This videotape presents a teleconference on juvenile justice issues.
The Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), J. Robert Flores, discusses the research, program priorities, and resources of the OJJDP. The OJJDP addresses juvenile delinquency, crime, and victimization; supports State and local communities in their efforts to improve the juvenile justice system; and seeks ways to prevent juvenile delinquency and juvenile recidivism. The Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice is a Cabinet-level organization that investigates best practices and research in the juvenile justice field. Research and program development activities focus on credible and useful information that can generate policy decisions. The priorities of research are on very young offenders, causes of juvenile delinquency, juvenile transfers to criminal court, youth gangs, diversion from juvenile courts, juvenile corrections, and national statistics on juveniles and their victims. Practitioners can find out what research has been done by logging onto the OJJDP Web site or contacting the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse for written materials. Program priorities of the OJJDP are child prostitution, truancy, disproportionate minority confinement, and Tribal assistance. Faith-based initiatives to strengthen families and provide access to best practices are also planned. Resources are available to State and local practitioners through the Information, Dissemination, and Planning Unit, and the Training and Technical Assistance Division of the OJJDP. The Information, Dissemination, and Planning Unit provides the latest information on initiatives and research. The Training and Technical Assistance Division assesses training needs and develops training resources for juvenile justice agencies.