Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
OJJDP, a component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, accomplishes its mission by supporting states, local communities, and tribal jurisdictions in their efforts to develop and implement effective programs for juveniles. The Office strives to strengthen the juvenile justice system's efforts to protect public safety, hold offenders accountable, and provide services that address the needs of youth and their families. Through its components, OJJDP sponsors research, program, and training initiatives; develops priorities and goals and sets policies to guide federal juvenile justice issues; disseminates information about juvenile justice issues; and awards funds to states to support local programming.
From 2012 - 2015, OJJDP funded the evaluation component of NCJFCJ's School Pathways to the Juvenile Justice System project. In 2014, OJJDP awarded NCJFCJ the FY 2014 School-Justice Partnership Program: Keeping Kids in School and Out of Court (Category 2: School-Justice Partnership Program National Training and Technical Assistance). The purpose of the award is to implement multidisciplinary initiatives to improve school climates, respond early and appropriately to student mental health and behavioral needs, avoid referring students to law enforcement and juvenile justice as a disciplinary response, and facilitate a proactive and supportive school reentry process in the rare instances in which a youth is referred. This is part of a larger effort to enhance collaboration and coordination among schools, mental and behavioral health specialists, law enforcement, and juvenile justice officials at the state and local levels and ensure adults have the support, training, and a shared framework to help students succeed in school and prevent negative outcomes.
OJJDP is a parnter in the Supportive School Discipline Initiative (SSDI) which is a cross-sector effort to promote use of school discipline practices that foster safe, supportive, and productive learning environments. Through the SSDI, the U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Justice (DOJ), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), other federal partners, philanthropy & experts from the field, are promoting awareness, and supporting development of policies and practices that keep students engaged in school while holding them appropriately accountable for their actions.
