Juvenile Justice: Status of Delinquency Prevention Program and Description of Local Projects

• NCJ Number: 165047
• Author(s): J M Blume; R B Groskin; S M Kaufman; D E Jack; P V Williams; S C Bray; A H Finley
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 45 pages
• Corporate Author: US Government Accountability Office
• Sale Source: Azimuth Inc.; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Title V of the 1992 reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act authorizes the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to award incentive grant funds for local juvenile delinquency prevention projects.

Abstract

Title V grant funds are designed to encourage local governments to mobilize support from community leaders, develop multiyear prevention plans, and pool public and private resources to implement programs that reduce the future incidence of delinquent behavior and youth crime. To be eligible for Title V funds, grantees must provide a 50-percent match of the grant amount, including in-kind contributions. According to the OJJDP, the Title V Delinquency Prevention Program has been implemented on the basis of risk-focused prevention strategies identified in the social development prevention model, Communities That Care (CTC). The CTC model defines five categories of risk factors that predict juvenile delinquency: individual characteristics, family influences, school experiences, peer group influences, and community and neighborhood factors. The $33 million appropriated in fiscal years 1994 and 1995 for Title V went to 60 jurisdictions. Of 51 jurisdictions responding to a survey of juvenile delinquency prevention projects, 45 said they awarded $18.9 million in Title V funds to 332 local government units to support 277 projects. Well over half of the projects focused on providing client services; 81 percent reported addressing delinquency problems affecting youth in early adolescence, 70 percent reported dealing with youth in middle adolescence, and 78 percent reported addressing multiple risk factors in three or more problem areas. Details are provided on funds allocated to and spent by juvenile delinquency prevention projects, sources and amounts of matching funds, and the use of Title V funds by juvenile justice agencies. Six local juvenile delinquency prevention projects are described. 8 tables and 3 figures