This publication provides examples of Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) initiatives to reduce youth violence.
This brief publication discusses examples from a few initiatives funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to reduce youth violence. The OJJDP funds youth violence reduction initiatives that incorporate strength-based approaches to better meet the needs of youth impacted by gang and gun violence and support them on their pathway to safer, thriving lives. These initiatives seek to build up youth and create positive opportunities and strong community connections that prevent or mitigate their involvement in violence. Many even divert youth from the system or provide specific support for youth who are system-involved and returning to the community. They bridge the gaps in access to these opportunities by providing other wraparound supports. Keys to the success of these efforts are an understanding of young people’s strengths, interests, and potential and the process to help them realize these. By exploring the approaches that some of these initiatives take, the opportunities with which they can connect youth, and their insights on the process, current and emerging youth violence reduction initiatives can refine or reassess how they support impacted youth, especially those involved in the justice system.