Deviance

The juvenile justice system has evolved though four periods since the juvenile courts’ creation more than a century ago: the Progressive Era (1899–1960s), the Due-Process Era (1960s and 1970s), the Get-Tough-on-Crime Era (1980s and 1990s), and the contemporary reaffirmation of the Kids-Are-Different Era (2005 to the present) [Luna, 2017; National Research Council, 2013]. The juvenile justice system evolved to hold youths who offend accountable for...

In 1979, Hermon Goldstein observed from several studies conducted at the time on standard policing practices that law enforcement agencies seemed to be more concerned about the means rather than the goals of policing. He argued that law enforcement agencies should shift away from the traditional, standard model of policing and that police become more proactive, rather than reactive, in their approaches to crime and...

OJJDP Support

To address youth gangs, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) supports a range of programs and activities designed to prevent and suppress gang violence and recruitment.

In fiscal year (FY) 2019, OJJDP awarded $7.4 million to support communities as they work to deter and suppress gang activity and provide services and treatment to victims of gang-related violence and crime. OJJDP...

• Overview
• Training and Technical Assistance
• Contacts
• Resources

Overview

In October 2009, the National Youth Gang Center, which had been funded by the OJJDP since 1995, merged with the National Gang Center, which had been funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance since 2003. This new partnership recognizes that street gang activities transcend ages of the members and that a balanced, comprehensive approach is needed to...

• Overview
• Programs and Funding
• Training and Technical Assistance
• Contacts
• Resources
   

Overview

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC) helps state and local law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and Internet crimes against children. This help encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, and community education. 

The program was developed in 1998, in...

• Overview
• Programs and Funding
• Core Requirements
• Training and Technical Assistance
• Resources

Overview

The Formula Grants Program is authorized under the JJDP Act of 1974, as amended.

OJJDP's Formula Grants Program supports state and local delinquency prevention and intervention efforts, and juvenile justice systems improvements. Within the program purpose areas, states can provide job training, mental health and substance use treatment, community-based programs and...

• Overview
• Funding and Programs
• Publications
   

Overview

Children are exposed to violence every day in their homes, schools, and communities. Such exposure can cause them significant physical, mental, and emotional harm with long-term effects that can last well into adulthood. Exposure to violence can limit children's potential and increase their likelihood of becoming involved in the juvenile or criminal justice system. These children are often more...

OJJDP envisions a nation where children are free from crime and violence. In fiscal year 2019, OJJDP awarded $323,477,998 in grants to support programs, research, training and technical assistance, and information dissemination activities that enhance public safety, ensure youth are held appropriately accountable, and empower them to live productive, law abiding lives.

OJJDP continues its commitment to programs and initiatives that focus on fostering police-youth...

Training Overview

In November 2018, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) hosted a training for state representatives in Baltimore, MD. Attendees included compliance monitors, disproportionate minority contact coordinators, juvenile justice specialists, and state advisory group members serving in one of those positions.

The 4-day training provided participants with an overview of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act, updates on...

• Overview
• Programs and Funding
• Research and Evaluation
• Training and Technical Assistance
• Contacts
• Resources

Overview

Children's Advocacy Centers coordinate the investigation, treatment, and prosecution of child abuse cases by utilizing multidisciplinary teams of professionals involved in child protective and victim advocacy services, law enforcement and prosecution, and physical and mental health.

Children's Advocacy Centers must include the following components:

• Child-appropriate facility.
• Multidisciplinary team.
• Designated legal entity responsible...

OJJDP's JUVJUST news services provides information on OJJDP and OJJDP-supported publications, funding opportunities, events, and more to subscribers. OJJDP will consider requests from other federal agencies to release information through the JUVJUST news service on a case-by-case basis. Subscribe to JUVJUST announcements.

Need Training and Technical Assistance? Access TTA360

TTA360 is OJJDP's centralized training and technical assistance (TTA) request system. It offers a single point of entry to access the full range of OJJDP's TTA services and network providers. Through TTA360, users can submit a TTA request, create an account, and view status of requests.

Launch TTA 360

Flow of a TTA Request

TTA requests submitted via...

Training and technical assistance (TTA) is the planning, development, and delivery of activities designed to achieve specific learning objectives, resolve problems, and foster the application of innovative approaches to juvenile delinquency and child victimization prevention.

Overview

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to those working to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization. A major component of...

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) encourages the use of evidence-based programs and practices. Evidence-based programs and practices generally have one or more rigorous outcome evaluations that demonstrated effectiveness by measuring the relationship between the program and its intended outcome(s). This includes measuring the direction and size of a change in outcome and the extent to which a change may be attributed...

Video: Learn about the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act

OJJDP held a master class on the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). Hosted by Senior Policy Advisors Jill Ward and Marcy Mistrett, it explores the origins of the JJDPA, its core protections for youth, and how these safeguards have evolved over time. They also discuss the law's impact on state juvenile justice systems...