This May/June 2022 issue of OJJDP News features the “Top Story” of Youth Advocate Liz Ryan being named as the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), along with articles on the 2022 National Missing Children’s Day virtual commemoration, volunteers advocating for youth in foster care, and efforts to protect youth who identify as LGBTQI+ and Two Spirit.
Liz Ryan was installed as OJJDP Administrator on May 16, 2022, following her appointment by President Biden. She has advocated for juvenile justice reform for just over 20 years, most recently as President and CEO of the Youth First initiative, which she founded in 2014. May is National Foster Care Month. The National Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Guardians ad Litem (GAL) Association for Children, an OJJDP grantee, oversees a national network of volunteer advocates who annually serve approximately 242,000 children, most of them living in foster care. The Department of Justice observes National Missing Children’s Day each May, which recognizes law enforcement professionals and private citizens whose significant contributions assist in recovering missing children. In 2021, parents and caregivers in the United States filed 337,195 missing children reports with law enforcement agencies. “News In Brief” reports on OJJDP’s addressing of mental health needs of youth at risk for delinquency and victimization; the Nation Mentoring Resource Center’s launching of the Grantee Geomap; OJJDP’s updating of the Statistical Briefing Book with data on teen dating violence; an OJJDP study’s finding that the quality of mentor-mentee bond impacts youth outcomes; CrimeSolutions adding of two practices rated as “effective;” and a report summary of findings on causes and consequences of school violence. Ways of contacting and accessing OJJDP for information and resources are indicated, and online access is provided for four recent OJJDP publications.