OJJDP News @ a Glance, March/April 2012

• NCJ Number: 238120
• Date Published: April 2012
• Length: 1 page
• Publication Series: OJJDP News @ a Glance
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

In presenting news and articles on activities related to the work of the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), this issue of "OJJDP News at a Glance" contains an interview with the OJJDP acting director, the Attorney General's address at the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention Summit, a report on the final hearings of the Task Force on Children's Exposure to Violence, a study on serious juvenile offenders, the new Web site of the National Girls Institute, and upcoming OJJDP events.

Abstract

The interview with the OJJDP acting director, Melodee Hanes, addresses her activities the past few months, OJJDP's challenges and opportunities, and priorities for OJJDP. In his address at the National Forum on Youth Violence, Attorney General Eric Holder recognized six cities for their progress in prevention youth violence and announced preliminary plans to expand the forum to four additional cities. The final two of four public hearings held by the National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence (March and April 2012) focused on testimony from professionals and community members about promising practices for countering high rates of violence against youth, as well as the benefit of investing in prevention, early identification of at-risk children, and intervention activities. Highlights from a study on serious juvenile offenders pertain to findings from 21,000 interviews over 8 years with approximately 1,300 felony offenders ages 14-18 in Philadelphia and Phoenix, as well as their parents and peers. The new Web site of the National Girls Institute provides resources for service providers, including tools for assessing the suitability of interventions for girls and information about grant proposal writing, funding sources, gender-responsive curricula, and training and technical assistance. Dates and features of upcoming events related to OJJDP activities are provided in one section of this issue.