[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 244 (Tuesday, December 19, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79674-79696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-32094]
[[Page 79673]]
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Part IV
Department of Justice
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Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
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Comprehensive Program Plan for Fiscal Year 2001; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 65 , No. 244 / Tuesday, December 19, 2000 /
Notices
[[Page 79674]]
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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
[OJP (OJJDP)-1297]
Comprehensive Program Plan for Fiscal Year 2001
AGENCY: Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention, Justice.
ACTION: Notice of final program plan for fiscal year 2001.
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SUMMARY: The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is
publishing this notice of its Final Program Plan for fiscal year (FY)
2001.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eileen M. Garry, Acting Deputy
Administrator, State, Local, and Tribal Grants and Child Protection
Division/Director, Information Dissemination and Planning Unit, at 202-
307-0751. [This is not a toll-free number.]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is a component of the Office of Justice
Programs in the U.S. Department of Justice. Pursuant to the provisions
of Section 204 (b)(5)(A) of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 5601 et seq. (JJDP Act),
the Acting Administrator of OJJDP published for public comment a
Proposed Comprehensive Plan describing the program activities that
OJJDP proposed to carry out during fiscal year (FY) 2001 under Parts C
and D of Title II of the JJDP Act, codified at 42 U.S.C. 5651-5665a,
5667, 5667a. The public was invited to comment on the Proposed Plan
(published on September 26, 2000, at 65 FR 57912) by November 13, 2000.
The Acting Administrator analyzed the public comments received, and the
comments and OJJDP's responses are provided below. The Acting
Administrator took these comments into consideration in developing this
Final Comprehensive Plan describing the particular program activities
that OJJDP intends to fund during FY 2001, using in whole or in part
funds appropriated under Parts C and D of Title II of the JJDP Act.
OJJDP acknowledged in the Proposed Plan that at the time of
publication its FY 2001 appropriation was not yet final. OJJDP
indicated that depending on the outcome of these legislative actions,
it might alter how its programs are structured and make any necessary
modifications in the Final Plan following the public comment period.
This Final Plan responds to and is consistent with the public comments
on the Proposed Plan.
Notice of the official solicitation of grant or cooperative
agreement applications for competitive programs to be funded under the
Final Comprehensive Plan will be published at a later date in the
Federal Register. No proposals, concept papers, or other forms of
application should be submitted at this time.
Background
In developing its program plan for Parts C and D each year, OJJDP
takes into consideration the latest available data on U.S. juvenile
crime and victimization and views these statistics in relation to those
of recent years. In 1999, the Nation experienced its fifth consecutive
year of an unprecedented drop in the rate of juvenile arrests for a
violent offense. Violent offenses include murder, forcible rape,
robbery, and aggravated assault. These offenses constitute the FBI's
Violent Crime Index offenses. The rate of juvenile arrests for these
offenses in 1999 was at its lowest level since 1988-36 percent below
the peak year of 1994 (compare 339 arrests per 100,000 youth in 1999
versus 512 in 1994 and 327 in 1988). (For more information, see the
OJJDP Bulletin Juvenile Arrests 1999 (in press) by Howard N. Snyder.
Copies of this publication and others cited in this Final Program Plan
are available from OJJDP's Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at 800-638-
8736 or online at OJJDP's Web site at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org.)
The rate of youth victimization has followed similar patterns as
that of youth offending. From 1973 (when the Bureau of Justice
Statistics began collecting victimization statistics) to 1988, the
victimization rate for all persons remained fairly stable. Starting in
1988, the rate of victimization for youth ages 12 to 15 and ages 16 to
19 began an unprecedented increase. In that year, the rate for 12- to
15-year-olds was 83.7 per 100,000, and for 16- to 19-year-olds, it was
98.2 per 100,000. By 1994, when the rates peaked, it was 118.6 per
100,000 for 12- to 15-year-olds and 123.9 per 100,00 for 16- to 19-
year-olds. In the following 5 years, however, both rates began a
precipitous decline, resulting in rates comparable to those of the
early 1980's. In 1999, the rate for the younger age group (12-15) was
74.5 per 100,000 and for older juveniles (16-19) was 77.6 per 100,000.
The social conditions facing youth have also changed. According to
America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2000, a
publication of the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family
Statistics, the poverty rate of children dropped to 18 percent in 1998
from its high of 22 percent in 1993. Deaths among adolescents age 15 to
19 continued to decline. In 1997, the mortality rate of this age group
was 75 per 100,000, compared with the high of 89 per 100,000 seen in
1991. Declines in deaths from firearm injuries between 1994 and 1997
contributed to this drop. Since 1993, the rate of juvenile violent
victimization has decreased from 44 victims per 1,000 juveniles ages
12-17 to 25 per 1,000. This decrease was present for virtually every
demographic category.
On the other hand, many negative social indicators have remained at
high levels. From 1980 to 1998, the percent of young adults ages 18 to
24 who had completed high school remained relatively flat at 85
percent. The prevalence of heavy drinking among adolescents has
remained constant as has the prevalence of regular cigarette smoking.
Illegal drug use among 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students has not
changed from 1998 to 1999. In fact, although drug use among 12th
graders had declined in the 1980's, since 1992, illicit drug use has
increased among this population. (For more information, see America's
Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2000.)
Although the arrest rates for juveniles have dropped, the juvenile
justice system still must deal with a very heavy caseload of juvenile
offenders. In 1997, the juvenile justice system held 105,790
individuals for offenses in residential facilities throughout the
country. Although not strictly comparable to past numbers (because of
different data collection methods), this number indicates an increase
over the approximately 94,500 offenders held in residential placement
in 1995. The Nation's juvenile courts handled 1.76 million delinquency
cases in 1997. While this number had remained stable since 1996, it
represented a 48-percent increase over the 1988 caseload. In 1997,
juvenile courts sentenced 179,800 youth to out-of-home placement and
another 645,600 to probation. The proportion of all cases in the courts
receiving such dispositions did not change much from 1988 to 1997
(fluctuating mildly in the intervening years). However, by 1997
juvenile courts were sentencing more youth than ever to these
dispositions because of the increase in the total number of cases
handled. The benefits of a decreased arrest rate have yet to filter
through the system to decrease rates of incarceration or probation.
Because of the dramatic changes in juvenile arrests and the state
of youth in
[[Page 79675]]
the country, concerns about the juvenile justice system have shifted
over the past decade. While at the beginning of the 1990's some
predicted a plague of violence caused by juveniles, the Nation now
faces quite a different situation as a new millennium dawns. Today the
challenge is to find solutions to a different set of related issues
such as drug dependency, mental health care, and a large residential
population of juvenile offenders. The decrease in juvenile arrests is
not a signal to become lax in attending to the problems of youth.
Instead, it should be considered a sign of encouragement to continue
emphasizing the beneficial programs and the effective intervention
efforts currently under way.
The causes of the downward trends in juvenile violence are complex.
Current research cannot yet say with certainty what combination of
programs and social factors led to this decline. However, national
statistics and research point to community policing, gun violence
prevention programs, gang intervention, school safety efforts, and
prevention programs such as mentoring as effective factors in reducing
juvenile violence and victimization. OJJDP will continue support of
innovative programs, evaluation of these and other programs, research,
and national data collection. With the results of these efforts,
policymakers and practitioners will be in a better position to make
informed choices in their mix of programs and approaches to best serve
their communities. Their efforts will help to reinforce the existing
trends away from juvenile violence and delinquency, and OJJDP is
committed to continuing to support their work.
OJJDP's Final Program Plan for Fiscal Year 2001 focuses on
solidifying the gains achieved in reducing the rate of juvenile
arrests. It continues to emphasize programs that provide an environment
for youth that encourages prosocial development. The Final Program Plan
contains research and program evaluation projects that expand an
understanding of why the final years of the 1990's were so beneficial
for youth. It expands efforts to enhance the capacity of the juvenile
justice system as a whole to make the right decisions for youth.
In this Final Comprehensive Plan, OJJDP describes its priorities
for funding activities authorized under Part C (National Programs) and
Part D (Gang-Free Schools and Communities; Community-Based Gang
Intervention) of Title II of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention (JJDP) Act. The activities authorized under Parts C and D
constitute part, but not all, of OJJDP's overall responsibilities,
which are outlined briefly below.
In 1974, the JJDP Act established OJJDP as the Federal agency
responsible for providing national leadership, coordination, and
resources to develop and implement effective methods to prevent and
reduce juvenile delinquency and improve the quality of juvenile justice
in the United States. OJJDP administers State Formula Grants under Part
B of Title II, State Challenge Grants under Part E of Title II, and
Community Prevention Grants under Title V of the JJDP Act to assist
States and territories to fund a range of delinquency prevention,
control, and juvenile justice system improvement activities. OJJDP
provides support activities for these and other programs under
statutory set-asides that are used to provide related research,
evaluation, statistics, demonstration, and training and technical
assistance services.
Under Part C of Title II of the JJDP Act, OJJDP funds Special
Emphasis programs and--through its National Institute for Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention--numerous research, evaluation,
statistics, demonstration, training and technical assistance, and
information dissemination activities. OJJDP funds school and community-
based gang prevention, intervention, and suppression programs under
Part D and mentoring programs under Part G of Title II of the JJDP Act.
OJJDP also coordinates Federal activities related to juvenile justice
and delinquency prevention through the Concentration of Federal Efforts
Program and serves as the staff agency for the Coordinating Council on
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; both of these activities
are authorized in Part A of Title II of the JJDP Act. Another OJJDP
responsibility under the JJDP Act is to administer the Title IV Missing
and Exploited Children's Program.
Other programs administered by OJJDP include the Drug Prevention
Program, the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Program, the Safe Schools
Initiative, the Tribal Youth Program, the Safe Start: Children Exposed
to Violence Initiative, and the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block
Grants program. OJJDP also administers programs under the Victims of
Child Abuse Act of 1990, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 13001 et seq.
OJJDP focuses its funding and support activities on the development
and implementation of programs with the greatest potential for reducing
juvenile delinquency and improving the juvenile justice system by
establishing partnerships with State and local governments, American
Indian and Alaska Native jurisdictions, and public and private agencies
and organizations. OJJDP performs its role of national leadership in
juvenile justice and delinquency prevention through a cycle of
activities. These include collecting data and statistics to determine
the extent and nature of issues affecting juveniles; supporting
research studies that can lead to program demonstrations; testing and
evaluating demonstration projects; sharing lessons learned from the
field with practitioners through a range of information dissemination
vehicles; providing seed money to States and local governments through
formula and block grants to implement programs, projects, or reform
efforts; and providing training and technical assistance to assist
States and local governments to implement programs effectively and to
maintain the integrity of model programs as they are being replicated.
As noted previously, OJJDP is a component of the Office of Justice
Programs (OJP). This Department of Justice agency emphasizes the
importance of coordination among its components and with other Federal
agencies whenever possible in order to obtain maximum results from OJP
programs and initiatives. OJJDP's coordination efforts include joint
funding, interagency agreements, and partnerships to develop,
implement, and evaluate projects. This Final Program Plan reflects
OJJDP's coordination efforts. For a more complete picture of OJP
program activities that affect the field of juvenile justice, readers
are encouraged to review the Office of Justice Programs Fiscal Year
2001 Program Plan when it becomes available. (Readers should check the
OJP Web site at www.ojp.usdoj.gov periodically for an announcement of
the availability of the OJP Program Plan.)
Fiscal Year 2001 Program Planning Activities
The OJJDP program planning process for FY 2001 was coordinated with
the Acting Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, and
all OJP components. The program planning process involved the following
steps:
Internal review of existing programs by OJJDP staff.
Internal review of proposed programs by OJP bureaus and
Department of Justice components.
Review of information and data from OJJDP grantees and
contractors.
Review of information contained in State comprehensive
plans.
[[Page 79676]]
Review of comments from youth service providers, juvenile
justice practitioners, and researchers who provided input in proposed
new program areas.
Consideration of suggestions made by juvenile justice
policymakers concerning State and local needs.
Consideration of all comments received during the period
of public comment on the Proposed Comprehensive Plan.
Discretionary Grant Continuation Policy
OJJDP has listed on the following pages continuation projects
currently funded in whole or in part with Part C and Part D funds and
eligible for continuation funding in FY 2001, either within an existing
project period or through an extension for an additional project or
budget period. A grantee's eligibility for continued funding for an
additional budget period within an existing project period depends on
the grantee's compliance with funding eligibility requirements and
achievement of the prior year's objectives. The amount of award is
based on prior projections, demonstrated need, and fund availability.
The only projects described in this Final Program Plan are those
that are expected to receive Part C or Part D FY 2001 continuation
funding under project period or discretionary continuation assistance
awards. The Final Program Plan also describes new program areas that
OJJDP is considering for new awards under Part C or Part D in FY 2001.
This plan does not include descriptions of other OJJDP programs,
including mentoring programs under Part G of Title II of the JJDP Act,
the Drug Prevention Program, the Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws
Program, the Safe Schools Initiative, the Tribal Youth Program, the
Safe Start: Children Exposed to Violence Initiative, and the Juvenile
Accountability Incentive Block Grants program. When appropriate, OJJDP
issues separate solicitations for applications for funding for these or
other programs that are not authorized under Parts C and D. Readers
interested in learning about all OJJDP funding opportunities are
encouraged to call OJJDP's Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at 800-638-
8736 or visit OJJDP's Web site at www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org and click on
``Grants & Funding.''
Consideration for continuation funding for an additional project
period for previously funded discretionary grant programs will be based
on several factors, including the following:
The extent to which the project responds to the applicable
requirements of the JJDP Act.
Responsiveness to OJJDP and Department of Justice FY 2001
program priorities.
Compliance with performance requirements of prior grant
years.
Compliance with fiscal and regulatory requirements.
Compliance with any special conditions of the award.
Availability of funds (based on appropriations and program
priority determinations).
In accordance with Section 262 (d)(1)(B) of the JJDP Act, as
amended, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 5665a, the competitive process for the award of
Part C funds is not required if the (Acting) Administrator makes a
written determination waiving the competitive process:
1. With respect to programs to be carried out in areas in which the
President declares under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act codified at 42 U.S.C. Sec. 5121 et seq. that a
major disaster or emergency exists, or
2. With respect to a particular program described in Part C that is
uniquely qualified.
Summary of Public Comments on the Proposed Comprehensive Plan for
Fiscal Year 2001
OJJDP published its Proposed Comprehensive Plan for FY 2001 in the
Federal Register (Vol. 65, No. 187) on September 26, 2000, for a 45-day
public comment period. OJJDP received six letters commenting on the
Proposed Plan. Each letter had just one signature. These comments have
been considered in the development of OJJDP's Final Comprehensive Plan
for Fiscal Year 2001.
All comments received are summarized below together with OJJDP's
responses. To avoid needless repetition in this summary, all comments
on a particular program or area of programming are summarized in one
comment paragraph and followed by a single OJJDP response, which
applies to all the comments on that topic.
Comment: Two individuals commented on the sixth area of new
programming (``Studying Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol
Effects (FAE)'') in the Proposed Program Plan. One writer, a scientist
associated with a school of medicine, endorsed OJJDP's proposal to
support studies to assess the rate of FAS and FAE in youth in the
juvenile justice system, to determine what services are available, to
develop screening and individualized case management, and to plan to
better serve youth affected by FAS/FAE. He stressed the importance of
this issue, stating that ``it is not yet clear how these deficits may
affect an individual's disposition to delinquency and other high risk
behaviors.'' The writer, who has spent more than 16 years studying
fetal alcohol effects, indicated that there is need for an objective
and comprehensive assessment of this situation. The second commenter, a
university professor with more than 20 years' experience in research on
FAS, referred to the ``devastating effects'' of prenatal alcohol
exposure and the importance and timeliness of efforts to determine the
influence of prenatal alcohol on the juvenile justice system.
Response: OJJDP appreciates the writers' thoughtful comments on the
issues involved in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol
Effects (FAE) and their support for OJJDP's proposal to include
research in this area as part of its new programming for FY 2001. As
the first writer noted, although the deficits associated with FAS and
FAE would appear to predispose individuals to delinquent and criminal
behavior, the relevant data to support this connection do not yet
exist. The best research in this area is perhaps the work of Anne
Streissguth, who followed 415 individuals with FAS or FAE for over 20
years. Fourteen percent of her subjects between the ages of 6 and 11
and 61 percent of adolescents had been in trouble with the law at least
once. It is also correct, as one writer noted, that traditional
juvenile justice system programs are not designed to serve this
population. If it is, in fact, determined that a significant number of
youth with FAS/FAE are involved with the juvenile justice system, OJJDP
will need to conduct subsequent studies to discover what intervention
and treatment strategies are most appropriate and effective for this
population.
Comment: A policy analyst wrote to comment on the third new program
area (``Preparing Juvenile Offenders for Reentry Into Their
Communities'') in the Proposed Program Plan. She suggested that OJJDP
should consider including youth with developmental and learning
disabilities in addition to youth with mental illness and substance
abuse in the reference to OJJDP's ``proposing to expand its work on
juvenile aftercare services to target specialized populations such as
adolescent female offenders, minority youth, and juvenile offenders
with mental health and substance abuse problems * * *'' She also
recommended that OJJDP include an
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evaluation of each of this new program area's three components
(computer networking instruction, model correctional education program,
and expansion of aftercare services).
Response: In the third area for possible new programming in fiscal
year 2001, ``Preparing Juvenile Offenders for Reentry Into Their
Communities,'' OJJDP proposed, among other actions, to expand its work
on aftercare services ``to target specialized populations such as
adolescent female offenders, minority youth, and juvenile offenders
with mental health and substance abuse problems.'' The writer suggests
that OJJDP consider including youth with developmental and learning
disabilities, whom she described as being ``at risk for dropping out of
school, unemployment, and other indicators of unsuccessful community
reentry.'' OJJDP agrees that these youth constitute a specialized
population that also needs additional aftercare/reentry resources.
Therefore, the list of specialized populations in the third area under
``New Programs'' now includes ``youth with disabilities.'' Another new
population, ``juvenile sex offenders,'' has also been added to the
list.
OJJDP is currently supporting development of a clearinghouse for
disseminating information about aftercare/reentry services and a
consultant pool to provide training and technical assistance to
juvenile justice practitioners throughout the country under a grant
with the Johns Hopkins University, Institute for Policy Studies. In
addition, OJJDP is collaborating with the U.S. Department of
Education's Office of Special Education in a 5-year initiative to
develop and support a National Center on Education, Disability, and
Juvenile Justice. This center is a collaborative research, training,
technical assistance, and dissemination program designed to develop
more effective responses to the needs of youth with disabilities in the
juvenile justice system or those at risk for involvement with the
juvenile justice system. The current grantee is the University of
Maryland at College Park, with partners at American Institutes of
Research, Arizona State University, the PACER Parent Advocacy Center,
and the University of Kentucky. More information about the center is
available on its Web site at www.edjj.org.
The writer also suggested that OJJDP evaluate each component of
this proposed new program area. Although OJJDP has not yet identified
specific programs and evaluations to be funded in FY 2001, an
evaluation component is built into each new demonstration initiative,
whenever feasible. OJJDP is committed to identifying and ultimately
supporting programs that are effective in reducing and preventing
delinquency. Without well-designed evaluations, it is impossible to
identify objectively what works and what programs merit OJJDP's funding
support.
Comment: The principal in a not-for-profit technical assistance
group focusing on juvenile justice programming issues praised the
breadth of innovation in the ``New Programs'' priority areas, such as
juvenile sex offending, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and assistance to
families navigating the juvenile justice system. The writer also
recommended that OJJDP ``look closely at Illinois and the programs of
its community-based organizations for excellent models'' of ``best
practices'' approaches to the needs of status offenders. In addition,
she proposed a concept for engaging community-based organizations in
the delivery of services.
Response: OJJDP appreciates the writer's recognition of the
innovation in the proposed new program areas. In regard to the concept
of engaging community-based organizations in the delivery of services
for the serious offender, OJJDP finds it a sound idea that holds great
promise and may be appropriate for many youth in lieu of out-of-home
placement and for those who are returning to their communities after
being placed in secure facilities.
At a recent meeting in Austin, TX, the Case Foundation brought
together leaders of more than two dozen community youth-serving
agencies that are part of a growing movement to provide the kind of
support to juvenile offenders that the writer described. OJJDP staff
participated in the meeting in an effort to learn as much as possible
about how best to link the broad range of services such as those
referred to in this letter of public comment.
Although the Program Plan does not include a specific program such
as the writer suggested, OJJDP hopes that resources will permit funding
a field-initiated demonstration program. Under this program, a
community-based organization could apply for funds to support such an
effort. An evaluation component would be required in any such proposal.
Comment: The writer, director of a State juvenile justice agency,
wrote in support of the 12 new program areas in the Proposed Program
Plan, particularly the focus on family advocacy as the top priority.
She recommended that OJJDP raise the priority for the ninth proposed
new program area, ``Increasing the Capacity and Effectiveness of
Juvenile Probation.'' The writer also observed that ``probation
officers must function as case managers in the sense of developing
plans for services that align juveniles and families with resources to
meet their diverse needs' and suggested that any curriculum developed
for in-service training cover this area of responsibility.
Response: OJJDP appreciates the writer's support for the proposed
new program areas. OJJDP agrees that the proposed new program area that
addresses the capacity and effectiveness of juvenile probation is of
great importance and concurs in the writer's observation that, because
``probation officers must function as case managers in the sense of
developing plans for services that align juveniles and families with
resources to meet their diverse needs,'' any curriculum developed for
in-service training should cover this area of responsibility.
Comment: An official of the American Psychological Association
(APA) wrote to support the overall Proposed Program Plan and
specifically to commend the emphasis on prevention and early
intervention and on areas such as special needs populations, bullying
prevention, cultural sensitivity and competency, and family
strengthening and support. He also praised OJJDP's ``recognition that
one of today's most significant challenges is finding ways to address
mental health needs of youth in the juvenile justice system.'' The
commenter identified four of OJJDP's 12 proposed new program areas as
priorities: Addressing the Problem of Juvenile Sex Offenders; Helping
Youth and Families Prevent Violence; Supporting Field-Initiated
Research, Demonstration, and Evaluation Programs; and Integrating
Culturally Sensitive and Culturally Competent Strategies To Prevent
Disproportionate Minority Confinement. He then provided several
suggestions for text to be inserted in the Final Program Plan.
Response: OJJDP appreciates the APA's support for the plan in
general and for specific parts of the plan. In regard to mental health
issues, OJJDP has been actively engaged for several years in
identifying and addressing the pressing mental health needs of
juveniles in the justice system. It is, however, obvious that much more
work is needed. That is why the Program Plan for FY 2001 reflects a
serious commitment to that aspect of delinquency prevention and
treatment. In deciding on new programs for funding in FY 2001, OJJDP
will give careful consideration to APA's choice of the top four
priorities for new program areas.
[[Page 79678]]
OJJDP has summarized each of the writer's suggestions for specific
new text and provided our responses below. (Page numbers at the end of
each comment refer to the Federal Register of September 26, 2000.)
Suggestion: Add ``including those with mental health needs'' at the
end of the second goal (p. 57914).
Response: The goal as stated is meant to include all ``juvenile
delinquents, status offenders, and dependent, neglected, and abused
children.'' Adding one specific category would imply exclusion of other
categories. Therefore, this change was not made.
Suggestion: Add ``that provide developmentally appropriate,
culturally competent mental health and other critical services'' to the
end of the third goal (p. 57914).
Response: OJJDP agrees with the thrust of this statement but again
believes that it is unnecessary to be this specific in the goal
statement.
Suggestion: Add ``mental health and other'' after the words ``meet
the'' on line 7 of the fourth goal (p. 57914).
Response: OJJDP agrees that the mental health and other needs of
dependent, neglected, and abused children should be met but prefers to
keep the statement broad (``meet the needs'') rather than prioritizing
one need over others.
Suggestion: Add ``including educational and mental health needs''
directly after ``child's needs'' in line 8 of new program area 1 (p.
57915).
Response: OJJDP agrees that educational and mental health needs are
important but, again, prefers to keep the statement broad.
Suggestion: Add ``appropriate'' before ``services'' in line 8 of
new program area 1 (p. 57915).
Response: As written, the ``services'' are described as those
``that can assist children and their families meet their needs.'' The
word ``appropriate'' is unnecessary, since presumably only appropriate
services would ``assist children and their families meet their needs.''
Suggestion: Add ``youth with disabilities and gay, lesbian, and
bisexual youth'' to the targeted specialized population in line 26 of
new program area 3 (p. 57915).
Response: OJJDP has added ``youth with disabilities'' and also
added ``juvenile sex offenders,'' based on an internal OJJDP
recommendation. OJJDP recognizes, however, that there may be additional
specialized populations that need to be targeted by juvenile aftercare
services. The groups listed in the Proposed Program Plan--plus those
added to this Final Plan--are ones whose needs have been widely noted
or documented. As written in the Proposed Program Plan, the text read:
``OJJDP is also proposing to expand its work on juvenile aftercare
services to target specialized populations such as [italics added]
adolescent female offenders, minority youth, and juvenile offenders
with mental health and substance abuse problems * * *'' The Final Plan
includes ``youth with disabilities'' and ``juvenile sex offenders.'' It
is possible that other special populations could be added to this list
in the future.
Suggestion: Add ``and they may be displaying early signs of
behavioral disorders'' directly after ``behavior'' in line 11 of new
program area 5 (p. 57915).
Response: OJJDP has inserted the recommended language in this Final
Plan.
Suggestion: Add ``and evaluation of'' directly after
``development'' in the phrase ``development of a probation officer
curriculum'' in line 11 of new program area 9 (p. 57916).
Response: All training curriculums funded by OJJDP must meet the
evaluation protocols established by its Training and Technical
Assistance Division. These evaluation criteria include assessments of
participant learning related to training outcomes and performance
objectives, the effectiveness of the training design, and the
effectiveness of training delivery. Thus, there is no need to add ``and
evaluation of'' to the text of new program area 9, ``Increasing the
Capacity and Effectiveness of Juvenile Probation.''
Introduction to Fiscal Year 2001 Program Plan
In administering the discretionary grants program under Parts C and
D of Title II, OJJDP has identified four goals as the major elements of
a sound policy that ensures public safety and security while
establishing effective juvenile justice and delinquency prevention
programs. Achieving these goals, which are discussed below, is vital to
protecting the long-term safety of the public from juvenile delinquency
and violence.
OJJDP promotes delinquency prevention and early
intervention efforts that reduce the flow of juvenile offenders into
the juvenile justice system, the numbers of serious and violent
offenders, and the development of chronic delinquent careers. While
removing serious and violent juvenile offenders from the street serves
to protect the public, long-term solutions lie primarily in taking
aggressive steps to stop delinquency before it starts or becomes a
pattern of behavior.
OJJDP seeks to improve the juvenile justice system and the
response of the system to juvenile delinquents, status offenders, and
dependent, neglected, and abused children.
OJJDP supports efforts in the area of corrections,
detention, and community-based alternatives to preserve the public
safety in a manner that serves the appropriate development and best use
of secure detention and corrections options, while at the same time
fostering the use of community-based programs for juvenile offenders.
OJJDP seeks to support law enforcement, public safety, and
other justice agency efforts to prevent juvenile delinquency, intervene
in the development of chronic delinquent careers, and collaborate with
the juvenile justice system to meet the needs of dependent, neglected,
and abused children.
In 1993, OJJDP published its Comprehensive Strategy for Serious,
Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders, which set forth a research-
based comprehensive approach for addressing the problems of juvenile
crime and victimization and for achieving its program goals. The
Comprehensive Strategy was developed to assist States and local
communities in preventing at-risk youth from becoming serious, violent,
and chronic juvenile offenders and in crafting a practical response to
those who do. Since 1995, OJJDP has utilized the Guide for Implementing
the Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile
Offenders, developed in partnership with consultant experts in the
fields of prevention and graduated sanctions, which has been the
blueprint for providing training and technical assistance to over 40
local communities in 8 States in the development of local strategic
plans based on the Comprehensive Strategy. This comprehensive strategic
planning process involves a systematic method that utilizes data and
research-based best practices and programs to fill identified gaps in
services to youth and families. The desired product of this planning
effort is a 5-year strategic plan supported by all the stakeholders
within that community. The lessons learned from the Federal, State, and
local partnerships developed through the Comprehensive Strategy
Training and Technical Assistance Initiative are currently enhancing
the well-being of the children and families in many of those
communities and are assisting OJJDP in providing guidance and direction
to many other State agencies
[[Page 79679]]
and local jurisdictions seeking assistance in the development of this
strategic planning approach designed to prevent, reduce, and control
juvenile delinquency.
This Final Plan also supports the Coordinating Council's 1996
National Juvenile Justice Action Plan, which grew out of the
Comprehensive Strategy. This Action Plan, which the Coordinating
Council is currently updating, provides eight objectives designed to
reduce juvenile violence and describes ways to meet these objectives.
Together, the Comprehensive Strategy and the Action Plan constitute a
sound strategy for translating innovation and research findings to
infrastructure.
Continuation Programs
OJJDP organizes its programs under four broad categories that
reflect its program goals and the principles of the Comprehensive
Strategy. These categories are Public Safety and Law Enforcement,
Delinquency Prevention and Intervention, Strengthening the Juvenile
Justice System, and Child Abuse and Neglect and Dependency Courts. An
additional category (Overarching) contains programs with significant
elements common to more than one of the other four categories.
Descriptions of the specific programs in each of the five categories
appear after the discussion of new programs below.
New Programs
Because the FY 2001 Proposed Comprehensive Plan was published prior
to the enactment of the FY 2001 appropriation, possible new programs in
12 broad subject areas were outlined. The public was asked to comment
on the proposed new programs, which are described briefly below, and to
suggest additional priority areas for funding consideration.
1. Helping Families Navigate the Juvenile Justice System
OJJDP proposes to support a range of advocacy services for families
designed to help them understand and navigate the juvenile justice
system, learning how they can appropriately and productively interact
with the various entities in the system to meet their child's needs.
Referral to services that can assist children and their families meet
their needs would also be an important component of this effort.
Possible approaches to be considered include support to private
organizations that have experience in working with non-English-speaking
families or providing advocacy and support for parenting networks in
the community.
2. Addressing the Problem of Juvenile Sex Offending
This program area was identified in the FY 2000 Program Plan and
was included again in the Proposed FY 2001 Program Plan because of the
many requests from the juvenile justice field and the public for
information on effective sex offender treatment programs and model
community responses to prevent sexual victimization. OJJDP is
considering support for evaluations of treatment models for juvenile
sex offenders that are currently in use. In addition, OJJDP is
considering a study that examines the effects of State registration and
notification legislation on juvenile sex offenders. This work would
build upon the development of a juvenile sex offender typology
currently being funded by OJJDP. It will also respond to the needs of
practitioners and policymakers by increasing the accessibility and
strategic use of accurate information about the nature, extent, and
impact of juvenile sex offending through a training, technical
assistance, and information dissemination program to be funded in FY
2001.
3. Preparing Juvenile Offenders for Reentry Into Their Communities
OJJDP proposes to develop several programs designed to facilitate
juvenile offenders' reentry into the community from out-of-home
placements. Two of these would focus specifically on improving
education and training resources within correctional facilities. The
first would teach juveniles to design, build, and maintain computer
networks through Cisco Systems' Cisco Networking Academy Program. The
second would develop and implement a pilot demonstration of a model
correctional education program in both a juvenile detention facility
and a correctional facility. The latter project would be an extension
of prior work funded by OJJDP to provide assistance in addressing the
literacy needs of juvenile offenders. OJJDP is also proposing to expand
its work on juvenile aftercare services to target specialized
populations such as adolescent female offenders, minority youth,
juvenile offenders with mental health and substance abuse problems,
youth with disabilities, and juvenile sex offenders and to assess the
lessons learned about institutional programming for serious and violent
juvenile offenders.
4. Helping Youth and Families Prevent Violence
OJJDP proposes to expand its violence prevention activities by
focusing on children who can be taught peaceful ways of resolving
problems, families who can be counseled regarding violence prevention,
and teachers who must effectively manage their classrooms. One proposed
project would develop violence prevention protocols for pediatricians
similar to those developed around unintentional injuries such as motor
vehicle accidents. This project would respond to the need to address
homicide and other injuries caused by interpersonal violence. Children
must also be taught to avoid violence, and OJJDP proposes to expand its
work on bullying prevention by providing training and technical
assistance to schools to implement the highly successful and proven
program of Dr. Dan Olweus, the Principal Investigator who developed,
refined, and systematically evaluated the Bullying Prevention Program
in Norway. The program is one of the Blueprints for Violence Prevention
(see the Blueprints program description below, under the Strengthening
the Juvenile Justice System category of programs). OJJDP is also
considering expanding training and technical assistance resources to
new teachers in effective classroom and conflict management. From
lessons learned in North Carolina, OJJDP would focus on changing
practices in colleges of education and State boards of education, which
have responsibility to create and manage the training of new teachers.
5. Assessing and Meeting the Needs of Status Offenders and Other Youth
Upon Initial Contact With the Juvenile Justice System
OJJDP is proposing to fund a program that would identify the best
practices and programs from around the country that are effective in
dealing with such status offenses as truancy, running away, curfew
violations, alcohol possession and use, and incorrigibility. Juveniles
who commit status offenses may be taking a first step into the juvenile
justice system that will escalate into delinquent behavior and they may
be displaying early signs of behavioral disorders. Prevention and
treatment through early intervention at this stage have proven to be
less expensive and more effective than efforts to change subsequent
delinquent behavior.
OJJDP is also considering expanded support for two existing
programs that address the needs of youth when they
[[Page 79680]]
first come to the attention of law enforcement. One program would
provide guidelines, materials, training, and technical assistance to
the two currently funded Community Assessment Centers. These Centers
operate as a single point of entry into the juvenile justice and the
youth services systems, provide immediate and comprehensive assessment
and integrated case management, and operate an appropriate management
information system (MIS). OJJDP is also proposing to expand support for
the Child Development-Community Policing model to support program
implementation in the current replication sites. These ongoing
collaborations between law enforcement and mental health professionals
are designed to better address children's exposure to violence, which
has been shown to be a risk factor for future problem behaviors.
6. Studying Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects
(FAE) as Risk Factors for Delinquency
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAS/FAE) are
associated with a specific set of neurobehavioral deficits that
predispose affected individuals to delinquent and other high-risk
behaviors. A significant percentage of youth in detention and secure
corrections may be affected by undiagnosed FAS/FAE. Traditional
juvenile justice system programs are not designed to serve this
population, and youth with FAS/FAE, once involved with the juvenile
justice system, are likely to experience a high rate of recidivism.
OJJDP proposes to support a study to assess the rate of FAS/FAE youth
within the juvenile justice system, determine what services are
available, and develop screening and individualized case management and
planning to better serve youth affected by FAS/FAE.
7. Supporting Field-Initiated Research, Demonstration, and Evaluation
Programs
OJJDP proposes to support field-initiated research, demonstration,
and evaluation projects that have the potential to provide valuable
information to policymakers and practitioners, complement the new and
current programs outlined in this Program Plan, and support OJJDP's
mission in significant and creative ways. Topics explored in past
OJJDP-funded field-initiated research include mental health issues in
the juvenile justice system; juvenile justice system operations,
sanctions, and treatments; programs for at-risk and female juvenile
offenders; and delinquency prevention.
8. Expanding the Use of Cost-Benefit Analyses
OJJDP is interested in expanding the uses of cost-benefit analyses
in juvenile justice. Up to now, their use has been limited to select
States or localities. As a first step to promoting the greater use of
this method for assessing programs, OJJDP would convene a group of
experts in the fields of policy analysis, economics, and juvenile
justice to determine how cost-benefit analyses can best be used for
juvenile justice policy analysis. Following the development of a set of
recommended analyses, OJDDP would support the development of a guide
containing information on methodology, data collection instruments, and
a set of standard cost estimates.
9. Increasing the Capacity and Effectiveness of Juvenile Probation
Despite the acknowledgment that probation is the ``workhorse'' of
the juvenile justice system and many courts are dependent upon
probation officers to assist them by recommending appropriate
dispositions in juvenile cases, probation officers often receive only
limited training before assuming their important roles and scant in-
service training opportunities. OJJDP proposes to fund the development
of a probation officer curriculum and to provide limited technical
assistance to juvenile probation officers and their agencies. One
training curriculum would be for supervisory staff, a second one for
field officers.
10. Understanding Youth Gangs in Chronic Gang Cities
OJJDP proposes to combine multiple state-of-the-art methods for
understanding youth gangs through a single coordinated research project
in two or more large population, chronic gang cities. The study would
focus on comparing gangs representing multiple racial/ethnic groups
(e.g., predominately African American, Hispanic, Asian, White, American
Indian, or mixed). Research questions would include how different
ethnic gangs vary in gang structure and group processes, what factors
predict peaks and valleys in gang offending across each of the ethnic
groups over time, and what prevention, intervention, and suppression
approaches are most appropriate to respond to ethnic variations across
a chronic gang city. Some of the methodological approaches that would
be employed include analysis of incident-level law enforcement data,
crime and resource mapping systems, school risk-factor surveys,
qualitative field studies, and gang member interviews.
11. Integrating Culturally Sensitive and Culturally Competent
Strategies To Prevent Disproportionate Minority Confinement
OJJDP proposes to identify current best practices and provide
specialized training and technical assistance to assist States in their
efforts to address disproportionate minority confinement. While many
program managers have made the initial step of broadening existing
programming by hiring minority staff, a comprehensive approach to
culturally sensitive and competent programming is needed. Experts in
the field of culturally competent program design and implementation
would provide targeted support to assist States in broadening the scope
of current delinquency prevention programs. This initiative would
provide a critical tool in the implementation of States' compliance
with the disproportionate minority confinement core protection.
12. Expanding the Comprehensive Strategy Program
Recognizing the success of the research-based Comprehensive
Strategy for Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders since its
inception in 1993, this project would promote the expansion of the
Comprehensive Strategy Program by supporting planning and
implementation in up to eight new States and/or localities. In
addition, this project would support the development or refinement of
management information systems in communities developing or
implementing the Comprehensive Strategy Program.
Fiscal Year 2001 Programs
The programs that OJJDP will fund in FY 2001 are listed
alphabetically and summarized within each of the five categories
mentioned previously: Overarching, Public Safety and Law Enforcement,
Strengthening the Juvenile Justice System, Delinquency Prevention and
Intervention, and Child Abuse and Neglect and Dependency Courts.
With regard to implementation sites and other descriptive data and
information, program priorities within each category will be determined
based on grantee performance, application quality, fund availability,
and other factors.
As part of the FY 2001 appropriations process, Congress is likely
to identify a number of programs for priority funding
[[Page 79681]]
consideration by OJJDP with regard to the grantee(s) and the amount of
funds. These programs are not included in the Program Plan because
Congress has not completed action on the FY 2001 budget for the
Department of Justice (as of the date this Final Plan was submitted to
the Federal Register for publication). Consequently, OJJDP is not able
to determine which proposed programs, either new or continuation, will
be funded in FY 2001. However, it is apparent from the public comments
received that there is broad general agreement with the priorities
proposed and no disagreement with any specific proposed new funding
area or continuation program. While, generally speaking, continuation
programs take priority over new programs, OJJDP hopes to start or
expand programs in each of the proposed new funding areas, even if
appropriations do not support significant investment in these new
program priorities in FY 2001.
Fiscal Year 2001 Program Listing
Overarching
Coalition for Juvenile Justice
Insular Area Support
Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse
Juvenile Justice Statistics and Systems Development Program
National Resource Center for Safe Schools
National Training and Technical Assistance Center
OJJDP Management Evaluation Contract
OJJDP Technical Assistance Support Contract--Juvenile Justice Resource
Center
Program of Research on the Causes and Correlates of Delinquency
SafeFutures: Partnerships To Reduce Youth Violence and Delinquency
Technical Assistance for State Legislatures
Telecommunications Assistance
Training and Technical Assistance Coordination for the SafeFutures
Initiative
Public Safety and Law Enforcement
Evaluation of the Comprehensive Community-Wide Approach to Gang
Prevention, Intervention, and Suppression Program
Evaluation of the Partnerships To Reduce Juvenile Gun Violence Program
Evaluation of the Rural Gang Initiative
Evaluation of the Transfer of Responsibility for Child Protective
Investigations to Law Enforcement Agencies
Gang Prevention Through Targeted Outreach (Boys & Girls Clubs)
Juvenile Justice Law Enforcement Training and Technical Assistance
Program
Mesa Gang Intervention Project (MGIP)
National Youth Gang Center
Rural Gang Initiative Demonstration Sites
Technical Assistance to the Gang-Free Schools and Communities
Initiatives
Delinquency Prevention and Intervention
Assessing Alcohol, Drug, and Mental (ADM) Disorders Among Juvenile
Detainees
The Chicago Project for Violence Prevention
Communities in Schools
Diffusion of State Risk- and Protective-Factor-Focused Prevention
Do the Write Thing Challenge Program
Evaluation of the Truancy Reduction Demonstration Program
Intergenerational Transmission of Antisocial Behavior
Investing in Youth for a Safer Future--A Public Education Campaign
Multisite, Multimodal Treatment Study of Children With Attention
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Risk Reduction Via Promotion of Youth Development
Strengthening Services for Chemically Involved Children, Youth, and
Families
Study of the Marketing of Age-Restricted Violent Entertainment to
Children
Technical Assistance for Community Prevention Programs--Title V
Truancy Reduction Demonstration Program
Strengthening the Juvenile Justice System
Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ) Training Project
Blueprints for Violence Prevention: Training and Technical Assistance
Building Blocks for Youth
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement
Center for Students With Disabilities in the Juvenile Justice System
Comprehensive Children and Families Mental Health Training and
Technical Assistance
Connecticut/Cook County (IL) Girls Collaborative
Development of the Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and
Chronic Juvenile Offenders
Evaluation of the Department of Labor's Education and Training for
Youthful Offenders Initiative
Evaluation of the Performance-Based Standards Project
Evaluation of SafeFutures
Juvenile Defender Training, Technical Assistance, and Resource Center
The Juvenile Justice Prosecution Unit
Juvenile Residential Facility Census
Longitudinal Study To Examine the Development of Conduct Disorder in
Girls
National Juvenile Justice Data Analysis Project
National Juvenile Justice Program Directory
The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 97
Performance-Based Standards for Juvenile Correction and Detention
Facilities
Study Group on Very Young Offenders
Systems Improvement Training and Technical Assistance
Survey of Juvenile Probation
Technical Assistance to Native American Tribes and Alaskan Native
Communities
TeenSupreme Career Preparation Initiative
Child Abuse and Neglect and Dependency Courts
National Evaluation of the Safe Kids/Safe Streets Program
Safe Kids/Safe Streets: Community Approaches to Reducing Abuse and
Neglect and Preventing Delinquency
Overarching
Coalition for Juvenile Justice
This project supports the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, an
organization composed of member representatives of State Advisory
Groups appointed by State Governors under section 223(a)(3) of the JJDP
Act to establish policies and priorities for the Formula Grants
program. Pursuant to statutory requirements, the Coalition will:
conduct an annual conference of member representatives; disseminate
information on data, standards, advanced techniques, and program models
developed and funded by OJJDP; offer training on how to work with the
media on juvenile justice issues; review Federal policies regarding
juvenile justice and delinquency prevention; advise the Administrator
with respect to the work of OJJDP; and advise the President and
Congress with regard to State perspectives on the operation of the
Office and Federal legislation pertaining to juvenile justice and
delinquency prevention.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee, the
Coalition for Juvenile Justice. No additional applications will be
solicited in FY 2001.
Insular Area Support
The purpose of this statutorily required program is to provide
support
[[Page 79682]]
to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands. Funds are available to address the
special needs and problems of juvenile delinquency in these insular
areas, as specified by Section 261(e) of the JJDP Act of 1974, as
amended, 42 U.S.C. 5665(e).
Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse
A component of the National Criminal Justice Reference Service
(NCJRS), the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (JJC) collects,
synthesizes, and disseminates information on all aspects of juvenile
justice. OJJDP established the Clearinghouse in 1979 to serve the
juvenile justice community, legislators, the media, and the public. JJC
offers toll-free telephone access to information; prepares specialized
responses to information requests; produces, warehouses, and
distributes OJJDP publications; exhibits at national conferences;
maintains a comprehensive juvenile justice library and database; and
administers several electronic information resources. NCJRS is
administered by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) under a
competitively awarded contract to Aspen Systems Corporation.
This program will be implemented by the current contractor, Aspen
Systems Corporation. No additional applications will be solicited in FY
2001.
Juvenile Justice Statistics and Systems Development Program
The Juvenile Justice Statistics and Systems Development (SSD)
Program was competitively awarded in 1990 to the National Center for
Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) to improve national, State, and local
statistics on juveniles as victims and offenders. The SSD project has
traditionally consisted of three tracks of work: National Statistics,
Dissemination, and Systems Development. In FY 2001, NCJJ will continue
many activities under the first two tracks, including maintaining an
extensive library of data files, producing Easy Access software
packages and the Web-based OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book, and
continuing to service requests for juvenile justice information. In FY
2000, additional funding from OJJDP allowed NCJJ to enhance activities
under the Systems Development track of the project. This work continue
with FY 2001 funding.
To meet the challenge of managing the cases of youth within their
jurisdiction effectively and efficiently, juvenile court administrators
and judges need ready access to information that will support the
operation, management, and decisionmaking of the full-service juvenile
court system. Knowledge-based decisionmaking (which should be the
hallmark of every juvenile justice system) requires not just the
collection of data but the collaboration of the community leaders who
will give meaning to the data. This was the focus of the recently
released book Juvenile Justice With Eyes Open, published in FY 2000 as
part of the Statistics and Systems Development Project (Systems
Development Track). Also in FY 2000, NCJJ used the principles outlined
in this publication to develop and field-test an approach that local
jurisdictions can employ to systematically identify and fulfill their
local information needs. This includes training local juvenile justice
leaders in the rational decisionmaking model (RDM) as a design tool for
management information systems; developing data specifications for an
effective information system to meet operational, management, and
research needs; identifying data needs from collateral service
providers and data that will be of use to collaterals; and modeling
agreements and protocols with collateral service providers to share
case-level and/or aggregate data. Field-testing will continue in FY
2001.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee, the
National Center for Juvenile Justice. No additional applications will
be solicited in FY 2001.
National Resource Center for Safe Schools
Since 1984, OJJDP and the U.S. Department of Education have
provided joint funding to promote safe schools. This work has focused
national attention on cooperative solutions to problems that disrupt
the educational process. Because an estimated 3 million incidents of
crime occur in America's schools each year, it is clear that this
problem continues to plague many schools, threatening students' safety
and undermining the learning environment. With FY 1998 funding, the
U.S. Department of Education's Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program and
OJJDP established the National Resource Center for Safe Schools for a
3-year project period. This project expanded the scope and provision of
previous training and technical assistance to communities and school
districts across the country. The grantee is working to help schools
develop and put in place comprehensive safe school plans. It does this
by providing onsite training and consultation to schools and
communities, creating and distributing resource materials and tools,
providing Web-based information services, and partnering with State-
level agencies to build State capacity to assist local education
agencies. Through the inclusion on the project's Advisory Committee of
representatives of Hamilton Fish National Institute on School and
Community Violence and other school-related training and technical
assistance providers, this project has developed training materials and
information resources based on the latest research findings on
effective programs and best practices.
The grantee provided information, training, and/or technical
assistance to more than 7,000 recipients. In addition, the grantee
developed a curriculum for comprehensive school planning, trained six
school districts in South Carolina, conducted two regional conferences,
issued and distributed a quarterly newsletter, and convened a national
Advisory Committee Meeting.
During FY 2001, the National Resource Center for Safe Schools
will--
Prepare and distribute topical fact sheets and case
studies.
Provide training to a national network of trainees through
``training of trainers.''
Conduct regional conferences on safe school topics.
Provide tailored onsite training and technical assistance.
A new solicitation will be issued and a grant awarded through a
competitive process in FY 2001.
National Training and Technical Assistance Center
The National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Training
and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) was established in FY 1995
under a competitive 3-year project period award. NTTAC serves as a
national training and technical assistance repository, inventorying and
coordinating the integrated delivery of juvenile justice training and
technical assistance resources and establishing a database of these
resources. NTTAC convened the first in a series of annual OJJDP
training and technical assistance grantee-contractor meetings that are
used for sharing of information, development of policies, and
collaboration and coordination of efforts. NTTAC's funding in FY 1996
provided services in the form of coordinated technical assistance
support for OJJDP's SafeFutures and gang program initiatives, continued
promotion of collaboration between OJJDP training and technical
assistance providers, developed training and technical assistance
materials, and completed and disseminated the first OJJDP Training
[[Page 79683]]
and Technical Assistance Resource Catalog.
In FY 1997, NTTAC disseminated a second, updated Training and
Technical Assistance Resource Catalog; created a Web site for the
Center and a ListServ for the Children, Youth and Affinity Group; held
three focus groups on needs assessments; and coordinated and provided
38 instances of technical assistance in conjunction with OJJDP's
training and technical assistance grantees and contractors. In FY 1998,
NTTAC finalized the jurisdictional team training and technical
assistance packages on critical needs in the juvenile justice system,
updated the resource catalog, facilitated the annual OJJDP training and
technical assistance grantee and contractor meeting, developed a
bimonthly newsletter (NTTAC News), continued to update the repository
of training and technical assistance materials and the electronic
database of training and technical assistance materials, and continued
to respond to training and technical assistance requests from the
field. In FY 1999, NTTAC was operated by the Juvenile Justice
Clearinghouse, which provided clearinghouse services and maintained the
800 number. The fourth grantee-contractor meeting was conducted by
OJJDP staff in Chicago, and the training and technical assistance
protocols developed in 1998 were reviewed in preparation for final
issuance. In FY 2000, a competitive 1-year contract was awarded to
Caliber Associates to continue implementation of the Center. The Center
has completed a number of tasks, including implementing the OJJDP
Training, Technical Assistance, and Evaluation Protocols, developing
three supplemental technical assistance packages on corrections,
developing a protocol for ensuring cultural competency in the delivery
of training and technical assistance, issuing the NTTAC newsletter,
redesigning the NTTAC Web site, developing and pilot testing a training
and technical assistance data collection instrument in support of the
development of an Office of Justice Programs comprehensive training and
technical assistance database, updating the resource catalog, and
convening the 5th Annual OJJDP Training and TA Grantee and Contractor
Meeting.
In FY 2001, the Center will continue developing marketing materials
and managing the brokering of training and technical assistance
requests received by the Center via the 800 number, e-mail, and the Web
site. The contractor will also redesign and increase the capacity of
the NTTAC Web site, increase the capacity of the Center resource
repository, redesign the Center's database and resource catalog using
the training and technical assistance data collection instrument
developed and tested in FY 2000, provide train-the-trainers workshops
for OJJDP grantee-contractors, provide technical support on curriculum
development and specialized technical assistance protocols, and develop
fact sheets, bulletins, and newsletters.
A new solicitation will be issued and a contract awarded through a
competitive contract action in FY 2001.
OJJDP Management Evaluation Contract
This contract was competitively awarded in FY 1999 to Caliber
Associates for a period of 4 years to provide OJJDP with an expert
resource to perform independent program evaluations and assist in
implementing evaluation activities. Caliber is currently conducting a
national evaluation of Title V-Community Prevention Grants for Local
Delinquency Prevention Programs. The evaluation is designed to examine
the viability and effectiveness of the Title V delinquency prevention
model. To address the research questions, the evaluation is examining
the key stages of program implementation at the local level, which
include community mobilization, assessment and planning,
implementation, and institutionalization and monitoring.
Other evaluation activities include building local evaluation
capacity by conducting ongoing evaluation technical assistance and
training activities to meet the individual evaluation needs of Title V
subgrantees and developing the annual Title V Report to Congress.
This contract will be implemented by the current contractor,
Caliber Associates. No additional applications will be solicited in FY
2001.
OJJDP Technical Assistance Support Contract--Juvenile Justice Resource
Center
This contract has been competitively awarded since the mid-1980's
when OJJDP identified the need for technical assistance support in
carrying out its mission. FY 2001 is the third year of a 4-year project
period. The Juvenile Justice Resource Center (JJRC) provides technical
assistance and support to OJJDP, its grantees, and the Coordinating
Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the areas of
program development, evaluation, training, and research. With
assistance from expert consultants, JJRC coordinates the peer review
process for OJJDP grant applications and grantee reports, conducts
research and prepares reports on current juvenile justice issues, plans
meetings and conferences, and provides administrative support to
various Federal councils and boards.
This contract will be implemented by the current contractor, Aspen
Systems Corporation. No additional applications will be solicited in FY
2001.
Program of Research on the Causes and Correlates of Delinquency
Since 1986, this longitudinal study has addressed a variety of
issues related to juvenile violence and delinquency and has produced a
massive amount of information on the causes and correlates of
delinquent behavior. Three project sites participate: Institute of
Behavioral Science, University of Colorado at Boulder; Western
Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh; and
Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Center, University at Albany, State
University of New York. These projects are designed to improve the
understanding of serious delinquency, violence, and drug use by
examining how youth develop within the context of family, school,
peers, and community. The three sites engage in both collaborative and
site-specific research. The three research teams worked together to
ensure that certain core measures were identical across the sites. This
strengthens the findings from these projects by allowing for
replications of findings in individual sites and enabling cross-site
analyses.
Results from the study have been used extensively in the field of
juvenile justice and contributed significantly to the development of
OJJDP's Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and Chronic
Juvenile Offenders and other program initiatives. Over the years,
findings from the Causes and Correlates research have been presented in
a number of OJJDP Bulletins and Fact Sheets. In an effort to make these
important findings increasingly accessible to the public, a Causes and
Correlates of Delinquency subpage has been incorporated into the OJJDP
Web site. The subpage (www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/ccd/index.html) includes
descriptions of the individual projects and a bibliography of all the
publications resulting from these projects.
In the upcoming year-the second year in a 3-year project period,
the Causes and Correlates projects will continue collaborative and
site-specific analyses of the data. Topics for upcoming reports will
include defining characteristics and predictors of very young
offending, consequences of delinquency, and long term effects of
juvenile justice system
[[Page 79684]]
involvement. In addition, researchers at the three sites will continue
efforts to provide researchers access to the Causes and Correlates
data. Concerns about confidentiality prohibit the release of the data
sets to the general public. However, OJJDP and the Causes and
Correlates researchers have been exploring alternative methods of
making the data more accessible to other researchers, the most
promising being a remote access system. Plans for the upcoming year
include developing and testing a remote access system at one of the
sites.
This program will be implemented by the current grantees, the
Regents of the University of Colorado, the University of Pittsburgh;
and the Research Foundation of the State University of New York at
Albany, SUNY. No additional applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
SafeFutures: Partnerships To Reduce Youth Violence and Delinquency
In FY 1995, OJJDP competitively selected six communities to
implement the SafeFutures Program. SafeFutures seeks to prevent and
control youth crime and victimization through the creation of a
continuum of care in communities. This continuum enables communities to
be responsive to the needs of youth at critical stages of their
development by providing an appropriate range of prevention,
intervention, treatment, and sanctions programs. The services provided
through these programs include family strengthening; afterschool
activities; mentoring; treatment alternatives for juvenile female
offenders; mental health services; day treatment; graduated sanctions
for serious, violent, and chronic juvenile offenders; and gang
prevention, intervention, and suppression.
OJJDP will award fifth year funding to the Boston SafeFutures site
in order to complete its 5-year project period, which began in FY 1995
through a competitive process. In FY 2001, Boston SafeFutures will
continue to provide a set of services that builds on community
strengths and existing services and fills in gaps within their existing
continuum. Specific attention will also be given to improving the
coordination and integration of services and program sustainability
within Boston.
In addition, within the program developments and system changes
that have occurred in the other five communities, there are promising
activities, programs, and approaches that can serve as a model for
other communities. In FY 2001, OJJDP will provide limited support
through a competitive process among the SafeFutures grantees to assist
the sites in sustaining these aspects of the programs. The Boston
project will not be eligible for these funds because, unlike the other
sites, it will not be finished with the fifth year of the project at
that time.
A national evaluation is being conducted by the Urban Institute to
determine the success of the initiative and track lessons learned at
each of the six SafeFutures sites. OJJDP has also committed training
and technical assistance resources to SafeFutures sites in FY 2001.
SafeFutures activities will be implemented by the current grantees.
No additional applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Technical Assistance for State Legislatures
Since FY 1995, OJJDP has awarded annual grants to the National
Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) to provide relevant, timely
information on comprehensive approaches in juvenile justice to aid
State legislators in improving State juvenile justice systems. Nearly
every State has enacted, or is considering, statutory changes affecting
the juvenile justice system. This project has helped policymakers
understand the ramifications and nuances of juvenile justice reform.
The grant has improved capacity for the delivery of information
services to State legislatures. The project also supports increased
communication between State legislators and State and local leaders who
influence decisionmaking regarding juvenile justice issues. In FY 2000,
NCSL published and distributed the second edition of ``Comprehensive
Justice: A Legislator's Guide.'' Designed as a folder containing a
series of briefing papers, the guide focuses on systemic juvenile
justice from a policy perspective and includes many examples of how
State legislation has created or implemented components of
comprehensive juvenile justice.
NCSL has also provided onsite technical assistance to many States
developing or refining legislation. It has conducted annual
invitational forums for select legislators involved in legislative
activity that may warrant increased understanding on various juvenile
justice issues. NCSL also maintains an informational clearinghouse on
juvenile justice issues.
In FY 2001, NCSL will--
Provide tailored, in-State assistance to four
legislatures.
Produce and distribute a 60-minute audiotape based on
``Comprehensive Justice: A Legislator's Guide.''
Prepare and distribute to legislators and staff two
LegisBriefs (fact sheets) on key juvenile justice topics.
Plan and convene a concurrent session at the NCSL 2001
annual convention.
Continue research, analysis, and reporting on State
juvenile justice enactments.
The project will be implemented by the current grantee, the
National Conference of State Legislatures. No additional applications
will be solicited in FY 2001.
Telecommunications Assistance
OJJDP uses information technology and distance training to
facilitate access to information and training for juvenile justice
professionals. This cost-effective medium enhances OJJDP's ability to
share with the field salient elements of the most effective or
promising approaches to various juvenile justice issues. In FY 1995,
OJJDP awarded a competitive grant to Eastern Kentucky University (EKU)
to produce live satellite teleconferences. In FY 2000, OJJDP continued
the cooperative agreement with EKU to provide program support and
technical assistance for a variety of information technologies and to
explore linkages with key constituent groups to advance mutual
information goals and objectives. This medium allows practitioners,
policymakers, and researchers from across the country to keep abreast
of developments in the field without having to travel. A typical
videoconference will reach some 500 sites and approximately 15,000
persons at downlink sites and through personal computers.
During FY 2000, EKU produced five ``live'' satellite
videoconferences and experimented with cybercasting ``live'' satellite
videoconferences on the Internet. OJJDP has employed the use of
Internet Streaming to simultaneously allow persons to observe and hear
satellite videoconferences from desktop personal computers.
Currently, project staff are studying the feasibility of taking
past satellite videoconference materials, video, printed hardcopy
materials, and interviews with panelists and developing a Web-based
tool or CD-ROM of the information to be used as a training or
educational tool. EKU will continue to provide technical assistance to
other organizations planning to conduct satellite videoconferences.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee, Eastern
Kentucky
[[Page 79685]]
University. No additional applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Training and Technical Assistance Coordination for the SafeFutures
Initiative
OJJDP will continue funding for limited training and technical
assistance to the SafeFutures Initiative in FY 2001. This coordination
effort enhances local capacity for implementing and sustaining
effective continuum-of-care and systems change approaches in the six
SafeFutures sites. Project activities include assessment,
identification, and coordination of the implementation of training and
technical assistance needs at each of the sites. In FY 2001, this
training and technical assistance will focus on sustaining the
successes that the sites achieved during the previous years of the
program.
This program will be implemented by the current grantee, Patricia
Donahue. No additional applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Public Safety and Law Enforcement
Evaluation of the Comprehensive Community-Wide Approach to Gang
Prevention, Intervention, and Suppression Program
OJJDP will continue funding this evaluation in FY 2001. Under a
competitive cooperative agreement awarded in FY 1995, the evaluation
grantee assisted the five program sites (Bloomington, IL; Mesa, AZ;
Riverside, CA; San Antonio, TX; and Tucson, AZ) in establishing
realistic and measurable objectives, documenting program
implementation, and measuring the impact of this comprehensive
approach. It has also provided interim feedback to the program
implementors and trained the local site interviewers. The grantee will
continue to gather and analyze data required to evaluate the program,
monitor and oversee the quality control of data, provide assistance for
completion of interviews, and provide ongoing feedback to project
sites. This project began in 1995 and will end in 2002.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee, the
University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration. No
additional applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Evaluation of the Partnerships To Reduce Juvenile Gun Violence Program
This project began with a competitive award in FY 1997 to document
and evaluate the process of community mobilization, planning, and
collaboration needed to develop a comprehensive, collaborative approach
to reducing gun violence involving juveniles. The Partnerships To
Reduce Juvenile Gun Violence Program is being implemented in three
sites: Baton Rouge, LA; Oakland, CA; and Syracuse, NY. The grantee,
COSMOS Corporation, will continue data collection and submit a interim
report on the impact evaluation in the next year. In addition to
working with the three Partnership sites, COSMOS Corporation completed
work in FY 2000 on the OJJDP Bulletin Fighting Juvenile Gun Violence
and has developed a training and technical assistance protocol based on
its experience with the Partnership sites and the gun violence report.
This training and technical assistance package will be offered to a
limited number of communities that are focused on reducing gun violence
through a collaborative planning process.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee, COSMOS
Corporation. No additional applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Evaluation of the Rural Gang Initiative
This initiative is a continuation of ongoing efforts to test
OJJDP's Comprehensive Gang Model. In FY 1999, four competitively
selected rural sites conducted comprehensive assessments of their local
gang problem and developed program designs to implement the
Comprehensive Gang Model. These sites were Elk City, OK; Glenn County,
CA; Mt. Vernon, IL; and Longview, WA. The evaluation grantee, the
National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD), has conducted case
studies to document and analyze the 1-year community assessment and
program planning efforts in the four sites. These case studies will
contribute to the development of a model approach to assessment of
community gang problems in rural areas. NCCD has also developed an
outcome evaluation design for sites that are being funded to implement
the model in subsequent years. FY 2000 was the first year of funding
for the outcome evaluation, and FY 2001 funding will continue to
support data collection for this evaluation.
This program will be implemented by the current grantee, the
National Council on Crime and Delinquency. No additional applications
will be solicited in FY 2001.
Evaluation of the Transfer of Responsibility for Child Protective
Investigations to Law Enforcement Agencies
In response to concerns about the increasing demands on public
child welfare agencies, the safety of children, and the effectiveness
of law enforcement and social service agencies to deliver critical
services, the State of Florida passed legislation in 1998 that allows
for the transfer of the entire responsibility for child protective
investigations to a law enforcement agency. Currently, three counties
in Florida are in various stages of implementing this transfer of
responsibility. This project is comparing the outcomes in the three
counties where responsibility is being transferred to the sheriff's
office with three comparison counties in the State of Florida. The
project is concerned primarily with whether children are safer, whether
perpetrators of severe child abuse are more likely to face criminal
sanctions, and whether there are impacts on other parts of the child
welfare system. Also, a thorough process evaluation will be conducted
to describe and compare the implementation process across the three
counties. This project is in the final year of a 3-year period.
This evaluation is being funded under an interagency agreement with
the National Institute of Justice. The grantee is the School of Social
Work, University of Pennsylvania. No additional applications will be
solicited in FY 2001.
Gang Prevention Through Targeted Outreach (Boys & Girls Clubs)
The purpose of this program is to enable local Boys & Girls Clubs
to prevent youth from entering gangs, intervene with gang members in
the early stages of gang involvement, and divert youth from gang
activities into more constructive programs. This program reflects the
ongoing collaboration between OJJDP and the Boys & Girls Clubs to
reduce problems of juvenile delinquency and violence. The Boys & Girls
Clubs of America provides training and technical assistance to local
gang prevention and intervention sites, including some at OJJDP
Comprehensive Gang sites, and to other clubs and organizations through
regional trainings and national conferences. In FY 2000, the Boys &
Girls Clubs added new gang prevention sites, gang intervention sites,
and ``Targeted Reintegration'' sites where clubs work to provide
services to youth returning to the community from juvenile correctional
facilities to prevent them from returning to gangs and violence. In FY
2001, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America will identify and support up to
30 new gang prevention sites through targeted outreach and will also
hold a Delinquency and Gang
[[Page 79686]]
Prevention Symposium in the spring. A national evaluation of this
program is being implemented by Public/Private Ventures.
This program will be implemented by the current grantee, the Boys &
Girls Clubs of America. No additional applications will be solicited in
FY 2001.
Juvenile Justice Law Enforcement Training and Technical Assistance
Program
The Juvenile Justice Law Enforcement Training and Technical
Assistance Program explores adolescent violence in the United States as
a social phenomenon and a policy issue. The program covers a range of
youth violence issues including the examination of crime statistics and
emerging legislation. The program also conducts analysis of key areas
of youth violence policy and practice: youth firearm possession and
use; school violence and safety; youth-oriented community policing;
gang and drug involvement; serious, violent, and habitual juvenile
offenders; multidisciplinary youth violence strategies; police
management of youth programs; tribal juvenile crime; and Chief
Executive Officer responses to delinquency and violence.
The program examines the core issues of youth violence using
methods that are consistent with effective police practices and that
promote a more positive future for America's youth. Similarly, leaders
in the areas of law enforcement, prosecution, the courts, corrections,
probation, and other juvenile justice agencies receive information,
materials training and technical assistance designed to solve
managerial issues that hinder the implementation of effective youth
crime prevention strategies.
Since FY 1999, Federal funds have supported the provision of
training sessions and technical assistance to State and local law
enforcement jurisdictions. In FY 2000, the following workshops were
conducted: (1) School Administrators For Effective Police Operations
Leading to Improved Children and Youth Services and (2) Serious
Habitual Offender Comprehensive Action Program (SHOCAP). Based on
practitioner feedback and needs assessment data, the grantee completed
revisions to the Chief Executive Officer Youth Violence Forum.
Additionally, an instructional design committee has been formed to
revise and update the following: Youth, Gang, Gun and Drug Policy;
Youth Oriented Community Policing, and the Youth Violence Reduction
Comprehensive Action Program. A new workshop, Tribal Law Enforcement
Training and Technical Assistance, is also under development. The
grantee will continue to provide training and technical assistance
through the workshops series described above.
This program will be implemented by the current grantee, the
International Association of Chiefs of Police. No additional
applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Mesa Gang Intervention Project (MGIP)
In FY 1995, OJJDP competitively selected the City of Mesa to be one
of five communities to implement and test the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang
Model. Since that time, the Mesa Gang Intervention Project (MGIP) has
become an exciting and promising gang intervention program. The program
targets youth in Mesa who are gang involved and youth who are at high-
risk for gang involvement. The program provides a cadre of services
including job skill development, counseling, drug and alcohol treatment
and prevention, tattoo removal services, and outreach. The program
monitors gang-involved youth, holding them accountable for negative
behaviors. The program has developed into a partnership with many
agencies in Mesa, including police, adult and juvenile probation,
United Way, local Boys & Girls Clubs, other youth-serving agencies,
private businesses/corporations, and others. Preliminary evaluation
information from MGIP looks very promising in reducing youth gang crime
among targeted youth. Additionally, the program has been well received
locally and most program components and staff have been sustained with
local funds.
In FY 2001, OJJDP will provide limited additional support to MGIP
to continue the local evaluation and assessment activities and allow
MGIP to function as a ``host'' site for future OJJDP training on the
Comprehensive Gang Model.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee, the City
of Mesa, AZ. No additional applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
National Youth Gang Center
The proliferation of gang problems over the past two decades led
OJJDP to develop a comprehensive, coordinated response to America's
gang problem. This response involved five program components, one of
which was implementation and operation of the National Youth Gang
Center (NYGC). Competitively funded in 1994 to expand and maintain the
body of critical knowledge about youth gangs and effective responses to
them, NYGC provides support services to the National Youth Gang
Consortium, composed of Federal agencies with responsibilities in this
area. NYGC is also providing technical assistance for OJJDP's Rural
Gang Initiative. In FY 2000, NYGC (1) conducted indepth analyses of the
National Youth Gang Survey results that track changes in gang
membership and activity, (2) produced timely information on the nature
and scope of the youth gang problem, (3) continued tracking gang-
related legislation at both the State and Federal level, and (4)
continued providing training and technical assistance to the Rural Gang
Initiative program sites.
With FY 2001 funds, the Center will continue to collect, analyze,
and disseminate current, comprehensive, and accurate national-level
gang-related information. It will continue to assist State and local
jurisdictions in the collection, analysis, and exchange of information
on gang-related demographics, legislation, literature, research, and
promising program strategies. The Center will also continue to provide
indepth technical assistance to Rural Gang Initiative grantees and to
grantees of other OJJDP gang programs.
This program will be implemented by the current grantee, the
Institute for Intergovernmental Research. No additional applications
will be solicited in FY 2001.
Rural Gang Initiative Demonstration Sites
During FY 2000, OJJDP competitively funded four rural communities
(Elk City, OK; Glenn County, CA; Longview, WA; and Mount Vernon, IL) to
conduct a comprehensive assessment of the local youth gang problem.
Each site has collected relevant data from multiple sources, including
police, schools, courts, and community residents. They have gathered
various types of data, including data on gang crime, the presence of
risk factors for gang membership, and community demographics, and data
from community surveys and focus groups. This information was used in
each site to determine the nature and scope of the existing youth gang
problems. A steering committee made up of community representatives in
each site used the final assessment findings to develop a response to
the problems identified. In two of the four sites, it was determined
and agreed locally that an intensive gang intervention effort was not
necessary. Instead, these two communities will use the data to develop
gang prevention services and
[[Page 79687]]
intervene with delinquent and gang-involved youth through a less
intensive effort. The remaining two sites have determined that a more
intensive gang intervention effort is required and will implement the
OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model in FY 2001.
In FY 2001, OJJDP will support the two communities implementing the
OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model. An independent evaluation of these two
sites will also be conducted and technical assistance will be provided
through the National Youth Gang Center.
This initiative will be implemented by two of the four current
grantees, Glenn County, CA, and Mount Vernon, IL. No additional
applications will be solicited for this initiative in FY 2001.
Technical Assistance to the Gang-Free Schools and Communities
Initiatives
In FY 2000, OJJDP launched a multisite replication of the OJJDP
Comprehensive Gang Model and a four-site demonstration program to
implement the Model and further enhance the Model's school component.
In FY 2001, OJJDP will fund the National Youth Gang Center to provide
training and technical assistance during the implementation stages of
this initiative in selected communities across the country. The
National Youth Gang Center is currently providing technical assistance
on OJJDP's Model to communities involved in OJJDP's Rural Gang
Initiative and to other OJJDP grantees.
OJJDP will provide a supplemental award to the National Youth Gang
Center to provide the technical assistance. No additional applications
will be solicited in FY 2001.
Delinquency Prevention and Intervention
Assessing Alcohol, Drug, and Mental (ADM) Disorders Among Juvenile
Detainees
This project is a major longitudinal study assessing alcohol, drug,
and mental disorders among juveniles in the Cook County Detention
Center in Chicago, IL. The project has three primary goals: (1) To
determine how alcohol, drug, and mental disorders develop over time
among juvenile detainees, (2) to investigate whether juvenile detainees
receive needed psychiatric services after their cases reach disposition
(whether they return to the community or are incarcerated), and (3) to
study the development and interrelationship of dangerous and risky
behaviors related to violence, substance use, and HIV/AIDS. This
project is unique because the sample is so large: it includes 1,833
youth from Chicago who were arrested and interviewed between 1995 and
1998. The sample is stratified by gender, race (African American,
Hispanic, non-Hispanic white), and age. Initial interviews have been
completed, and extensive archival data (arrest and incarceration
history, health and mental health treatment, etc.) collected on each
subject. The investigators have been tracking the subjects and are now
conducting the first set of followup interviews. A significant number
of deaths, virtually all of them linked to violence (e.g. gunshot
wounds), have already occurred. Because of their extensive and thorough
tracking procedures, the investigators will be able to reinterview
subjects regardless of whether they are back in the community,
incarcerated, or have left the immediate area. The large sample size
will provide sufficient statistical power to study rarer disorders
(including co-occurring disorders), patterns of drug use, and risky,
life-threatening behaviors.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee,
Northwestern University. No additional applications will be solicited
in FY 2001.
The Chicago Project for Violence Prevention
The Chicago Project for Violence Prevention is a citywide, long-
term effort to reduce violence. Objectives include reductions in
homicide, physical injury, disability and emotional harm from assault,
domestic abuse, sexual abuse and rape, and child abuse and neglect. A
partnership among the Chicago Department of Public Health, the Illinois
Council for the Prevention of Violence, the University of Illinois, and
Chicago communities, the project began in 1995 with joint funding from
OJJDP and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National
Center for Injury Prevention and Control, the Bureau of Justice
Assistance, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Project now provides technical assistance to seven Chicago
communities and citywide organizations involved in violence prevention
planning. In FY 2001, the Chicago Project will complete evaluation
reports on the first three communities involved in the project.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee, the
University of Illinois, School of Public Health. No additional
applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Communities In Schools, Inc.
The purpose of Communities In Schools (CIS) is to provide training
and technical assistance to the CIS Network that will result in
increased ability to build economic opportunity for CIS students and
families, to build healthy families and communities, and to build
healthy public-private partnerships throughout the CIS Network. A
special focus is placed on strengthening the families of CIS youth. In
FY 2000, CIS has exceeded anticipated outcomes and demonstrated that
grant resources have leveraged additional activity for family
strengthening activities in the CIS Network. Working with the Families
and Schools Together (FAST) National Training and Evaluation Center,
CIS is creating a network of expert trainers to disseminate proven
family strengthening initiatives. To that end, the focus has been on
``seeding'' the CIS Network with the Families and Schools Together
(FAST) research-based approach to family strengthening. The
implementation of the FAST program is taking place through statewide
initiatives in Missouri, North Carolina, and South Carolina, and
interest in statewide replication has been identified in Georgia,
Kentucky, and Texas. In FY 2001, Communities In Schools will expand the
number of sites in the CIS Network implementing the FAST program.
The program will be implemented by the current grantee, Communities
In Schools, Inc. No additional applications will be solicited in FY
2001.
Diffusion of State Risk-and Protective-Factor-Focused Prevention
Since FY 1997, OJJDP has provided funds to the National Institute
on Drug Abuse, through an interagency agreement, to support this 5-year
study of the public health approach to prevention, focusing on risk and
protective factors for substance abuse at the State and community
levels. The study is identifying factors that influence the adoption of
the public health approach and assessing the association between this
approach and the levels of risk and protective factors and substance
abuse among adolescents. The study will also examine State substance
abuse data gathered from 1988 through 2001 and use interviews to
describe the process of implementing the epidemiological risk- and
protective-factor approach in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Maine,
Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
This project will be implemented under an interagency agreement
with the National Institute on Drug Abuse by
[[Page 79688]]
the current grantee, the Social Development Research Group at the
University of Washington School of Social Work. No additional
applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Do the Write Thing Challenge Program
This program provides youth at risk of delinquency, crime, and
victimization with an opportunity to use the written word to express
their ideas on how best to address these problems in their communities.
The program uses teachers and volunteers from law enforcement, the
juvenile justice system, the medical community, and youth-serving
organizations to work with the youth to develop their ideas and put
them on paper in narrative or poetic form. Program participants learn
to respect others' ideas and to understand the value and power of
words. Students are asked to accept the challenge and pledge to avoid
violence in their own lives and help prevent and reduce it in the lives
of others.
With OJJDP funding, which began in FY 1997, the program has
expanded to 18 cities with more than 450 schools and youth-serving
organizations participating. This past school year, more than 50,000
students participated in the program's classroom discussions about
youth violence and possible solutions. In FY 2001, the program will
prepare a comprehensive analysis of at least 5,000 student submissions,
publish a summary and develop a computer presentation of that analysis,
and provide training and technical assistance to help the local Do the
Write Thing committees establish a new initiative, Community Peace
Partnerships, to unite local groups working to prevent and reduce youth
violence and victimization.
This program will be implemented by the current grantee, the
National Campaign to Stop Violence. No additional applications will be
solicited in FY 2001.
Evaluation of the Truancy Reduction Demonstration Program
In FY 1999, OJJDP began funding seven sites around the country to
implement truancy reduction programs. Grantees, representing a
diversity of models and geographic locations, include Contra Costa, CA;
Honolulu, HI; Houston, TX; Jacksonville, FL; King County, WA; Suffolk
County, NY; and Tacoma, WA. Also in 1998, OJJDP funded the Colorado
Foundation for Families and Children (CFFC) to conduct a national
evaluation of the Truancy Reduction Demonstration Program. As part of
the evaluation, CFFC is working with the sites to (1) determine how
community collaboration can impact truancy reduction and lead to
systemic reform; and (2) assist OJJDP in the development of a community
collaborative truancy reduction program model and identify the
essential elements of that model. To that end, CFFC will continue to
assist project sites during this second year to identify and document
the nature of the truancy problem in their communities, enhance the
process of effective truancy reduction planning and collaboration, and
incorporate that process into the implementation of the Truancy
Reduction Demonstration Program at each site. In addition, CFFC is
assisting sites in collecting information on truant youth and
documenting services. The project is scheduled to last 3\1/2\ years.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee, the
Colorado Foundation for Families and Children. No additional
applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Intergenerational Transmission of Antisocial Behavior
The purpose of this study, started in FY 1998, is to examine the
development of childhood antisocial behavior in a three-generation
prospective panel study, by making the children of the current
participants in the OJJDP-sponsored Rochester Youth Development Study
the focal subjects of a new long-term study. By the age of 21, 40
percent of the original Rochester participants were parents. The study
will combine data obtained from the original study on the participants
and their parents, with data from this new project collected on the
children of the original participants. This provides the unique
opportunity to examine and track the development of delinquent behavior
across three generations in a particularly high-risk sample. Such a
cohort is rare in social science research. The results of the study
should provide very useful findings that should have policy
implications for prevention programs. In the second year of this 5-year
commitment, the program will continue data collection.
The project will be implemented under an interagency agreement with
the National Institute of Mental Health by the current grantee, the
University at Albany, State University of New York. No additional
applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Investing in Youth for a Safer Future--A Public Education Campaign
OJJDP will continue its support of the National Crime Prevention
Council's (NCPC's) ``Invest in Youth for a Safer Future'' advertising
campaign through the transfer of funds to the Bureau of Justice
Assistance (BJA). OJJDP and BJA are working with NCPC to produce,
disseminate, and support effective public service advertising and
related media to inform the public of effective solutions to juvenile
crime and to motivate young people and adults to get involved and
support these solutions. The featured solutions include effective
prevention programs and intervention strategies.
The program will be implemented under an interagency agreement with
the Bureau of Justice Assistance by the current grantee, the National
Crime Prevention Council. No additional applications will be solicited
in FY 2001.
Multisite, Multimodal Treatment Study of Children With Attention
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
OJJDP will transfer funds under a 5-year interagency agreement with
the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to support this
research, funded principally by NIMH. In 1992, NIMH began a study of
the long-term efficacy of stimulant medication and intensive behavioral
and educational treatment for children with attention deficit/
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Although ADHD is classified as a
childhood disorder, up to 70 percent of afflicted children continue to
experience symptoms in adolescence and adulthood. The study will
continue through 2001 and will follow the original families and a
comparison group. OJJDP's participation, which began in FY 1998,
supports continued investigations into the subjects' delinquent
behavior and contact with the legal system, including arrests and court
referrals.
This program will be implemented through an interagency agreement
with the National Institute of Mental Health. No additional
applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Risk Reduction Via Promotion of Youth Development
Also known as Early Alliance, this program, begun in FY 1997, is a
large-scale prevention study involving hundreds of children in several
elementary schools in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods of Columbia,
SC. This project is designed to promote coping competence and reduce
risk for conduct problems, aggression, substance use, delinquency and
violence, and school failure beginning in early elementary school. The
interventions begin in the first grade, and children are followed
longitudinally throughout the 5 years of
[[Page 79689]]
the project. A major goal of the project is to reduce the development
of conduct problems, aggression, and subsequent delinquency and
violence. The project also seeks to alter home and school climates in
order to reduce risk for adverse outcomes and to promote positive youth
development. This project is in the final year of a 5-year project
period.
This project will be implemented under an interagency agreement
with the National Institute of Mental Health by the current grantee,
the University of South Carolina. No additional applications will be
solicited in FY 2001.
Strengthening Services for Chemically Involved Children, Youth, and
Families
The U.S. Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS)
provide services to children affected by parental substance use or
abuse. OJJDP administers this training and technical assistance
program, which began in FY 1998. HHS's Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration has partnered with OJJDP to fund a
cooperative agreement with the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA),
a nonprofit organization. CWLA is assisting child welfare personnel to
provide appropriate intervention services for children impacted by the
abuse of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) and for their caregivers. CWLA
is producing a comprehensive assessment tool and decisionmaking
guidelines for child welfare workers and supervisors. CWLA training and
technical assistance will help to develop innovative and effective
approaches to meeting the needs of children in the child welfare system
whose parents are AOD abusers.
Previously, the grantee developed a curriculum based on the
Substance Affected Families Environmental and Strengths Assessment,
drafted a training outline, edited design materials, and provided
ongoing support to CWLA national training staff. In FY 2001, CWLA will
continue the development and online dissemination of resource
materials, training, and technical assistance to improve the ability of
child welfare and juvenile justice direct service professionals to
prepare youth in out-of-home care for adulthood, promote their positive
development, and support them in avoiding high-risk behaviors.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee, the Child
Welfare League of America. No additional applications will be solicited
in FY 2001.
Study of the Marketing of Age-Restricted Violent Entertainment to
Children
This study, published on September 11, 2000, was conducted by the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC), with financial support from OJJDP. The
study reported on the extent to which movies, video and computer games,
and music recordings that are age-restricted because of their violent
content are marketed or are available to children. The FTC completed
four major tasks under this program: developed basic background
information on the three industries and developed the study plan and
procedures, surveyed industries to determine age groups being targeted
in industry promotions, surveyed juveniles and parents to determine
attitudes toward ratings, and conducted a survey to determine the
degree of compliance with existing industry ratings. OJJDP is working
with the FTC to develop materials to help parents better control their
children's access to media products inappropriate for their age. The
materials will explain the various rating systems; explain how
materials are marketed to children, especially in locations not
monitored by parents; and suggest actions parents may take to reassert
their control over the types of media products to which their children
are exposed.
This project will be implemented by the Federal Trade Commission
under an extension to an interagency fund transfer agreement. No
additional applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Technical Assistance for Community Prevention Programs--Title V
The purpose of this contract is to provide OJJDP with the capacity
to provide communities with training and technical assistance support
for implementation of the Title V--Community Prevention Grants program.
The contractor will continue to provide nationwide training and
technical assistance for State and local jurisdictions on developing
and implementing comprehensive communitywide, data-based delinquency
prevention strategies. Through training and technical assistance,
community representatives develop the knowledge and skills necessary to
assess risk and protective factors for delinquency prevention.
Community leaders will be trained to identify and direct community
resources to address identified risk factors.
This project will be implemented by the current contractor,
Development Services Group. No additional applications will be
solicited in FY 2001.
Truancy Reduction Demonstration Program
In FY 1998, OJJDP, the Office of Justice Programs' Executive Office
of Weed and Seed, and the U.S. Department of Education jointly engaged
in a grant program to address truancy. This program specifically
outlines four major comprehensive components: (1) System reform and
accountability, (2) a service continuum to address the needs of
children and adolescents who are truant, (3) data collection and
evaluation, and (4) a community education and awareness program from
kindergarten through grade 12 that addresses the need to prevent
truancy and to intervene with youth who are truant. The goals of this
program are to develop and implement or expand and strengthen
comprehensive truancy programs that pool education, justice system, law
enforcement, social services, and community resources to (1) identify
truant youth; (2) cooperatively design and implement comprehensive,
systemwide programs to meet the needs of truants; and (3) design and
maintain systems for tracking truant youth. OJJDP has awarded funds for
this program to seven sites: three non-Weed-and-Seed sites (Honolulu,
HI; Jacksonville, FL; and King County, WA) and four Weed and Seed sites
(Houston, TX; Martinez, CA; Tacoma, WA; and Yaphank, NY). All sites are
currently involved in program development and implementation of plans
that link youth and adolescents who are truant with community-based
services and programs. They are also involved in full implementation of
the community's comprehensive systemwide plan to prevent and intervene
with the problem of truancy. This program is currently being evaluated
by the Colorado Foundation for Families and Children (CFFC), which is
conducting a process evaluation that will help to identify key elements
of an effective truancy program.
This program will be implemented by the current grantees, Honolulu,
HI; Houston, TX; Jacksonville, FL; King County, WA; Martinez, CA;
Tacoma, WA; and Yaphank, NY. No additional applications will be
solicited in FY 2001.
[[Page 79690]]
Strengthening the Juvenile Justice System
Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ) Training Project
The goal of the BARJ project is to help control juvenile
delinquency through increased use of restitution, community service,
and other innovative programs as part of a jurisdictionwide juvenile
justice change from traditional retributive or rehabilitative system
models to balanced and restorative justice orientation and procedures.
The specific steps for achieving this goal involve preparing materials,
training personnel interested in BARJ, and providing onsite technical
assistance to selected State and local jurisdictions committed to
implementing BARJ. Materials to be developed in FY 2001, the third year
of a 3-year project period, will include documents on restorative
justice programs, practices, and policy directions. The materials will
be useful for training juvenile justice system practitioners and
managers on the BARJ model and for providing onsite technical
assistance. The training and technical assistance will be delivered at
regional and national roundtables, juvenile justice conferences, and
specialized workshops. ``Training of trainers'' programs will also be
offered. There will be some concentration of BARJ technical assistance
at the State level and on advancing judges' and prosecutors' leadership
in the area of restorative justice. Further, there will be an effort to
involve corporations and foundations in BARJ implementation and initial
exploration of introducing BARJ in higher education.
Over recent years, the BARJ Project has reached justice system
managers and practitioners in every State, and there is now some
restorative justice activity going on in every State. The project has
developed both basic and advanced BARJ training curriculums (in
cooperation with the National Institute of Corrections); BARJ resource
documents, such as an implementation guide, and a soon-to-be-published
restorative justice inventory. In addition, numerous articles in
professional periodicals have been published by project staff and
consultants.
During the past 12 months, BARJ staff and consultants presented
more than 25 key training and technical assistance events. Notable
among these were a number of roundtables for judges, Native American
juvenile justice administrators, and (regionally) representatives of
States interested in implementing BARJ. The roundtables typically draw
from 30 to 40 local juvenile justice leaders. BARJ staff also held
Forums on Changing Roles for Juvenile Probation, Prosecutor Involvement
in Restorative Justice, and Strength-Based Rehabilitation and
Competency Development. Further, intensive training and onsite
technical assistance were provided to nine ``special emphasis States.''
In addition, BARJ staff and consultants delivered two ``train the
trainer'' courses and a Basic BARJ Principles course (in cooperation
with the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants program and
with the National Institute of Corrections). Since 1998, the project
has organized or made presentations at more than 100 events. Over
10,000 juvenile justice and related practitioners have participated in
these events. Seven BARJ publications are currently in various stages
of production.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee, Florida
Atlantic University. No additional applications will be solicited in FY
2001.
Blueprints for Violence Prevention: Training and Technical Assistance
In FY 1998, OJJDP funded a cooperative agreement with the Center
for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) at the University of
Colorado. Under this agreement, CSPV provides intensive training and
technical assistance to community organizations and units of local
government to replicate 10 ``Blueprint'' model programs. These are
programs that CSPV identified as meeting a rigorous scientific standard
of proven program effectiveness and replicability for reducing
adolescent violence, crime, and substance abuse. CSPV will help
communities determine the feasibility of program development and also
monitor and assist in the replication of these Blueprint programs for a
period of 2 years.
The model programs being replicated under this award include
Multisystemic Therapy (MST), Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies
(PATHS), Nurse Home Visitation, Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care
(MTFC), Quantum Opportunities Program, Bullying Prevention Program,
Functional Family Therapy (FFT), and the Big Brothers/Big Sisters
(BBBS) Mentoring Program.
To date, 40 sites are participating in the program. Overall, 594
individuals have been trained, for a total of 158 days of training.
CSPV has completed process evaluation visits with all 40 sites. A
total of 3,078 individuals have been served through the Blueprints
initiative. MST and BBBS clients have completed their fist year of
implementation. Total clients served to date include the following:
Bullying Prevention (2,303), PATHS (581), FFT (30), MTFC (7), MST
(119); and BBBS (38). In FY 2001, the final year of a 2-year project
period, the grantee will continue to provide overall guidance to the
program and monitor the integrity of each implementation. CSPV will
also conduct process evaluation site visits, provide phone
consultation, and provide training and technical assistance.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee, the
Regents of the University of Colorado. No additional applications will
be solicited in FY 2001.
Building Blocks for Youth
The goals of this initiative are to protect minority youth in the
justice system and promote rational and effective juvenile justice
policies. These goals are accomplished by the following components: (1)
conducting research on issues such as the impact on minority youth of
new State laws and the implications of privatization of juvenile
facilities by profit-making corporations; (2) undertaking an analysis
of decisionmaking in the justice system and development of model
decisionmaking criteria that reduce or eliminate disproportionate
impact of the system on minority youth; (3) building a constituency for
change at the national, State, and local levels; and (4) developing
communication strategies for dissemination of information. A fifth
component, direct advocacy for minority youth, is funded by sources
other than OJJDP. Funding by OJJDP began in FY 1998.
The grantee, Youth Law Center (YLC), has undertaken a number of
tasks to move this initiative forward. The grantee recently published a
comprehensive report on the disparate impact on minority youth by the
justice system at critical decision points. YLC is also supporting a
wide range of national and local advocacy organizations to work for
needed juvenile justice reforms. The grantee continues to build a
constituency for change at the national, State, and local levels with
this effort being informed by development of communications strategies
based upon the results of a series of national focus groups that survey
public opinion and perceptions of juvenile crime. YLC has released two
publications, The Color of Justice and And Justice for Some, each of
which drew attention and raised the interest levels of various public
officials and interest groups. Several new
[[Page 79691]]
publications will be proposed for development in FY 2001.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee, Youth Law
Center. No additional applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement
The Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement (CJRP) collects
individual-level data on all juveniles in residential placement on a
specific reference day (the fourth Wednesday in October). The data
elements collected include age, sex, race, placing agency, legal
status, and most serious offense. Because this project is a census, it
allows for State-level reporting of juveniles in residential placement
or custody. The census is mailed to all facilities that can and do hold
juvenile offenders. Facility personnel report on all offenders under 21
residing in their facilities on the specific reference day. The
facilities also provide some basic information on any other persons who
do not fit these criteria. The CJRP was first conducted in October 1997
and then again in October 1999. Data from the 1997 CJRP are available
on the Internet in tabular form at OJJDP's Web site
(www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org). Data from the 1999 CJRP will be available for
public use by January 2001. The CJRP will be conducted a third time in
October 2001, with data available by December 2002.
This program will be continued through the extension of an
interagency agreement with the Bureau of the Census. No additional
applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Center for Students With Disabilities in the Juvenile Justice System
During FY 1999, OJJDP undertook a joint initiative with the Office
of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of
Education, to establish a Center for Students with Disabilities in the
Juvenile Justice System. It is expected that this project will have a
significant impact on the improvement of juvenile justice system
services for students with disabilities. Improvements in the areas of
prevention, educational services, and reintegration based on a
combination of research, training, and technical assistance will lead
to improved results for children and youth with disabilities. The
Center for Students with Disabilities in the Juvenile Justice System
will provide guidance and assistance to States, schools, justice
programs, families, and communities to design, implement, and evaluate
comprehensive educational programs, based on research-validated
practices, for students with disabilities in the juvenile justice
system.
This program will be implemented under an existing 5-year
interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Education by the
current grantee, the University of Maryland. No additional applications
will be solicited in FY 2001.
Comprehensive Children and Families Mental Health Training and
Technical Assistance
OJJDP, under a 3-year interagency agreement, transferred funds to
the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) in FY 1999 and FY 2000 to
supplement a contract for training and technical assistance to the
CMHS-funded Comprehensive Mental Health sites. The grantee has
established the training and technical assistance center in Washington,
DC, and has hired staff with juvenile justice and mental health
experience to coordinate training and technical assistance to the 42
funded sites. This training and technical assistance is designed to
enhance the involvement of the juvenile justice system in the systems
of care being developed in each of the CMHS-funded sites. The juvenile
justice coordinator has been working with program sites requesting
assistance in engaging their juvenile justice systems through onsite
and telephone technical assistance. The coordinator has also
established linkages with key juvenile justice associations, such as
the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, to foster
their involvement. Additionally, the coordinator is developing a
resource guide for the sites. Funds will be transferred to CMHS in FY
2001 for the final year of the 3-year interagency agreement.
This initiative will be implemented through an interagency
agreement with the Center for Mental Health Services. No additional
applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Connecticut/Cook County (IL) Girls Collaborative
A national collaboration between the State of Connecticut and Cook
County, IL, has been forged around the needs of court-involved girls.
The primary goal of this collaboration is the creation of a replicable
model of systems change for court-involved girls, including girls who
are pregnant and/or young mothers. Since this project began in FY 1997,
the sites have shared lessons learned and have taken action to improve
services to court-involved girls. Specific accomplishments include
conducting comprehensive studies of the Connecticut female juvenile
offender population, convening a statewide ``Gender Responsiveness''
conference, providing training to juvenile justice staff on gender
responsiveness, and developing a case management system for girls and a
risk and needs assessment instrument. The project has begun to
implement a pilot program and test gender-specific services.
OJJDP will support this national collaboration in FY 2001 in order
to continue to develop innovative responses to the female offender
population and girls at-risk of entering the juvenile justice system.
The program will be implemented by the current grantees, Cook
County Board of Commissioners and Connecticut Judicial Branch. No
additional applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Development of the Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and
Chronic Juvenile Offenders
This continuation grant will enable OJJDP to provide communities
with training and technical assistance support for development of
strategic plans and implementation of those plans that are based on the
research foundation of the Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent,
and Chronic Juvenile Offenders. The grantees will continue to provide
training and technical assistance for State and local jurisdictions on
developing and implementing comprehensive strategic plans that are
designed to reduce juvenile delinquency. Through training and technical
assistance, communities will develop the knowledge and skills necessary
to assess risk and protective factors, develop and implement research-
based programs and prevention and graduated sanctions services, and
more effectively address juvenile crime in their communities.
This project will be implemented by the current grantees,
Developmental Research and Programs, Inc. and the National Council on
Crime and Delinquency. No additional applications will be solicited in
FY 2001.
Evaluation of the Department of Labor's Education and Training for
Youthful Offenders Initiative
This evaluation, initially funded in FY 1999, has documented the
activities undertaken by two States awarded grants under the U.S.
Department of Labor's (DOL's) Education and Training for Youthful
Offenders Initiative. Each DOL grantee will provide comprehensive
school-to-work education and training within a juvenile correctional
facility and followup and
[[Page 79692]]
job placement services as youth return to the community. It is intended
that the comprehensive services developed under these grants will serve
as models for other juvenile correctional facilities across the
country.
The OJJDP-sponsored evaluation of these projects is being conducted
in two phases. During Phase I, a process evaluation is under way at
each site to document the extent to which educational, job training,
and aftercare services were enhanced with DOL funding. Also, the
feasibility of conducting an impact evaluation at each site is being
determined during Phase I. Phase II will entail conducting an impact
evaluation at one or both sites. For those sites where a rigorous
impact evaluation can be conducted, the effects of the program on job-
related skills, employment, earnings, academic performance, and
recidivism will be measured. The FY 2001 funds will be used to support
the impact evaluation, if a feasible research design is accepted by
OJJDP and the DOL.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee, the
National Council on Crime and Delinquency. No additional applications
will be solicited in FY 2001.
Evaluation of the Performance-Based Standards Project
To enhance the usefulness of the Performance-Based Standards (PbS)
project, OJJDP entered into an interagency agreement with the U.S.
Department of Commerce, under its Performance Consortium Program, to
support a formative evaluation of the project. This evaluation is being
conducted by the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA),
which founded the Center for Improving Government Performance, through
which it administers the Performance Consortium. NAPA's national
evaluation provides an independent assessment of the PbS project's
design, field support, and program implementation. Currently, the PbS
project has 58 participating juvenile facilities, including active
participation by 11 State youth correctional agencies. This evaluation,
which has been ongoing since 1998, provides feedback to the project
team (the Council of Juvenile Corrections Administrators, Abt
Associates, project consultants, site coordinators, and OJJDP)
regarding facilities' experiences with and perceptions of the PbS
program and satisfaction with field support from project staff. The
evaluator has contributed to numerous program improvements, including
recommended strategies to reduce site coordinator turnover, revisions
to the data collection instruments, the PbS Web site and training
manuals, the development of the automated PbS Project Monitoring
System, and exploration of the issues regarding data privacy.
Recent survey results from the national evaluation indicated
initial positive findings in terms of both the adoption of the PbS
model and improved performance outcomes within the facilities. Although
nearly one-third of the facility respondents reported experiencing
significant difficulties with initial implementation, there was a
strong consensus among participating facilities that performance-based
standards will ultimately be accepted and used in juvenile correction
and detention facilities. The national evaluator is paying particular
attention to the process and benefits of demonstration grants provided
to assist facilities in carrying out specific aspects of the PbS
program. FY 2001 will continue the formative evaluation of the PbS
project as more facilities join the program and as critical components
of the PbS program model are finalized and criteria for full
implementation are specified. A final report will be developed on the
national evaluation findings.
This program will be funded in FY 2001 under an interagency
agreement with the Department of Commerce and implemented by the
current grantee, the National Academy of Public Administration. No
additional applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Evaluation of SafeFutures
A national evaluation competitively awarded with FY 1995 funds is
being conducted by the Urban Institute to determine the success of the
SafeFutures initiative in creating a comprehensive continuum of care
for youth in six participating sites (Boston, MA; Contra Costa County
and Imperial County, CA; Fort Belknap, MT; Seattle, WA; and St. Louis,
Missouri). The evaluation addresses the program implementation process
and measures performance outcomes and lessons learned about the
challenges and accomplishments across the six sites. A cross-site
report will document the process of program implementation and
community outcomes for use by other funding agencies or communities
that want to develop and implement a comprehensive community-based
strategy to address serious, violent, and chronic delinquency. FY 2001
is the final year of the 6-year project period.
The evaluation will be implemented by the current grantee, the
Urban Institute. No additional applications will be solicited in FY
2001.
Juvenile Defender Training, Technical Assistance, and Resource Center
The Juvenile Defender Training, Technical Assistance, and Resource
Center (Juvenile Defender Center), now in its second year of funding
under a 5-year project period grant, was competitively awarded to the
American Bar Association (ABA) in FY 1999. The Juvenile Defender Center
fills a major gap in resources and support for juvenile defenders in
the United States by providing training and technical assistance
services. Nationally focused training and technical assistance for
juvenile defenders did not exist before OJJDP funded the original Due
Process Advocacy project from 1993 to 1999. Building on the Due Process
Advocacy project, the Juvenile Defender Center project is designed to
facilitate the development of a permanent training and technical
assistance capability for juvenile defenders in the United States.
Improving the capabilities and skills of juvenile defenders will
strengthen the juvenile justice system and provide greater assurance
that juveniles charged with delinquency will receive the due process
and adequate representation they are guaranteed under the U.S.
Constitution.
Over the past year, the ABA and its project partners (the Juvenile
Law Center and the Youth Law Center) have completed planning for the
implementation of the program, held the third National Juvenile
Defenders Summit at Georgetown University Law School in Washington, DC,
and participated in the planning and implementation of the Office of
Justice Programs' National Defenders Conference in June 2000. In
accordance with grant timelines, the ABA competitively selected and
funded eight Regional Juvenile Defender Centers, designed to provide
services to the juvenile defense bar on a regional level. The ABA also
organized and held forums on representing female juvenile offenders and
on representing juveniles who have mental health problems. The ABA and
its project partners held the fourth Juvenile Defender Summit in
Houston, TX, in October 2000. The ABA also continues to provide
national technical assistance and materials to assist juvenile
defenders with their cases. A unique funding mechanism, used for the
first time with this grant program, provides incentive funds to the ABA
to the extent it can raise additional funds in the private sector or
obtain in-kind services. The ABA and its partners have been highly
successful
[[Page 79693]]
in raising funds and obtaining donated resources. The success of these
efforts underscores the importance of the juvenile defense issue to the
private funding community.
This project will be continued in FY 2001 by the current grantee,
the American Bar Association. No additional applications will be
solicited in FY 2001.
Juvenile Justice Prosecution Unit
The goal of this project, first funded in FY 1995, is to increase
and improve prosecutor involvement in juvenile justice. FY 2001 is the
final year of the project period. The grantee, the American Prosecutors
Research Institute (APRI), the training and technical assistance arm of
the National District Attorneys Association, identifies prosecutor
training and technical assistance needs in the juvenile justice area
through ongoing assessment by a working group of experienced
prosecutors. The project designs and presents specialized training
events for elected and appointed district attorneys and juvenile unit
chiefs. The training deals with prosecutor leadership roles in the
juvenile justice system and with the clarification or resolution of
important juvenile justice issues. Such issues include juvenile policy,
code revisions, resource allocation, charging, transfer to criminal
court, alternative juvenile programs, confinement, record
confidentiality, and collaboration with other agencies. Training also
addresses the role of other areas in juvenile justice, such as
community prosecution, community justice, restorative justice,
community assessment centers, and mental health concerns. In addition,
APRI develops training and reference materials pertaining to
significant juvenile justice topics.
The project has developed workshop and training materials and a
``Compendium of Programs'' operated or supported by prosecutor offices.
The grantee presents six or more training events each year, including
special issues seminars dealing with delinquency prevention, crime on
campus, and other topics of interest to prosecutors. The project
advisory group, made up of both chief and deputy prosecutors, advises
APRI staff on training topics and also serves as training faculty.
Recent APRI training topics and workshops have included a ``train
the trainer'' course; a Juvenile Justice Leadership Summit; a Juvenile
Justice Track (a number of seminars) at the annual National District
Attorneys Association conference and a Juvenile Justice Prosecution
Track (a number of seminars) at the National Conference on Juvenile
Justice; a Juvenile Justice Prosecution course with a distance learning
component; and several additional workshops in conjunction with the
Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants Jumpstart program. Two
special issues workshops are currently under development. Over the past
year, APRI has trained more than 600 juvenile justice prosecutors. The
APRI Juvenile Justice project also provides technical assistance,
usually in the form of responses to requests for information on
subjects related to juvenile justice.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee, the
American Prosecutors Research Institute. No additional applications
will be solicited in FY 2001.
Juvenile Residential Facility Census
OJJDP designed this new census to collect important information on
facility characteristics, services provided in juvenile facilities, and
conditions within those facilities. It provides a biennial census of
residential facilities used by the juvenile justice system to hold
youth accused of or adjudicated for an offense. The data collection
forms will be mailed to each facility for completion by facility
personnel. The Juvenile Residential Facility Census (JRFC) will collect
information on health care services, mental health counseling or
treatment, substance abuse treatment, and education. The questions in
the census will also determine whether youth in the facility have
access to the specific services (the methods used in the census cannot
make evaluative statements on the quality of those services). The JRFC
will also ask specific questions about the nature of the facility
itself. It contains a series of questions that get at conditions of
confinement. A series of questions on the number of beds used
(including makeshift beds) permit some analysis of whether the facility
(or part of the facility) is crowded. Other questions ask about the use
of isolation or restraints. Finally, the JRFC will collect information
on any deaths in custody. The census was tested in October 1998. The
first full JRFC was sent out in October 2000. Data collection will
continue through April 2001, and final data will be available in
October 2001.
This project will be implemented through the extension of an
existing interagency agreement with the Bureau of the Census,
Governments Division and Statistical Research Division. No additional
applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Longitudinal Study To Examine the Development of Conduct Disorder in
Girls
The purpose of this project, which began in FY 1998, is to examine
the development of conduct disorder in a sample of 2,500 inner-city
girls who were ages 6 to 8 at the beginning of the study. The study is
following the girls annually for 5 years and will provide information
that is critical to the understanding of the etiology, comorbidity, and
prognosis of conduct disorder in girls. This project is important
because delinquency in girls has been steadily increasing over the past
decade and a better understanding of the developmental processes in
girls will help in identifying effective means of prevention and
provide direction for juvenile justice responses to delinquent girls.
In the upcoming year, the program will continue data collection.
The project will be implemented under an interagency agreement with
the National Institute of Mental Health by the current NIMH grantee,
the University of Pittsburgh. No additional applications will be
solicited in FY 2001.
National Juvenile Justice Data Analysis Project
In FY 1999, the National Juvenile Justice Data Analysis Project
(NJJDAP) was funded to provide research and analysis into a wide
variety of juvenile justice issues including juvenile placement,
custody, arrests, victimization, and juvenile offending. However, the
topics of interest to juvenile professionals are not limited to these
typical justice topics. As research expands, the field is learning more
and more about the intersection of between delinquency and other
problems such as mental health disorders, education needs, and physical
injury. Information about these problems can help in the design of
effective prevention or intervention measures and also indicate what
problems the justice system will face in dealing with delinquent youth.
NJJDAP will examine issues of concern through cooperating with experts
in related fields of interest and by using data collected in those
fields. This project produces quick, unique analyses of these issues
for publication by OJJDP. The intent is not to develop a unique
research design for the individual questions. Rather, it is to address
the individual questions within the context of existing data.
Frequently, different data sets can be brought to bear on specific
topics, giving a wider perspective on the particular topic at hand.
[[Page 79694]]
In the coming year--the third year of a 3-year project period,
NJJDAP will expand its roster of available consultants who can provide
either data analysis expertise or knowledge on particular aspects of
adolescent development, juvenile delinquency, or the justice system.
The NJJDAP will also broaden its reach for innovative data sets to
State and local levels. Currently, the project has focused its energy
on national data; however, as questions arise concerning school
victimization or recidivism, it is apparent that only State-level data
sets are suitable for such analyses.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee, the
National Center for Juvenile Justice. No additional applications will
be solicited in FY 2001.
National Juvenile Justice Program Directory
To conduct statistical projects, OJJDP and the Census Bureau
require a support infrastructure that enables the necessary survey
tasks to be performed efficiently and effectively. This infrastructure
includes as a basic component the maintenance of a list or frame of all
survey or sampling units. For example, the surveying of residential
facilities could not take place without a list of such facilities.
Indeed, as OJJDP moves toward surveying these facilities once a year,
this list must be maintained continuously. Also, as the Office moves
toward surveying juvenile probation offices, OJJDP and the Census
Bureau will need a current list of all such offices in the United
States. Other areas of interest might include juvenile courts, police
departments, State agencies, etc. The maintenance of the lists includes
contacting various key State and local officials or practitioners who
can provide the names of agencies or facilities associated with their
respective agencies. It also requires maintaining current contact
information for these agencies or facilities. Finally, it requires
developing and updating a database of these facilities that contains
information necessary for sampling or stratification purposes. This
ongoing project fills the need for lists of juvenile agencies,
programs, and facilities.
This project will be conducted under an extension to an existing
interagency agreement with the Bureau of the Census, Governments
Division. No additional applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 97
OJJDP will continue to support the third round of data collection,
begun in FY 1997, by the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 97
(NLSY97) under an interagency agreement with the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS). The NLSY97 is studying school-to-work transition in a
nationally representative sample of 8,700 youth ages 12 to 16 years
old. BLS is also collecting data on the involvement of these youth in
antisocial and other behavior that may affect their transition to
productive work careers. The survey will provide information about risk
and protective factors related to the initiation, persistence, and
desistance of delinquent and criminal behavior and provides an
opportunity to determine the generalizability of findings from OJJDP's
Program of Research on the Causes and Correlates of Delinquency and
other longitudinal studies to a nationally representative population of
youth.
The program will be implemented through the extension of an
existing interagency agreement with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. No
additional applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Performance-Based Standards for Juvenile Correction and Detention
Facilities
Performance-Based Standards (PbS) for Juvenile Correction and
Detention Facilities is a program that began with a competitive
cooperative agreement awarded to the Council of Juvenile Correctional
Administrators (CJCA) in FY 1995. The PbS project team (CJCA, Abt
Associates, and OJJDP) has created a performance management system for
juvenile facilities that emphasizes accountability and continuous
improvement. In 1999, 32 facilities (22 correctional facilities, 8
detention centers, and 2 reception/diagnostic centers), with statewide
participation by 3 State juvenile correctional systems, engaged in the
PbS implementation process. Eighteen of the facilities received
demonstration funds to support program implementation functions or to
fund specific activities related to facility improvement plans for
particular areas targeted for improvement.
During FY 2000, 26 new facilities, from 8 additional States, began
the full implementation process. In addition, the program underwent
significant refinements to improve the implementation process. To
reduce turnover among facility site coordinators and to ensure a full
understanding of all aspects of the PbS program, the new sites were
provided both orientation training and additional onsite technical
assistance in using the streamlined data collection (via a secure Web
site), interpreting performance results, and developing facility
improvement plans.
During the past year, the PbS project team finalized the PbS User's
Manual; revised instruments and related tools on the Web site,
including the Site Reports that are sent back to the facilities;
developed and implemented data quality assurance protocols; and drafted
and revised resource guides on juvenile sex offenders, mental health
services, and behavior management. The project also extended the scope
of performance measures to community reintegration functions for
correctional programs, which are critical both within the institution
and in the community. To gain direct experience with model community
reintegration programs and to inform the development of performance
measures, two PbS State systems participated in statewide training on
the Intensive Aftercare Program. Finally, a new automated PbS Project
Monitoring System was designed to manage more efficiently the overall
PbS program implementation and to better track and analyze facility
outcome results in particular areas of concern.
FY 2001 funding will provide the resources needed for onsite
training, technical and financial assistance, and data quality
assurance assessments for the additional facilities currently receiving
only limited support and continued support of two additional rounds of
reporting for all sites. The performance measures and data collection
tools for the community reintegration component will be field tested
and incorporated into the Site Reports and Facility Improvement Plans.
Additional technical and financial assistance will be provided for the
development or modification of State Agency management information
systems to accommodate reporting requirements for more fluid
integration with online management reporting. The project will also
complete the revisions of staff and youth interview protocols and
related data collection and reporting components so that they are
compatible with the final design of OJJDP's new Survey of Youth in
Residential Placement instrument. This will allow for future comparison
of results from the sites participating in this project with a national
sample of youth facilities. Also, a series of research summaries
regarding performance trends and improvements in various domains will
be developed to inform the field about promising practices in improving
specific outcomes.
This program will be implemented by the current grantee, the
Council of
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Juvenile Correctional Administrators. No additional applications will
be solicited in FY 2001.
Study Group on Very Young Offenders
Modeled after the OJJDP Study Group on Serious and Violent Juvenile
Offenders, this project is exploring what is known about the prevalence
and frequency of very young (under the age of 13) offending. In FY
1998, OJJDP supplemented a grant to the University of Pittsburgh, the
grantee for the Study Group on Serious and Violent Juvenile Offenders.
The Study Group on Very Young Offenders is examining whether such
offending predicts future delinquent or criminal careers, how these
youth are handled by various systems including juvenile justice, mental
health, and social services; and what methods are best for preventing
very young offending and persistence of offending. In FY 2001, the
project will disseminate the results of its research to the public,
policymakers, and practitioners.
This program will be implemented by the current grantee, the
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic at the University of
Pittsburgh. No additional applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Systems Improvement Training and Technical Assistance
In FY 1999, OJJDP competitively awarded funds to the Institute for
Educational Leadership (IEL) to provide training and technical
assistance to strengthen and sustain the capacity of SafeFutures and
Safe Kids/Safe Streets demonstration sites in order to assist them with
systems change activities. The project seeks to help sites (1) address
their system goals and effectively address challenges, (2) educate and
inform other communities and the juvenile justice field about how they
can more effectively pursue community-based systems reform, (3) enhance
the skills of community and staff leadership so they are better able to
sort through the complexities of systems reform, and (4) build the
overall capacity of the selected sites to engage in strategic planning,
develop policies and programs, and build community collaboratives to
address specific substantive challenges and achieve measurable results.
Since the project was awarded, IEL has established a pool of
consultants with expertise in areas related to systems improvement
activities; developed resources useful to communities addressing issues
critical to systems improvement, including using data effectively,
achieving sustainability, and building consumer capacity and cultural
competence; and provided assistance to Safe Kids/Safe Streets sites.
In FY 2001, OJJDP will continue to fund the project in order to
further provide assistance to selected OJJDP grantee communities
interested in systems reform and change and to begin disseminating
``lessons learned'' to other communities.
This project will be implemented by the current grantee, Institute
for Educational Leadership. No additional applications will be
solicited in FY 2001.
Survey of Juvenile Probation
This project will design a survey instrument and survey methodology
that OJJDP can use to routinely monitor the number and types of
juveniles on probation. Probation has been an understudied segment of
the juvenile justice system, yet it has been described as the workhorse
of that system. OJJDP began this project in 1997 through an interagency
agreement with the U.S. Census Bureau. The project has several phases.
The first phase includes open-ended structured interviews with
probation officers at the State and local levels in 10 States. Based on
these interviews, the Census Bureau and OJJDP will develop a draft
instrument designed to collect contact information for each office as
well as stratifying information (e.g., number of youth supervised,
number of officers, etc.). Phase II will include both cognitive
interviews to test this first instrument (intended to be a census of
probation offices) and structured interviews for the development of the
probation survey. Based on these interviews, the Center for Survey
Methods Research and the Governments Division of the Census Bureau will
develop a feasibility test. This test will examine how well the forms
work in collecting the necessary information from a small number of
States. Phase III will include the development of the survey instrument
and cognitive tests of this instrument in a number of probation
offices. The final phase, Phase IV, will consist of a feasibility test
of the final survey instrument. The Center for Survey Methods Research
has completed Phase I of this project and will deliver to OJJDP a draft
instrument in early 2001. Phase II of the project will start shortly
after that point. OJJDP anticipates the first Survey of Juvenile
Probation will take place in calendar year 2002.
This project will be conducted through an interagency agreement
with the Bureau of the Census. No additional applications will be
solicited in FY 2001.
Technical Assistance to Native American Tribes and Alaskan Native
Communities
The Technical Assistance to Native American Tribes and Alaskan
Native Communities project is designed to equip tribal governments with
the necessary information and tools to enhance or develop
comprehensive, systemwide approaches to reduce juvenile delinquency,
violence, and victimization and increase the safety of their
communities. In FY 1997, OJJDP awarded a 3-year cooperative agreement
to American Indian Development Associates (AIDA) to provide training
and technical assistance to Indian nations seeking to improve juvenile
justice services to children, youth, and families.
Throughout FY's 1998 and 1999, AIDA continued to provide technical
assistance to Indian nations and developed information materials for
Indian juvenile justice practitioners, administrators, and
policymakers. Topic areas covered Indian youth gangs; personnel
competency building, such as conducting effective preadjudication
investigations and preparing reports; developing protocols to implement
Tribal Children's Code provisions that affect Native American children;
establishing sustainable, comprehensive community-based planning
processes that focus on the needs of tribal youth; and developing and
implementing culturally relevant policies, programs, and practices. The
technical assistance and materials also addressed the overlapping roles
and jurisdiction of Federal, State, and tribal justice systems,
particularly in understanding the laws and public policies applicable
to or effective in Indian communities.
AIDA recorded 74 training and technical assistance events in FY
2000, including 33 workshops. Technical assistance provided to the
Indian nations included juvenile justice systems planning development,
early intervention program training, application of indigenous justice
and restorative justice practices, focus group processes and
methodology, needs assessment development, and data collection. Three
of the completed projects had multiregional representation, and five of
the completed projects had a wider tribal representation. The Indian
nations were from 6 regions: Midwest (8), Northwest (2), South Central
(3), Southeast (2), and Southwest (10). Some projects featured
collaboration with State and Federal organizations, bureaus, and
agencies.
[[Page 79696]]
In FY 2001, AIDA will provide continuing training and technical
assistance to tribes seeking to develop and enhance their juvenile
justice systems with emphasis in the following areas: developing a
community-based secondary prevention program, developing a tribal
justice probation system, developing multidisciplinary approaches to
youth gang violence prevention, establishing risk assessment and
classification systems, developing comprehensive strategies to handle
offenders, expanding referral and service delivery systems, developing
cooperative interagency and intergovernmental relationships, and
developing technology to improve systems and increased access to
juvenile justice information.
A new solicitation will be issued and a grant awarded through a
competitive process in FY 2001.
TeenSupreme Career Preparation Initiative
In FY 1998, OJJDP, in partnership with the U.S. Department of
Labor's (DOL's) Employment and Training Administration, provided
funding support to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to demonstrate and
evaluate the TeenSupreme Career Preparation Initiative. This initiative
provides employment training and other related services to at-risk
youth through local Boys & Girls Clubs with TeenSupreme Centers. In FY
2001, DOL will transfer funds to OJJDP to support program staffing in
41 existing TeenSupreme Centers. These 41 clubs have hired employment
specialists to work with up to 120 youth. Boys & Girls Clubs of America
provides intensive training and technical assistance to each site and
administrative and staffing support to the program from its national
office. OJJDP funds support the process and impact evaluation component
of the program, which is being implemented by an independent evaluator.
In FY 2001, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, with DOL funds, will
select new career preparation sites. OJJDP will continue supporting the
evaluation component.
This TeenSupreme initiative will be implemented by the current
grantee, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. No additional applications
will be solicited in FY 2001.
Child Abuse and Neglect and Dependency Courts
National Evaluation of the Safe Kids/Safe Streets Program
OJJDP will continue funding the grant competitively awarded in FY
1997 to Westat, Inc., Rockville, MD, for the National Evaluation of the
Safe Kids/Safe Streets Program. The evaluation has three main goals: to
document and explicate the process of community mobilization, planning,
and collaboration taking place before and during the Safe Kids/Safe
Streets award; to inform program staff of performance levels on an
ongoing basis; and to determine the effectiveness of the implemented
programs in achieving the goals of the Safe Kids/Safe Streets program.
The initial 18-month grant began a process evaluation and a feasibility
study for a future impact evaluation. In FY 2001--the fifth year of a
5-year project period, Westat will continue the process evaluation,
which will focus on tracking the implementation efforts at each of the
sites, and will continue working with local evaluators to develop their
skills and capacity for program evaluation. Westat has recently
submitted a plan for the impact evaluation, which includes a pilot
study of their proposed case tracking procedure.
This evaluation will be implemented by the current grantee, Westat,
Inc. No additional applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Safe Kids/Safe Streets: Community Approaches To Reducing Abuse and
Neglect and Preventing Delinquency
This 5-year demonstration is designed to break the cycle of early
childhood victimization and later delinquency and criminality by
reducing child and adolescent maltreatment and fatalities. Several
components of the Office of Justice Programs joined in FY 1996 to
develop this coordinated community response program. These components
provide fiscal and technical support for local efforts to restructure
and strengthen the justice system and the child welfare, family
services, education, health, and related systems to be more
comprehensive and proactive in helping children, adolescents, and their
families. Safe Kids requires the five funded sites to develop,
implement, and/or expand cross-agency strategies and to partner with
natural networks in their communities. OJJDP awarded competitive
cooperative agreements in FY 1997 to five sites (Chittenden County, VT;
Huntsville, AL; Kansas City, MO; the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa
Indians, MI; and Toledo, OH). Funds were provided by OJJDP, the
Executive Office for Weed and Seed, and the Violence Against Women
Office. FY 2001 is the fourth year of a 5-year project period.
This demonstration will continue to be implemented in FY 2001 by
the current grantees: Chittenden County, VT; Huntsville, AL; Kansas
City, MO; the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, MI; and
Toledo, OH. No additional applications will be solicited in FY 2001.
Dated: December 12, 2000.
John J. Wilson,
Acting Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 00-32094 Filed 12-18-00; 8:45 am]
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