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OJJDP News @ a Glance

This issue highlights OJJDP funding for fiscal year 2021, participation by OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon and OJJDP grantees at the National Mentoring Summit, and tips for effective Child Abduction Response Teams.
Message From the Acting Administrator
Add alt tag to Acting Administrator’s headshot: OJJDP Acting Administrator Chyrl Jones

Top Story: OJJDP’s Discretionary Awards Total Nearly $344 Million in Fiscal Year 2021

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OJJDP strives to create safer communities, improve juvenile justice systems, and empower youth to lead productive lives. To do this, the Office provides leadership to states, Tribes, and local governments and funds a broad array of evidence-based initiatives. In fiscal year (FY) 2021, OJJDP's 289 awards totaled nearly $344 million.

Youth Mentoring Programs and Services: $89.4 Million

OJJDP's mentoring awards serve a diverse population of youth, including youth impacted by opioids and drug addiction, those whose parents serve in the military or are incarcerated, and those living in rural communities. Awards also address the impact of bullying, including cyberbullying.

Under the National Mentoring Programs and the Multistate Mentoring Programs Initiative, OJJDP will distribute almost $71 million among 26 organizations to enhance and expand youth mentoring services. OJJDP's Mentoring for Youth Affected by the Opioid Crisis and Drug Addiction program will allocate $16 million to 20 organizations. The Office awarded the National Mentoring Resource Center more than $2.8 million to support mentoring organizations with comprehensive resources, evidence-based practices, and research.

Missing and Exploited Children: $47.3 Million

OJJDP will allocate nearly $37 million to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to fund operations and provide training and technical assistance that will help law enforcement recover missing and exploited children. Two additional training and technical assistance awards will support victims, their families, and the professionals who serve them, and will help the AMBER Alert network improve law enforcement responses to abducted children.

Victims of Child Abuse: $43.1 Million

OJJDP funds children's advocacy centers (CACs),  which use a multidisciplinary team approach to coordinate the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases and to treat victims.

Under the Children's Advocacy Centers National Subgrants program, OJJDP awarded more than $21 million to support local and regional CACs, state chapters, and multidisciplinary teams; provide services for victims of child pornography; and help military installations address child abuse. OJJDP will allocate $5 million to support the four regional CACs. The National Children's Alliance will receive $2.5 million for training and technical assistance to implement national standards for CACs.

To improve outcomes for abused and neglected children and youth in foster care, OJJDP awarded more than $11 million to the National Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian Ad Litem Association. The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges will receive just over $3 million to improve the judicial system's handling of child abuse and neglect cases.

Internet Crimes Against Children: $35.8 Million

OJJDP's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force program will receive nearly $30 million to maintain a national network of 61 multiagency, multijurisdictional task forces engaged in investigations, forensic examinations, and prosecutions of technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation; a $3.3 million training and technical assistance award will supplement the funding. A separate $3 million award will fund the development of investigative tools and technologies, and the training of law enforcement and prosecutors in investigative methods.

Drug Courts and the Opioid Crisis: $30.6 Million

OJJDP's drug court programs provide services for youth and families facing substance misuse challenges, including military veterans with substance use disorders. Under the Family Drug Court program, nearly $14 million will be distributed among 14 communities. OJJDP awarded almost $9 million to 12 communities and other organizations under the Opioid Affected Youth Initiative. Under the Juvenile Drug Treatment Court program, $7.9 million will be allocated among 11 jurisdictions seeking to establish or enhance a program.

Youth Gangs and Violence: $23.7 Million

A number of OJJDP programs emphasize community violence intervention strategies. Under the Comprehensive Youth Violence Prevention and Reduction program, OJJDP will distribute almost $15 million among 15 project sites to develop and implement intervention- and deterrence-focused strategies for reducing youth gun and gang violence. Under the Strategies to Support Children Exposed to Violence program, OJJDP will allocate $7 million among seven sites.

The National Gang Center will receive nearly $925,000 to bring community violence intervention strategies to interested communities.

Delinquency Prevention and Intervention: $17.4 Million

More than $17 million in OJJDP funds will support three programs that rely on evidence-based strategies to prevent and intervene in delinquency—the Reducing Risk for Girls in the Juvenile Justice System program, the Delinquency Prevention Grants program, and the Supporting Effective Interventions for Adolescent Sex Offenders and Children With Sexual Behavior Problems program.

Reentry Services for Youth and Families: $15.9 Million

OJJDP will distribute $1.5 million to two jurisdictions under the Family-Based Alternative Sentencing program to promote family unification and help prevent families' future involvement in the criminal justice system.

The Office awarded more than $14 million for two programs—the Second Chance Act Youth Offender Reentry program and the Second Chance Act Addressing the Needs of Incarcerated Parents With Minor Children program—to help communities implement and sustain effective reentry programs for youth.

Tribal Youth Initiatives: $14.2 Million

The Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) allows Tribes to submit a single application for Department of Justice Tribal grant programs. OJJDP is allocating $11.5 million to 25 Tribal entities under CTAS Purpose Area 8: Tribal Juvenile Healing to Wellness Courts program and CTAS Purpose Area 9: Tribal Youth Program.

OJJDP awarded close to $3 million to the Tribal Law and Policy Institute and the Center for Court Innovation to improve youth programs and juvenile justice systems, and to support a peer-led leadership initiative.

Juvenile Justice System Support: $11 Million

OJJDP awarded $11 million to fund resources, training, and technical assistance that enhance state efforts to improve juvenile justice systems. The grants were awarded under the Juvenile Justice System Reform initiative, the Enhancing Juvenile Indigent Defense program, the Addressing the Training Needs of Juvenile Prosecutors program, and the Juvenile Justice Emergency Planning Demonstration program.

Resource:

Visit OJJDP's Awards page to learn more about OJJDP's fiscal year 2021 awards.

Date Created: February 2, 2022