Feature articles in this issue of the newsletter on the activities of the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) include information on the Restorative Justice Working Group, training for juvenile court prosecutors, a symposium on AMBER Alert in Indian Country, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Conference, and a program that led to the arrests of 1,700 suspected child sexual predators.
In July 2019, restorative justice advocates and practitioners from across the country joined OJJDP leaders to begin preparing a guide that will assist jurisdictions in implementing effective restorative justice programs. On July 31-August 2, 2019, OJJDP helped support a pilot training program for juvenile court prosecutors that is consistent with the latest science and research. On July 30-August 1, 2019, OJJDP hosted the first symposium on National AMBER Alert in Indian Country. On July 28-31, 2019, OJJDP participated in the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges 82nd Annual Conference as part of its mission to provide training, technical assistance, and research for improving the effectiveness of juvenile and family courts. It was announced in June 2019 that the OJJDP-funded Internet Crimes Against Children task forces had arrested about 1,700 suspected online child sex offenders as a result of Operation Broken Heart. It targeted suspects who produce, distribute, receive, and possess child pornography, engage in online enticement of children for sexual purposes, and engage in the sex trafficking of children. Other newsletter sections provide a profile of OJJDP's Senior Policy Adviser, Cynthia Pappas; descriptions of upcoming OJJDP-related events; and "News in Brief."