This bulletin describes the efforts of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to assist Tribal communities in addressing risk factors for delinquency.
Tribal youth in the United States are exposed to a variety of risk factors that increase their chances of becoming involved in delinquency and violent offending. This is compounded by the fact that Tribal communities lack the available resources for families and youth, as well as for the social services and law enforcement agencies serving them. The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) attempts to address these problems by enhancing Indian country law enforcement and improving the quality of life in Tribal communities through its Tribal Youth Initiatives. This bulletin highlights OJJDP’s current activities, under the Tribal Youth Initiative in five program areas: (1) OJJDP’s Tribal Youth Program (TYP) provides funds directly to Tribal communities to develop programs that prevent violent crime, and improve Tribal juvenile justice programs; (2) the TYP Mental Health Project supports efforts to diagnose and treat at-risk Tribal youth; (3) the Comprehensive Indian Resources for Community and Law Enforcement (Circle) Project helps Tribal communities develop comprehensive programs to address crime, violence, and substance; (4) OJJDP provides training and technical assistance to TYP grantees and other Tribal communities; and (5) OJJDP funds research and evaluation activities that focus on juvenile justice problems in Tribal communities. Additional OJJDP activities involving Tribal communities are summarized, as well as the Tribal youth field-initiated research and evaluation program and the longitudinal study of Tribal youth risk and resiliency. These Tribal youth initiatives are intended to help build a better future for American Indian and Alaska Native youth and their families. References