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An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Juvenile justice reform

Serving Children at Home

Research has consistently shown that youth involved in the justice system have better outcomes and are less likely to reoffend when they receive services and supervision in their home communities, not in institutions.

Treat Children as Children

Young people who come into contact with the juvenile justice system deserve the same opportunities as their peers who have never faced system involvement.

Centering Youth and Families

OJJDP wholeheartedly embraces the "nothing about us without us" principle. We do more than work for justice-involved young people—we work with them.

OJJDP's 2024 National Conference on Youth Justice Showcases Youth Leadership

Ronaldo Villeda, Youth Reentry Fellow for AIR (far right)

More than 2,500 attendees united at OJJDP's 2024 National Conference on Youth Justice November 19–21, in Washington, DC. The conference, cosponsored by the federal Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, brought together young people, families, youth justice practitioners, community leaders, educators, OJJDP grantees, and policymakers to discuss transforming juvenile justice. The conference was the capstone of OJJDP's yearlong 50th anniversary celebration of...