Establishing and Maintaining Interagency Information Sharing

• NCJ Number: 178281
• Author(s): Julie Slayton Ph.D.
• Date Published: March 2000
• Length: 16 pages
• Publication Series: OJJDP Juvenile Accountability Block Grants Series
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

This bulletin, part of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants, summarizes what is necessary to establish and maintain an interagency information sharing program.

Abstract

The bulletin presents strategies and sources for the development of information sharing programs, details the functional requirements for an effective program, and identifies policy concerns and key issues in the implementation and maintenance of information sharing programs. The bulletin indicates agencies involved in building collaborative information sharing programs should consider such issues as legal restrictions in Federal and State laws, the need for an evaluation strategy to assess program effectiveness, and potential barriers to successful program outcomes. Further, the bulletin recommends states and municipalities use multidisciplinary and multi-agency approaches to prevent juvenile delinquency. This means creating partnerships among representatives from a variety of fields, including public health, mental health, juvenile justice, education, the legal community, child welfare, child advocacy, and law enforcement. Members of the community, families, and private citizens should also be included. Specific examples of promising information sharing programs in Maryland, Texas, and Missouri are briefly described, and a model interagency agreement is included. 15 references