From 05/09/07 DOL Seeks Applicants for Youthful Offender Grants

The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL's) Employment and Training Administration has announced the availability of approximately $20 million for Youthful Offender Grants.

The grants will be awarded through a competitive process under three categories:

• Registered Apprenticeship-to increase the placement of young adults being released from the criminal justice system in registered apprenticeship
• Alternative Educational Pathways-to increase the educational achievement and attainment of youth in the juvenile justice system
• Project Expansion-to replicate effective programs for serving juvenile offenders.

Applicants may apply for grants in more than one of these categories, but separate applications must be submitted for each.

The application deadline is May 31, 2007.

Resources:

For additional information about this funding opportunity, visit http://www.doleta.gov/sga/sga.cfm.

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The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Programs in the U.S. Department of Justice.

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From 05/02/07 Attorney General Gonzales Announces Expansion of Anti-Gang Initiative

On April 26, 2007, the U.S. Department of Justice issued the following press release:

Rochester, NY - Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales today announced the expansion of the Justice Department's Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative to include four additional sites targeting dangerous street gangs and promoting prevention efforts to keep communities and neighborhoods safe. Attorney General Gonzales made the announcement during a visit to Rochester, NY, one of four sites that will receive $2.5 million in additional grant funding to combat gang violence. Oklahoma City, OK, Indianapolis, IN, and Raleigh-Durham, NC were also selected to receive funding as part of the Department's Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative.

"Helping law enforcement, state and local leaders, and parents combat gang violence so that our nation’s youth can grow up in safe communities is one of the Justice Department’s top priorities," stated Attorney General Gonzales. "The Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative provides federal, state, and local law enforcement with additional resources to increase law enforcement and prevention efforts in targeted areas across the nation. Today’s announcement reinforces the Department's commitment to keeping America's neighborhoods safe."

In February 2006, Attorney General Gonzales announced the creation of the Justice Department's Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative, designed to support law enforcement combating violent gang crime, while also promoting prevention efforts that discourage gang involvement. As part of the initiative, in May 2006 the Department provided anti-gang resources for prevention, enforcement and offender reentry efforts to six sites across the nation: Los Angeles, CA, Tampa, FL, Cleveland, OH, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX, Milwaukee, WI, and the "222 Corridor" that stretches from Easton to Lancaster in Pennsylvania. The Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative has already made strides in the original six sites. For example, in Cleveland one of the most violent gangs operating in the target area has been dismantled through both federal and state investigations and prosecutions that have resulted in 63 federal and state indictments. Fifty-five defendants have pled guilty and the remainder are awaiting
trial.

The four additional sites were selected to receive these grant funds based on a variety of factors, including the need for concentrated anti-gang resources, established infrastructure to support the envisioned prevention, enforcement and re-entry components, and existing partnerships prepared to focus intensely on the gang problem. U.S. Attorneys in the four sites selected today will be responsible for coordinating federal, state and local efforts under this initiative.

The Justice Department's strategy to combat gang violence around the nation is two-fold: First, prioritize prevention programs to provide America's youth, as well as offenders returning to the community, with opportunities that help them resist gang involvement. Second, ensure robust enforcement policies when gang-related violence does occur.

The U.S. Attorney in the selected areas will work with state, local and community partners to implement strategies that address the following areas:

• Prevention - The Department will make available approximately $1 million in grants per community to support comprehensive prevention efforts such as the Gang Reduction Program, which focuses on reducing youth-gang crime and violence by addressing the full range of personal, family and community factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency and gang activity.
• Enforcement - The Department will make available approximately $1 million in grants per community to help support enforcement programs that will focus law enforcement efforts on the most significant violent gang offenders.
• Prisoner Re-entry - The Department will make available approximately $500,000 per community to create re-entry assistance programs with faith-based and other community organizations that will provide transitional housing, job readiness and placement assistance, and substance abuse and mental health treatment to prisoners re-entering society.

Since 2001, the Department of Justice has allocated over $1.6 billion to combat violent crime at the federal, state, and local levels. The Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative complements existing Department of Justice programs to combat gangs and reduce gun-related crime throughout the country. Those programs include the Violent Crime Impact Teams, Safe Streets Task Forces and the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, under which the number of federal firearms prosecutions has more than doubled in the past six years, compared to the six years prior to PSN's implementation.

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The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Programs in the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Visit the OJJDP Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp.

From 04/18/07 Department of Justice Responds to Shootings at Virginia Tech

On April 17, 2007, the U.S. Department of Justice issued the following press release:

Washington - Following his expression of condolence and offer of support yesterday, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales pledged Department of Justice assistance to the victims of the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech and the state and local agencies that are leading the investigation.

The Department of Justice has every confidence in Virginia law enforcement authorities and stands ready to assist as needed. Below are key resources already deployed by the Department and resources presently available to assist with the state, local, and campus response.

• The Federal Bureau of Investigation dispatched 20 special agents to Virginia Tech, all from the Richmond Division. Additional agents are available for deployment from the FBI's Norfolk Division and Washington Field Office.
• Additional FBI resources that can be deployed as needed include a mobile command post, evidence response teams, laboratory assistance, and its Victims Assistance Rapid Deployment Teams, which are specially trained in responding to mass casualty events such as the shootings in Amish country and Red Lake, Minnesota.
• The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) dispatched 12 agents from the Roanoke field office. ATF continues to assist the Virginia State Police and local authorities in processing the crime scene, firearms and ballistics recovery, tracing through the National Tracing Center, and ballistic analysis through the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network.
• The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia is on-site and has offered the assistance of his victim-witness staff to the operations center. The Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys also has a 10-person team of victim-witness specialists who have volunteered their services for emergency situations and are available to be deployed as needed. The Criminal Division's victim-witness coordinators are also available to assist.
• The Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) has emergency funds available to aid the victims and survivors of, as well as the first responders to, the tragedy at Virginia Tech. These funds, from the Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program, can be used to support victim-assistance activities such as counseling and other state and local law enforcement services.
• The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) stands ready to provide support to the Virginia Division of Criminal Services, Virginia State Police, Virginia Tech Police, and law enforcement in surrounding counties.
• Five members of the U.S. Marshals Service Blue Ridge Task Force, located in Roanoke, responded and assisted yesterday with the evacuation of students.
• Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) were part of the Blacksburg Police Department's SWAT team that helped clear the campus dormitories immediately following the shootings. The DEA is offering its resources and assistance to the Virginia State Police, the Blacksburg Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies.

The Justice Department has posted a number of links to resources on its Web site, http://www.usdoj.gov, for those seeking to cope with the tragedy and to better protect America's campuses, schools, and children.

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The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Progams in the U.S. Department of Justice.

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From 03/29/07 Attorney General Highlights DOJ Efforts To Combat Sexual Exploitation of Children

On March 22, 2007, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued the following press release:

St. Louis, MO - Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales today joined U.S. Attorneys Catherine Hanaway and Bradley Schlozman to highlight the ongoing efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as community leaders, in combating the sexual abuse and exploitation of children in St. Louis.

Attorney General Gonzales was also joined in today's roundtable by Director of Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children Joe Laramie, Founder of the INOBTR campaign Steve Shankman, and other members of the Project Safe Childhood initiative for the state of Missouri.

Launched in May 2006, Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims.

Last year, the Department of Justice prosecuted 1,543 cases involving the sexual exploitation or abuse of children. In the state of Missouri, more sexual predators were federally indicted on a per capita basis than in any other state in the country. Additionally, the number of cases prosecuted in the state of Missouri has more than tripled since 2000.

"Protecting our children is not only a parent's responsibility, it should be everyone's responsibility," said U.S. Attorney Hanaway. "The people assembled here today have made that commitment, which is reflected in the increase in the prosecutions of these crimes."

"As a result of Project Safe Childhood's unprecedented effort to bring an entire community together to tackle the problem of online child exploitation, predators and would-be predators are now fully aware that their actions will not be tolerated in the state of Missouri," stated U.S. Attorney Schlozman. "Rest assured, we will find you, we will aggressively prosecute you, and we will make sure you will never be in a position to harm the vulnerable youth in our communities ever again."

Project Safe Childhood partners for the Eastern District of Missouri include: Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC); Regional Computer Crime Education and Enforcement Group; St. Louis City Police Department; St. Louis County Police Department; Festus Police Department; Pevely Police Department; FBI; Postal Inspection Service; ICE; St. Louis Circuit Attorney; St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney; O’Fallon Police Department; St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department; St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney; Franklin County Sheriff's Department; Big Brothers Big Sisters; Hoover Boys and Girls Town; Family Resource Center, Inc., and Kaminer & Co.

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The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Progams in the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Visit the OJJDP Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp.

From 03/15/07 Conference on Children and the Law To Be Held at Harvard Law School

On April 13-15, 2007, in Cambridge, MA, the American Bar Association (ABA) Center on Children and the Law, in partnership with Harvard Law School's Child Advocacy Program, will hold the National Conference on Children and the Law. This year's theme is "Promoting Children's Interests: Preparation, Practice & Policy Reform."

As detailed in the conference agenda, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention will join the ABA Commission on Youth at Risk in presenting a preconference session on Youth at Risk: Keeping Adolescents Out of the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Court Systems by Aiding Teens in Conflict With Their Families.

Resources:

To obtain additional information and register online, visit http://www.abanet.org/child.

Questions should be addressed to ctrchildlaw@abanet.org.

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The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Progams in the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Visit the OJJDP Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp.

From 03/05/07 Truancy Reduction Program Tool Kit Available

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is offering an online truancy reduction tool kit for communities interested in instituting a truancy reduction program. The tool kit covers such topics as truancy’s extent, causes, and connections to dropping out of school and delinquency, as well as lessons learned from the evaluation of truancy reduction programs. It provides resources and information to guide communities, schools, and parents in addressing the problem of truancy.

Resources:

OJJDP's Tool Kit for Creating Your Own Truancy Reduction Program is available at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=238899.

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The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Progams in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Subscribe or unsubscribe to JUVJUST.
Visit the OJJDP Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp.

From 03/05/07 Institute Offers Training for School Resource Officers

On April 23-25, 2007, in Austin, TX, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention will sponsor a National Institute for School Resource Officers under its Youth for Justice initiative.

Hosted by the Constitutional Rights Foundation and Street Law, Inc., the institute is designed for school resource officers and police officers who teach young people about law.

Early registration is recommended, as space is limited.

Resources:

To access further information and obtain a registration form, visit http://www.streetlaw.org/srotraining.asp.

Questions may be addressed to Shannon Tobin at 240-821-1324 or stobin@streetlaw.org.

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The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Progams in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Subscribe or unsubscribe to JUVJUST.
Visit the OJJDP Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp.

From 03/05/07 OJJDP News @ a Glance, January/February 2007

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) announces the availability of "OJJDP News @ a Glance," January/February 2007. The bimonthly newsletter provides readers with news about OJJDP activities, publications, funding opportunities, and events.

This issue's lead article features the recent Project Safe Childhood National Conference, which was addressed by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. The issue includes reports on the training initiative "Mobilizing New Mentors…Through Faith- and Community-Based Collaboration" and recent gang prevention training conducted at the International Law Enforcement Academy in San Salvador, El Salvador, by Dr. Phelan Wyrick, OJJDP's Gang Program Coordinator.

Resources:

"OJJDP News @ a Glance," January/February 2007, is available online at http://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/news_at_glance/215775/index.html.

To subscribe to this online newsletter, visit http://puborder.ncjrs.gov/listservs/Subscribe_OJJDPNewsAtAGlance.asp.

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The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Progams in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Subscribe or unsubscribe to JUVJUST.
Visit the OJJDP Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp.

From 10/30/06 OJJDP Announces Special Project Bulletins

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) announces the availability of three Special Project Bulletins developed by the National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) with support from OJJDP. The Special Project Bulletin series is produced by NCJJ's Technical Assistance to the Juvenile Court Project.

The three new bulletins are:

• "Guide to the State Juvenile Justice Profiles" guides users through the layout and content of the State Juvenile Justice Profiles Web site.
• "The Importance of Timely Case Processing in Non-Detained Juvenile Delinquency Cases" lists seven steps for achieving timely court processing, a key principle of the "Juvenile Delinquency Guidelines," and describes promising practices and programs that help courts speed up case processing of non-detained delinquency cases.
• "How Does the Juvenile Justice System Measure Up? Applying Performance Measures in Five Jurisdictions" presents a case for measuring and reporting juvenile justice system performance outcomes and describes six essential features of a strategy for measuring juvenile justice performance.

Resources:

To access the above and other Special Project Bulletins, visit http://ncjj.servehttp.com/NCJJWebsite/publications/serial/taspecial.htm. A limited of number of hard copies are available.

For further information, contact the National Center for Juvenile Justice at 412-227-6950 or ncjj@ncjj.org.

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The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Progams in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Subscribe or unsubscribe to JUVJUST.
Visit the OJJDP Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp.

From 07/27/06 Conference To Focus on Juvenile Probation and Justice Management

On September 17-20, 2006, in Providence, RI, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the National Juvenile Court Services Association will hold the 25th annual Juvenile Probation and Justice Management Conference.

The conference, which is cosponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, will address such topics as:

• the Juvenile Justice Management Development Institute
• case management of juvenile sex offenders
• juvenile probation, dispositional alternatives, and mental health issues in juvenile justice.

Marilyn Roberts, Deputy Administrator for Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), will address the conference as a keynote speaker, and Scott Peterson, Youth Development and Juvenile Justice Specialist, OJJDP, will serve on the faculty.

Register by August 16, 2006, to benefit from a reduced rate.

Resources:

To obtain further information, including the conference brochure and registration form, visit http://www.ncjfcj.org/content/view/693/315/.

From 07/26/06 KIDS COUNT Data Book Sheds Light on Child Welfare Trends

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released 2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book. The broad array of data it provides is intended to shed light on the status of America's children and to aid in assessing trends in their well-being. The Data Book ranks states on 10 key indicators and provides information on child health, education, and family economic conditions.

Related information is also available through an online state-level database that covers more than 75 measures of child welfare, including those used in the Data Book.

Resources:

To access the 2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book, visit http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/sld/databook.jsp.

A free hardcopy may be ordered at http://www.aecf.org/publications/browse.php?filter=15.

The state-level database may be accessed at http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/sld/index.jsp.

From 06/29/06 Gateway to Child Welfare Information Launched by HHS

The Children's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched Child Welfare Information Gateway. This online portal connects visitors to information and resources targeted to the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families.

Its services include the following:

• an online library of over 48,000 documents
• more than 130 Information Gateway publications
• free subscription services.

Resources:

To access Child Welfare Information Gateway, visit http://www.childwelfare.gov/.

Questions may be addressed to the customer service center at info@childwelfare.gov or, toll free, at 800-394-3366.

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The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Progams in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Subscribe or unsubscribe to JUVJUST.
Visit the OJJDP Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp.