Profile of the Federal Effort in Juvenile Justice

• NCJ Number: 80492
• Author(s): D Matsuda; J Foley
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 45 pages
• Corporate Author: Youth Policy Institute
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; Youth Policy Institute
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

This report reviews past, present, and proposed Federal policies and practices in juvenile justice, especially the activities of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).

Abstract

The report traces Federal concern for juvenile justice to 1912, when Congress created the Children's Bureau to investigate and report on youth-related issues. Subsequent legislation targeting juvenile delinquency and juvenile justice culminated in 1974 with the establishment of the OJJDP within the Department of Justice and with the creation of a program for runaways. In 1980, Congress reenacted the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act, extending the agency's charter for 4 years. OJJDP provides technical assistance and formula grants to participating States and territories, placing special emphasis on developing new approaches to delinquency prevention. A research, training, and information branch -- the National Institute for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention -- conducts regular analyses of OJJDP and has established assessment centers which produce reports on delinquency-related topics. OJJDP also provides support to the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the National Advisory Committee for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The report describes important current issues in juvenile justice that have emerged on national and local levels. These are deinstitutionalization; handling of serious minority offenders; OJJDP funding practices; the need for standards, monitoring, and evaluation; the juvenile court system; and leadership in juvenile justice. Future programs and policies will focus on the changes in OJJDP mandated by the 1980 reauthorization law regarding, for example, the paperwork involved in formulating State plans, the transfer of funds to States, the special emphasis areas, and the requirement that States remove all juveniles from adult facilities within 5 years. The report includes a glossary, a description of OJJDP activities, a list of requests for funding, a breakdown of the Federal juvenile justice budget, a list of formula grants under the JJDP Act, and an outline of special emphasis areas.