NCJ Number
105436
Date Published
1981
Length
143 pages
Annotation
This report describes 45 Federal programs that provided assistance in 1980 to State and locally operated youth programs, addressing their target populations, strategies, expenditures, plans, and relationships with delinquency prevention.
Abstract
The programs identified in the study were spread out over 7 cabinet-level departments and 2 independent agencies. Only 20 percent had the reduction or prevention of delinquency explicitly stated in their legislation. Approximately one-third reported that they served youth who had formal contact with the juvenile justice system. Only five programs indicated any significant involvement in efforts to deinstitutionalize status offenders and neglected youth, a mandate of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. When classified according to primary area of emphasis, 29 percent of the programs focused on education, 18 percent on employment, 20 percent on physical and mental health, 15 percent on social services, and 18 percent on a combination of these activities. Based on program strategies, nearly all programs were potentially related to delinquency prevention. After providing a detailed analysis of the programs, the report describes the activities of the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency. It also discusses implications of these findings for Federal policy and makes recommendations to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Federal effort. Tables and graphs.