor until case disposition for up to 12 months. Data are obtained on demographic characteristics, arrest offense, criminal justice status at time of arrest, prior arrests and convictions, bail and pretrial release, court appearance record, rearrests while on pretrial release, type and outcome of adjudication, disposition, and type and length of sentence.
  
  
• The Federal Justice Statistics Series provides annual data describing the prosecution, adjudication, sentencing, and correctional status of Federal offenders. These data cover all aspects of processing in the Federal justice system. Although data are available on youth offenders in the Federal system, few cases exist.
  
  
• The National Prosecutors Survey collects data on resources, policies, and practices of local prosecutors from a sample of chief litigating prosecutors in State court systems nationwide. The survey obtains basic information on staffing, operations, and current topics such as the use of innovative prosecution techniques, intermediate sanctions, plea bargaining, and workrelated assaults and threats. For the first time, the 1994 survey collected information on juvenile matters, such as mechanisms for transferring juveniles to criminal court.

Bureau of Prisons

While BOP does not operate grant award programs, BOP has established two priorities for juveniles in Federal custody. First, BOP is striving to expand the number of juvenile contracts, particularly in the eastern half of the country, to keep juveniles closer to their residences. Secondly, BOP is working with local officials and tribal members to create programs culturally specific to the needs of Native American juveniles.

Community Relations Service

CRS youth-related activities and priorities include a number of school-related racial conflict services.

• Student Problem Identification/Resolution (SPIR) Program, and Student Problem Identifying and Resolving It Together (SPIRIT). CRS provides training on this agency-established problem-solving approach for addressing conflict in multicultural schools and school districts. The programs involve a 2-day process in which students develop recommendations and a workplan to improve racial harmony in the school. A principal's student advisory council is also established as an ongoing mechanism to work directly with school administrators and faculty to address racial and ethnic issues in both a preventive and reactive manner. The SPIRIT program includes police involvement. CRS now trains police officers to conduct the SPIRIT program as part of a process to strengthen cooperation among police and schools.
  
  
• Conflict Dialogs. In the aftermath of serious school conflicts, CRS helps address immediate crisis and security issues. CRS then works with students, faculty, and administrators to review the etiology of the incident, identify causal factors, diffuse remaining tensions, and curtail rumors. CRS then helps design the most appropriate processes to address issues, prevent the reoccurrence of tensions, and institutionalize conflict resolution mechanisms.
  
  
• Conflict Mediation. In the aftermath of serious school conflict, CRS helps address immediate crisis and security issues. CRS then facilitates face-to-face discussions between groups in conflict in a structured process governed by groundrules and other mediation guidelines.
  
  
• Student Problem Solving Skill Building. CRS provides training sessions of variable length to help students identify, analyze, and resolve racial conflicts. CRS provides formal mediation skills training to prepare students to assist in mediating student conflicts.

In addition to these school-related activities, CRS provides other services that deal with community-related racial conflict involving youth. CRS is involved in a concerted national effort to improve relations between police and urban youth through community-oriented policing in police departments and communities throughout the Nation. The CRS publication Police and Urban Relations: AN ANTIDOTE TO RACIAL VIOLENCE provides useful guidelines and effective models for enhancing police and urban youth interaction.

Drug Courts Program Office

The Drug Courts Program Office supports the development of juvenile drug courts through planning, implementing, and enhancing grants. In FY 1995, four jurisdictions received planning grants:

• Cuyahoga County Juvenile Courts, Cleveland, Ohio.
  
  
• Fourth Judicial District, Missoula, Montana.
  
  
• 33d Judicial Circuit Court, Sikeston, Missouri.
  
  
• Newton County Board of Commissioners, Covington, Georgia.

Two jurisdictions, Cook County Judicial Advisory Council, Chicago, Illinois, and the University of Alabama in Birmingham, received grants to implement juvenile drug courts. Two additional jurisdictions (16th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Key West, Florida, and First Judicial District Court of Florida, Pensacola, Florida) received enhancement grants to add juvenile drug courts to their existing court systems.

Drug Enforcement Administration

DEA's goal as it relates to youth drug prevention and education is to contribute to the reversal of the upward trend in experimentation, use, and abuse of drugs by children and young people through initiation and coordination of and support for a range of prevention efforts designed to increase resistance, decrease risk, provide alternatives, and promote substance-free and healthy lifestyles. Programs and initiatives underway and planned to meet this goal include the following:

• Reprint Get It Straight! The Facts About Drugs for distribution in schools and use in other youth-based programs. Get It Straight! is DEA's new book for adolescents that presents the facts about drugs through child characters. This publication has been highly requested since its introduction in September 1996.
  
  
• As part of a newly formed partnership, work with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (B&GCA) to develop model club programs in various DEA Field Divisions. These programs will include substance abuse training for B&GC staff to be integrated into the Clubs' general program curriculum for youth and DEA employees volunteering in a variety of capacities to help support local clubs activities.
  
  
• Sponsor the National High School Athletics Coaches Association Training Conference in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, this year. The purpose of the seminar is to provide drug prevention and education training to high school coaches to help them identify drug use on their teams and implement prevention programs to address potential problems -- not only in athletics, but also in other activities throughout the school.
  
  
• Conduct substance abuse training for Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) officers, adults, coaches, and volunteers involved in youth programs.

Executive Office for United States Attorneys

EOUSA's goals and priorities regarding juveniles include slowing and preventing the spread of violence involving young people and promoting an environment for juveniles that is drug-free, gun-free, and gang-free. To achieve these goals, the United States Attorneys' offices participate in the following programs:

• The Department of Justice Anti-Gang Strategy.
  
  
• The Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative, which, in conjunction with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, traces firearms that end up in the hands of juveniles and follows up with prosecution of individuals who sell guns to juveniles.
  
  
• The Child Support Recovery Initiative, which focused on each district that filed at least two Child Support Recovery Act cases. So far, 80 of the 94 districts have filed child support recovery cases.

Many United States Attorneys' offices also participate, through the Law Enforcement Coordinating Council, in volunteer programs that work with schools to ensure that children can learn in an environment that is drug-free, gun-free, and gang-free.

Executive Office for Weed and Seed

The Executive Office for Weed and Seed supports several programs relating to juvenile justice or delinquency prevention.

• Youth as Resources (YAR) is a youth-led community service program that provides small grants to youth to design and carry out projects that meet communities' needs. The program is funded primarily with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds that are used to provide training, technical assistance, and materials to five Weed and Seed sites to implement YAR in public housing. Each participating housing authority must contribute in-kind support resources and provide a coordinator to manage the program.
  
  
• I CARE Hotline provides training and technical assistance for three Weed and Seed sites to implement I CARE Hotlines. The hotlines are staffed 24 hours per day, 365 days per year to provide prevention and intervention programs, referrals, and resources for children and teenagers.
  
  
• Youth Crime Watch of America is jointly funded by the Executive Office for Weed and Seed and OJJDP. The project provides young people with a wide range of crime- and drug-prevention and conflict resolution programs. Youth are trained in conflict resolution, peer-helping skills, and ways to address existing and potential crime problems by giving anonymous tips to law enforcement officials or school staff. The program provides schools and communities with a structure in which to build youth crime-prevention programs.

In addition to these national programs, Weed and Seed sites also implement a variety of local youth-related activities, such as truancy programs, athletic leagues, neighborhood cleanups, day camps, field trips, and holiday parties. Many of these programs are provided through the Weed and Seed Safe Haven program, which provides afterschool activities for youth.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

One of the priorities of the FBI Community Outreach Program is to establish communication with the community, the school system, and the workplace and to educate them regarding what the overall mission of the FBI is and how the Community Outreach Program supports the reduction of crime, drugs, gangs, and violence in schools, communities, and the workplace.

Immigration and Naturalization Service

Although INS does not administer or become directly involved in juvenile programming, it is involved in juvenile justice-related issues as a result of its authority to arrest and detain illegal alien minors in this country. Recently, INS committed itself to complying with specific criteria and standards regarding the housing, staffing, education, and release of juveniles (Reno v. Flores, 1993). INS also entered into an interagency agreement with the Community Relations Service (CRS) to increase the number of shelter beds for alien minors. CRS has arranged with nonprofit organizations to provide shelter care and other child welfare services to alien minors under the age of 18. In addition, funds have been made available through INS to support new shelter bed facilities for youth in Chicago, Illinois; Casa Grande, Texas; El Paso, Texas; Los Angeles, California; and San Francisco, California.

National Institute of Justice

As one of its priorities, NIJ funds research on crime and violence by and against juveniles. NIJ recently issued a research solicitation on family violence in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. This $4.4 million, 3-year research initiative solidifies an ongoing working relationship among these agencies to address issues relating to juvenile justice and delinquency prevention.

Office for Victims of Crime

OVC's programs and activities fall under five categories:

• Crime victim compensation is the direct payment to, or on the behalf of, a crime victim for crime-related expenses such as medical bills, mental health counseling, funeral costs, and lost wages. Every State administers a crime victim compensation program. Most programs have similar eligibility requirements and offer a comparable range of benefits. OVC supplements State resources through grants based on 40 percent of the amount of compensation benefits made by the State in a previous year.
  
  
• Crime victim assistance programs are direct service programs that provide services such as crisis intervention, counseling, emergency transportation to court, temporary housing, and criminal justice support and advocacy. All States receive victim assistance grant funding, which they award as subgrants to community-based public and nonprofit organizations such as hospitals, domestic violence shelters, child abuse programs, victim services programs run by law enforcement and prosecutors, and social service agencies that serve crime victims. Each State receives a base amount of $200,000 plus a percentage of the remaining amount based on population.
  
  
• OVC's Trainers Bureau provides training and technical assistance to victim assistance programs and agencies, which improves the services those programs provide to crime victims. The Trainers Bureau assists Federal, State, and local agencies in addressing training, administrative, and programmatic issues.
  
  
• OVC's Immediate Response to Emerging Problems (IREP) program is designed to improve services to communities that have experienced crimes resulting in multiple victimizations. The program provides rapid response and limited technical assistance based on the needs of victim service agencies; Federal, State, and local criminal justice agencies; U.S. Attorney's offices; Native American tribes; or other agencies that assist crime victims.
  
  
• OVC's Resource Center disseminates victim-related information to practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and crime victims. The OVC Resource Center collects, maintains, and disseminates information about national, State, and local victim-related organizations and about State programs that receive funds from OVC. The OVC Resource Center is a component of the National Criminal Justice Reference Service.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

OJJDP's Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders outlines the Office's strategy and approach for preventing, addressing, and reversing the rising trend of juvenile violence and victimization. This comprehensive strategy incorporates prevention and early intervention programs, coupled with a strong focus on law enforcement and a comprehensive system of graduated sanctions.

In addition, OJJDP focuses its assistance on developing and implementing programs and approaches that have the greatest potential for reducing juvenile delinquency and crime, enhancing the juvenile justice system, and strengthening partnerships with State and local public and private organizations. OJJDP's comprehensive strategy is centered on four major elements of a sound policy for juvenile justice and delinquency prevention:

• Strengthening the juvenile justice system.
  
  
• Ensuring public safety and law enforcement.
  
  
• Preventing and intervening with juvenile delinquency.
  
  
• Working for missing, exploited, and abused children.

The following examples demonstrate how OJJDP's programs and priorities reflect this strategy and approach.

• SafeFutures, a new comprehensive demonstration program, is designed to enable communities to develop and build a strong, community-based planning effort and strategy to address the problems of youth. SafeFutures emphasizes communitywide collaboration and planning to develop a comprehensive continuum of prevention and intervention services that address the needs of at-risk youth as well as serious and violent juvenile offenders.
  
  
• The Community-Based Gang Intervention Program is designed to help communities and public housing residents build coalitions to reduce gangs and violence in public housing. Components of this program include prevention and intervention activities and technical assistance to support local efforts and activities. OJJDP and HUD are working together to plan and implement this program.
  
  
• Pathways to Success is a collaboration among OJJDP, BJA, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Pathways to Success promotes vocational skills, entrepreneurial activities, recreation, and arts education after school for at-risk youth. Activities are conducted outside the regular school curriculum.
  
  
• Youth Environmental Service (YES) is a collaboration of OJJDP and the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of National Service and Educational Partnerships. The program goals are to increase the capacity of States and local communities to treat and rehabilitate juvenile offenders and to prevent at-risk youth from entering the juvenile justice system. These goals are accomplished by establishing a nationwide network of small, specialized residential and nonresidential environment and conservation work and education programs for youth on Federal lands.
  
  
• Title V Incentive Grants for Local Delinquency Prevention Programs are aimed at reducing delinquency and youth violence by helping communities develop and implement delinquency prevention strategies. Title V provides a framework and tools to help community members address the needs of their youth, children, and families in a comprehensive, coordinated manner. Title V funds are awarded through State agencies to units of local government to develop appropriate community-based prevention strategies.

Violence Against Women Grants Office

Although the mission of the Violence Against Women Grants Office does not specifically address juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, the Office's grant programs contribute to preventing the cycle of family violence that can lead to juvenile delinquency. Children and youth benefit from VAWA-supported programs that serve battered women. For example, shelters and service providers may use grant funds to develop programs to serve children of battered women, such as education programs that teach children nonviolent ways to resolve conflicts. Teenage victims of sexual assault also are eligible to receive assistance from programs supported with VAWA funds.

Back to Top

Collaborative Efforts

Bureau of Justice Assistance

Many juvenile justice and delinquency prevention programs represent joint efforts between BJA and OJJDP. Several programs involve participation by private foundations and other OJP agencies. BJA also brings together various service agencies and community organizations to assist and provide opportunities for communities and at-risk youth. Specific examples of linkages with other Federal agencies include:

• Pathways to Success, funded jointly by BJA, OJJDP, and the National Endowment for the Arts, is designed to encourage young people to explore a wide range of career and life options, such as arts education, recreation, job skills training, and business entrepreneurial programs.
  
  
• Public-Private Partnerships Against Violence in America is a funding collaboration among private and corporate foundations, DOJ, and other Federal agencies. It was established to address violence in America, particularly violence that affects children and youth.
  
  
• The National Training and Information Center is designed to implement a program to reduce crime and violence and help residents gain access to local job and employment services. BJA, in cooperation with the Employment and Training Administration of the the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), is supporting this effort.
  
  
• Truancy Reduction Training and Technical Assistance addresses the needs of truants, dropouts, children who are afraid to go to school, children who have been suspended or expelled, and children in the juvenile justice system. Program activities include training and technical assistance, regional hearings, and related support services. BJA and OJJDP are cooperating on this effort.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

BJS collaborates with other Federal agencies to meet priorities relating to juvenile justice. For instance, BJS and OJJDP jointly published the congressionally mandated report relating to child victims and their offenders. BJS collaborated with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a statistical series that measures the incidence of domestic violence and child abuse as indicated by hospital emergency rooms. BJS is currently working with other agencies to develop the Justice Statistics Electronic Data Resource, which will provide additional information relating to crime and victimization.

Bureau of Prisons

The BOP's incarceration of juveniles carries out the orders of federal courts. Transportation for juveniles is provided by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Community Relations Service

CRS is working with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to facilitate the development and implementation of youth focused community policing in selected EZ/EC sites throughout the country.

Drug Enforcement Administration

The Demand Reduction Section works closely with the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program, the U.S. Department of Education; the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention; the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Guard Bureau, Department of Defense, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development on demand reduction initiatives.

Executive Office for United States Attorneys

Current collaborative programs that the United States Attorneys' offices will continue to pursue in FY 1996 include Weed and Seed projects, Safe Streets/Safe Paths, and PACT (Pulling America's Communities Together).

Executive Office for Weed and Seed

The Weed and Seed strategy recognizes the importance of integrating Federal, State, and local law enforcement and criminal justice efforts with corresponding human service, private, and community resources to maximize the impact of existing programs. The following are examples of how this collaboration supports the Weed and Seed strategy.

• Federal Law Enforcement. Program implementation at the local level requires linkages between the United States Attorney's office, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and other Federal law enforcement agencies. FBI and DEA administer the Asset Forfeiture funds used in the Law Enforcement component of the strategy.
  
  
• Other Federal Agencies. Weed and Seed has developed formal interagency relationships with DOL (Step Up, Youth Fair Chance), HUD (HOPE VI, National Congress for Community Economic Development, Community Investment Centers, Youth as Resources), and HHS (National Performance Review Lab). Plans are currently under way to effect an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of the Navy (Drug Education For Youth program).
  
  Weed and Seed program funds are available to help sites participate in the President's National Service initiative. On June 20, 1994, the Corporation for National Service awarded DOJ $1.55 million to support 210 young workers in community criminal justice programs at Weed and Seed sites in 7 cities. During FY 1995, the AmeriCorps program was implemented in five Weed and Seed sites.
  
  
• DOJ Agencies. Implementation of the Weed and Seed program requires intra-agency cooperation from the offices of the United States Attorneys, BJA (in reviewing grant applications, processing awards, monitoring grant performance, and providing for training and technical assistance activities), NIJ (in developing and implementing the national evaluation of process and impacts), OJJDP (targeting certain grants, such as Race Against Drugs, into Weed and Seed sites), and other OJP components.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

The FBI has been involved in a number of collaborative efforts with other Federal and non-Federal agencies for almost 20 years.

• Since 1978, the FBI has been a member of the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), a nonprofit organization that publishes literature, trains, consults, and manages the McGruff campaign.
  
  
• Since 1989, the FBI and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) have been involved in a cooperative effort to reach high-risk, disadvantaged boys and girls from the inner city and public housing. FBI Coordinators work closely with their local BGCA to create and implement a number of drug prevention and youth development programs. These programs are designed to channel the energies of youth into positive, drug-free activities which will prepare them for productive lives.
  
  
• Since 1990, the FBI has been in partnership with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) to develop and implement programs to promote crime, drug, gang, and violence prevention geared for at-risk youth; and to provide crime, drug, gang, and violence education awareness to law enforcement agencies globally.
  
  
• Since 1990, the FBI and the Urban League have worked together in partnership to reduce crime, drugs, and violence within urban areas; to increase drug education awareness among inner city youth and adults; and to assist youth in adopting positive and alternatives lifestyles toward brighter futures.
  
  
• Since 1990, the FBI has been working with 21 major motor sport sanctioning organizations on the Race Against Drugs Program (RAD). Using the immense popularity of motor sport racing, this partnership has focused on educating children (kindergarten through eighth grade) about illegal drugs. Elements of the program include a youth activity drug education workbook centered around motor-sport racing, national essay contests, pledge signing ceremonies, rallies, and racetrack events.
  
  
• Since 1987, the FBI has maintained a partnership with the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) to work together to improve relationships among the FBI and the communities we serve. This effort is being accomplished through joint partnerships in adoption of schools with the purpose of mentoring/tutoring at-risk youth by providing them with positive role models.
  
  
• In March 1994, the FBI began a partnership with the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), one of the largest and oldest nondenominational, nonpartisan, international volunteer service organization of women in the world. The FBI provides training and resource materials to GFWC members. Through this partnership, many GFWC members have become actively involved in a variety of substance abuse prevention efforts in their communities.

Immigration and Naturalization Service

INS is working with CRS to expand shelter beds for alien minors. Through an interagency agreement, INS transfers funds to CRS to support the operation of juvenile shelter facilities and to inspect the programs and serve as the liaison with INS.

National Institute of Justice

NIJ is involved in several collaborative efforts with other Federal and private agencies and organizations. NIJ and the McArthur Foundation fund a project to study the link between physical development and neighborhood influences and criminal behavior. This $10 million longitudinal study is being conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health in a number of Chicago neighborhoods. NIJ entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Department of Education on the School Crime and Violence Prevention Project.

NIJ has developed an interagency partnership to share information among Federal agencies in an effort to reduce violence. This collaboration, called Partnerships Against Violence Network (PAVNET), brings together the resources of 30 Federal clearinghouses and gathers in one place (on paper and online) information on available resources for antiviolence projects and descriptions of more than 600 programs that work -- ranging from parent education and preschool programs to interventions for at-risk adolescents and alternative sanctions for youth offenders.

Office for Victims of Crime

OVC, in cooperation with the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program of the U.S. Department of Education and other Federal agencies, is providing emergency crisis resources to the Oklahoma Public Schools to develop a school personnel training program that is aimed at helping schools develop plans to respond to emergencies.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

To address the new and increasing challenges that relate to crime and delinquency across the country, DOJ has placed major emphasis on cooperative relationships among DOJ agencies and strong partnerships with local communities to address crime and violence. OJJDP's approach reflects this emphasis and demonstrates extensive efforts and commitment to develop and coordinate programs and solutions to prevent and address youth crime and violence across the country.

• OJJDP is working closely with BJA on the Comprehensive Communities Program (CCP), which is helping select communities with high rates of drug- and crime-related violence to establish a comprehensive crime- and drug-control planning and strategy development process. CCP requires law enforcement and other government agencies to work in partnership with the community to address these problems by focusing on the environment that fosters them.
  
  
• OJJDP is providing extensive technical assistance and training to four pilot jurisdictions in an interdepartmental program titled Project PACT (Pulling America's Communities Together). These four jurisdictions -- Atlanta, Denver, the District of Columbia, and Nebraska -- are developing coordinated solutions to violence. Key community leaders and officials are being trained and supported in their efforts to assess their juvenile and adult violence problem and to mobilize resources and responses to develop comprehensive, communitywide solutions.
  
  
• OJJDP is working with BJA on a comprehensive gang initiative, which requires participating sites to develop a comprehensive approach to gang issues that combines and balances prevention, intervention, and suppression efforts.
  
  
• OJJDP's SafeFutures: Partnerships To Reduce Youth Violence and Delinquency Program is based on two important assumptions: (1) that public safety can be improved by providing prevention, intervention, and treatment services to all at-risk youth and (2) that a comprehensive, consumer-based approach that includes broad collaboration among all service agencies, levels of government, and public and private sectors is essential for program success. Five jurisdictions are receiving funds, technical assistance, and support to implement the SafeFutures Program in their communities.
  
  
• OJJDP has a long-established working relationship with the Bureau of the Census to expand juvenile statistical reporting, thereby enhancing information available to juvenile justice system personnel and decisionmakers and improving the juvenile justice system.
  
  
• OJJDP is working with the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect of HHS and the Office for Victims of Crime to support the National Network of Children's Advocacy Centers, whose goals are to increase the number of such centers and improve communities' responses to child abuse and neglect.
  
  
• OJJDP is working with the U.S. Department of Commerce and HHS in supporting Communities [formerly Cities] in Schools, Inc. (CIS). OJJDP also is working with the U.S. Department of Defense to expand the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp (JROTC) and career academics through CIS programs.

Violence Against Women Grants Office

VAWA authorized $7 million in FY 1996 for grants to address domestic violence and child abuse in rural jurisdictions. The Violence Against Women Grants Office plans to contribute $1 million of these funds to the Child Victimization Initiative through OJP, which will support projects addressing child victimization in rural jurisdictions.

OJP also transfers a portion of funds appropriated for the S-T-O-P (Services-Training-Officers-Prosecutors) formula grant program to NIJ to support a statutorily mandated program evaluation.

Finally, the Administration for Children and Families of HHS administers several related grant programs authorized through VAWA. The Violence Against Women Grants Office staff regularly share program information and participate in training programs and activities with HHS staff.

Back to Top

Future Directions

Bureau of Justice Statistics

BJS is currently developing the Justice Statistics Electronic Data Resource, which will contain data files not available elsewhere, including selected crime information for all the Nation's counties (demographic information as well as arrest data); detailed information for the Nation's largest counties and cities (number of law enforcement officials, number of prosecutors, and inmate counts); customized trend information from the National Crime Victimization Survey; and State-level criminal justice data (FBI crime levels and rates). These files are in addition to the data sets available from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data. Both juvenile justice specialists and researchers will benefit from the information that will be collected from more than 3,000 counties and independent cities in the United States, as well as that from the homicide data from cities with populations greater than 200,000. BJS is coordinating with other DOJ and Federal agencies, including OJJDP, NIJ, the Bureau of the Census, and the National Center for Health Statistics, in developing this electronic data resource.

Bureau of Prisons

BOP will continue its activities and attempt to locate additional contract facilities.

Community Relations Service

CRS will continue to focus on activities directed towards resolving conflict among youth, and the further implementation of the youth focused community policing initiative.

Drug Courts Program Office

The Drug Courts Program Office plans to guide the further development of juvenile drug courts by sponsoring focus groups and offering training on the special circumstances and needs of juvenile offenders as they relate to drug courts. The effort will be a collaboration with the State Justice Institute, the Justice Management Institute, and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. The Drug Courts Program Office also is seeking to expand the collaboration to OJJDP and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. Additional funds will be available for the development of juvenile drug courts in FY 1996 and subsequent years.

Drug Enforcement Administration

DEA will continue its involvement in youth drug prevention and education programs and activities.

Executive Office for United States Attorneys

The United States Attorneys' offices have three high priority initiatives regarding juvenile that will continue in FY 1996:

• The violent crime initiative, which is in its third year. This initiative targets violent crime, including violent juvenile crime, through a cooperative effort between local, state and federal law enforcement.
  
  
• The anti-gang strategy, which targets suppression of gang activity in all 94 districts. This effort is also in cooperation with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
  
  
• The child support recovery efforts. The United States Attorneys' offices intend to continue its efforts to prosecute parents who fail to pay child support and to collect arrearages.

Executive Office for Weed and Seed

For FY 1996, the Executive Office for Weed and Seed and the U.S. Navy are discussing whether Weed and Seed can administer the Navy's Drug Education for Youth program, a two-phase program that consists of a 5- to 8-day summer camp and 10 months of followup mentoring. The program targets children ages 9 to 12, building self-esteem, physical fitness, and resistance to drug use.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

The FBI will continue to focus on youth-related issues and problems in collaboration with other Federal and private organizations in the coming year.

Immigration and Naturalization Service

INS will be developing a training program for all immigration officers who come in contact with juveniles. INS also anticipates opening 6 new juvenile shelter facilities, which will increase the number of juvenile shelter beds by at least 90 in the near future.

National Institute of Justice

NIJ will continue to fund research on crime and violence and include violence by and against juveniles as one of its priorities.

Office for Victims of Crime

OVC will continue to provide support for crime victim services, training programs for professionals who work with crime victims, and projects to enhance victims' rights and services through funds provided through the Victims of Crime Act of 1984.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

In 1993, OJJDP published the Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders, which sets forth principles for establishing a comprehensive continuum of care for juveniles. The FY 1995 document titled Guide for Implementing the Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders offers information related to the identification of risk and protective factors and about programs for preventing or reducing juvenile delinquency. These documents served as the foundation for Combating Violence and Delinquency: the National Juvenile Justice Action Plan, which was published by the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in March 1996. The Action Plan serves as an additional resource to help communities balance law enforcement and prevention services in order to reduce juvenile delinquency and violence.

The Action Plan prioritizes Federal activities and resources under eight critical areas:

• Strengthening the juvenile justice system.
  
  
• Prosecuting certain serious, violent, and chronic juvenile offenders in the criminal justice system.
  
  
• Targeting youth, gun, gang, and drug violence through comprehensive policing and prevention techniques.
  
  
• Creating positive opportunities for youth.
  
  
• Breaking the cycle of violence by addressing child victimization, abuse, and neglect.
  
  
• Mobilizing communities into effective partnerships for change.
  
  
• Conducting research and evaluation programs.
  
  
• Developing a public education campaign to inform citizens of successes both in addressing juvenile delinquency and violence and in rebuilding community confidence in addressing this problem.

In addition to these activities, OJJDP identified three new program areas for FY 1996. They are developing one-stop, community-based intake, assessment, and case referral centers and programs for juveniles who may require services or intervention; supporting linkages between community and law enforcement responses to youth gun violence; and improving the responses of dependency and criminal court systems and communities to child abuse and neglect. These activities, coupled with the Comprehensive Strategy implementation, form the basis for the OJJDP FY 1996 Program Plan.

Violence Against Women Grants Office

A new discretionary grant program will be offered in FY 1996 to address rural domestic violence and child victimization enforcement. This program will provide a unique opportunity for law enforcement, prosecution agencies, courts, nongovernmental victim service agencies, community organizations, and businesses in rural communities and Indian Nations to work together to create protocols and strategies to meet the needs of rural populations. The goals of the Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program are to:

• Develop and implement policies, protocols, and services designed to promote the early identification of, intervention in, and prevention of domestic violence and child victimization.
  
  
• Increase victims' safety and access to treatment and counseling.
  
  
• Enhance the investigation and prosecution of domestic violence and child abuse cases.
  
  
• Develop and implement innovative, comprehensive strategies that draw on the unique characteristics and resources of the rural jurisdiction to enhance community members' understanding of domestic violence and child victimization and to work together to prevent such violence.

Back to Top

FY 1995 Funding

Bureau of Justice Assistance

In FY 1995, approximately $8.8 million was spent on BJA programs that concentrated primarily on juvenile justice issues and programs. An additional $400,000 was transferred to OJJDP for juvenile-related programs. In addition, approximately $26 million was spent on programs that contained components addressing juvenile delinquency and crime issues. However, it is impossible to accurately determine what percentage of these funds was spent directly on youth-related issues.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Determination of agency expenditures for juvenile justice issues is not possible because information obtained relating to juveniles is only a small portion of the statistical data produced by BJS data collection programs.

Bureau of Prisons

In FY 1995 the BOP spent $4.6 million to house juveniles in contract facilities. This is approximately 7 percent of the contract detention budget. Since these expenditures were less than 1 percent of the $2.3 billion budget of the BOP for Salaries and Expenses, no graphic presentation is provided.

Community Relations Service

Due to the nature of the activities that CRS is engaged in, it is difficult to determine the amount of funding that was spent on youth-related activities.

Drug Enforcement Administration

In FY 1995, the budget for DEA's Demand Reduction program was approximately $630,000. This figure was applied to youth programs, as well as four other priority areas (anti-legalization, law enforcement training, coalitions, drugs in the workplace) within the agency's overall prevention and education program. Compared to the agency's overall budget of approximately $800 million, the portion designated for drug prevention and education totaled less than one-tenth of one percent of the agency's budget in 1995.

Executive Office for United States Attorneys

Due to the type and level of involvement in juvenile justice related programs and activities, to difficult to determine the actual percentage of funds spent on juvenile-justice related issues in FY 1995.

Executive Office for Weed and Seed

Weed and Seed funds for FY 1995 were approximately $23.5 million plus an additional $9 million from the Asset Forfeiture fund. Of that, $1.1 million was used for AmeriCorps, the national service initiative for youth.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

FY 1997 spending totaled $311,000, of which $156,000 was distributed to 56 field offices.

Immigration and Naturalization Service

In FY 1995, INS spent approximately $3.9 million through an interagency agreement with CRS to provide shelter care programs for unaccompanied minor aliens. This figure represents less than 1 percent of the total INS budget ($2 billion).

National Institute of Justice

In FY 1995, NIJ spent $3.9 million on research projects related to juveniles. That amount constitutes 14 percent of a total appropriation of $27 million.

Office for Victims of Crime

OVC awarded States and U.S. territories more than $477.7 million in victim assistance grants between 1986-1994. State victim compensation programs received more than $415.9 million between 1986-1994. Grant amounts for FY 1995 were not available at the time of publication.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

FY 1995 funding for OJJDP was approximately $162 million.

Violence Against Women Grants Office

In FY 1995, grants were available to States through the S-T-O-P formula grants. However, it is difficult to determine the amount of these funds that was spent directly on youth-related issues.

Back to Top

Legislative Citations

The following legislative citations further define or clarify the role or mission of various DOJ agencies and divisions.

Bureau of Justice Assistance

The Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, Pub. L. No. 90-351 (1968), 42 U.S.C. § 3741 et seq., provides legislative authority for the establishment of BJA. The Bureau administers the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Program, Pub. L. No. 100-690.

Bureau of Justice Statistics

The legislative mandate for BJS is set forth in title I, part C of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, Pub. L. No. 90-351 (1968), 42 U.S.C. §§ 3731-3735. Sections 302 (c)(3), (5), (6), and (7) authorize BJS to collect, analyze, publish, and disseminate statistical data on juvenile delinquency.

Bureau of Prisons

The commitment of juvenile offenders is provided for in 18 USC 5039. In addition 18 USC 5037 states that "The provision dealing with probation set forth in sections 3563, 3564, and 3565 are applicable to an order placing a juvenile on probation." This permits the placement of juveniles in facilities as a condition of probation.

Drug Courts Program Office

Title V of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, Pub. L. No. 103-322,42 U.S.C. §§ 3796ii-3796ii8, authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to States, State courts, local courts, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments for the establishment of drug courts. That authority has been delegated to the Assistant Attorney General, OJP. The OJP Drug Courts Program Office was established to administer the Drug Court Grant Program and to provide financial and technical assistance, training, related programmatic guidance, and leadership. The Act authorizes $100 million for FY 1995, with increasing amounts through the year 2000, totaling $1 billion. In FY 1995, Congress appropriated $29 million for the Drug Court Grant Program, but then reduced the funding level to $11.9 million through the rescissions bill.

Executive Office for United States Attorneys

The United States Attorneys' offices have statutory authority under Title 18, United States Code, section 5032 to file juvenile delinquency petitions. Additionally, the United States Attorneys' offices file child support recovery cases pursuant to Title 18, United States, section 228.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, Pub. L No. 90-351, Title I, Part G, sec. 701, as added by the Comprehensive Crime Control of 1984, Pub. L. No. 98-473, Title II, ch. VI, div. I, sec. 609A(a), 98 Stat. 1976, 2090 (1984) (codified at Title 42, U.S.C., Section 3771 (which describes functions, powers, and duties of the Director of the FBI).

National Institute of Justice

The Omnibus Crime Control Act of 1970, Pub. L. No. 91-644, authorizes NIJ to sponsor special projects and research and development programs to:

• Strengthen and improve the criminal justice system and reduce or prevent crime.
  
  
• Develop new crime-fighting technologies.
  
  
• Conduct national demonstration programs that use promising approaches to improve the criminal justice system.
  
  
• Evaluate criminal justice programs.
  
  
• Support local efforts to provide alternatives to prevent detention, jail, and prison for individuals who do not pose a threat to the community.
  
  
• Recommend improvements to the criminal justice system.
  
  
• Conduct research to determine the causes and correlates of crime and delinquency.

Office for Victims of Crime

The Victims of Crime Act of 1984, Pub. L. No. 98-473, Ch. XIV (1984), 42 U.S.C.

§ 10601, authorized the Crime Victims Fund, which is administered by OVC.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

OJJDP was established by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 1974 Pub. L. No. 93-415 (1974), 42 U.S.C. § 5601 et seq. Under Title II, OJJDP funds gang and mentoring programs and administers the State Formula Grant and State Challenge Grant activities, Special Emphasis Discretionary Grant Program, and the National Institute for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

OJJDP administers the Missing and Exploited Children's Program through the Missing Children's Assistance Act of 1984, Pub. L. No. 93-415, Title IV (1974), as amended by Pub. L. No. 98-473, Title II, § 660 (1984) (codified at 42 U.S.C. §§ 5771-5780). OJJDP also administers the Title V Prevention Incentive Grants Program and programs under the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990, as amended, Pub. L. No. 101-647, Title II (1990), 42 U.S.C. § 13001 et seq.

Violence Against Women Grants Office

The Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program, Pub. L. No. 103-322, Title IV (1994), 42 U.S.C. § 13971, implements certain provisions of VAWA, which was enacted as title IV of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.

Back to Top