OJJDP Funds New Center Targeting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Youth Justice
The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform is launching the Center for Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice, in partnership with the Coalition for Juvenile Justice and the Center for Children’s Law and Policy. The new Center will be multifaceted and take a proactive approach, aiming to bridge the gap between research and practice.
Diversion Programs Offer Treatment While Keeping Youth Out of the Justice System
Youth who engage in delinquent behavior may face lasting consequences—including a criminal record—even for first-time offenses. Diversion programs provide youth access to community-based services, offering a path to treatment that helps to keep them from entering the juvenile justice system.
From the Administrator's Desk
Offering a Path to Redemption and Growth
“Kids are kids. Kids make rash decisions and they act on impulse, which can lead them down the wrong path, as we've heard. But kids can change. . . . To be clear: we're not excusing delinquent behavior, we're just explaining it and sharing the data on what we know about kids. We know that there's a path towards rehabilitation and growth."
—OJJDP Administrator Liz Ryan, speaking at the Youth Justice Symposium in Minneapolis on February 1.
From the Field: Teaching Parents To Protect Kids from Financial Sextortion
Parents once worried about strangers lurking in the local park or trailing children home from school, says ICAC Commander Sgt. Sean Pierce. “Now, that guy is in your house.” The Vigilant Parent Initiative helps parents protect kids from online financial sextortion.
Webpage Highlights the Experiences of Native Youth Who Identify as Two-Spirit or LGBTQ+
OJJDP’s Tribal Youth Resource Center launched a Two-Spirit and Native LGBTQ+ resources webpage to help raise awareness about “the many struggles, challenges, and triumphs” of Native youth.
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News In Brief
- Looking Back, Moving Forward: Celebrating 50 Years of the JJDPA
- OJJDP Seeks Applicants for Youth Reentry Technical Assistance Fellowship Program
- Coordinating Council Requests Feedback on Services To Keep Kids Out of the Juvenile Justice System
- Data Snapshot Reveals Trends Among Youth in Residential Placement
Access and download bulletins, fact sheets, data snapshots, reports, and other OJJDP publications.
Learn about upcoming trainings, conferences, webinars, and other events. View the Events Calendar.
Learn about funding opportunities from OJJDP.
The number of youth held in U.S. residential placement facilities fell below 25,000 in 2021, a decrease of more than 11,500 compared to 2019. OJJDP’s new data snapshot, Trends and Characteristics of Youth in Residential Placement, 2021, details these and other statistics drawn from OJJDP’s biennial Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement.