Caren Harp, Administrator 

Emergency Planning for Juvenile 

Residential Facilities 

In the United States, there are more than 1,500 residential placement facilities 

that house approximately 37,500 juvenile offenders.1

 These facilities are 

responsible for safely detaining juvenile offenders and providing them with 

medical and mental healthcare, academic enrichment, vocational training, and 

life skills. 

All juvenile justice facilities should be actively engaged in emergency planning 

to mitigate, respond to, and recover from natural, technological, manmade, 

and public health emergencies. Funds provided by the Office of Juvenile 

Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to tribal, state, and local 

juvenile residential facilities ensure that the facilities are prepared to continue 

operations, prioritize the safety and well-being of youth and staff, and reduce 

damage to the physical facility during and after an emergency. 

Program 

Juvenile Justice Emergency Planning Demonstration Program 

Funding through this program helps juvenile justice facilities implement 

the principles outlined in OJJDP’s Emergency Planning for Juvenile Justice 

Residential Facilities. The comprehensive planning guide covers a range of 

topics, including information sharing across agencies, evacuation procedures, 

alternate locations for housing youth, emergency staffing, internal and external 

communication procedures, and budgeting for emergency planning and 

response.

Grantees may use program funds for a variety of activities that include 

establishing a cross-sector team to design and implement the emergency plan, 

conducting vulnerability assessments, forming agreements with organizations 

and professionals (e.g., mental health practitioners) who can provide additional 

support during and after an emergency, and purchasing equipment for use 

during an emergency.

By developing, implementing, and improving their emergency planning 

activities, residential facilities can effectively respond to—and recover from—

these incidents as they protect the youth in their care, keep families informed, 

support staff, and continue operations. 

For More Information 

Access additional information about how OJJDP is supporting emergency 

planning for juvenile residential facilities at https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/programs/

emergency-planning-juvenile-facilities.

September 2020 

Funding 

Between fscal years 2017 and 

2019, OJJDP provided more 

than $1.2 million to help juvenile 

residential facilities prepare for 

and recover from emergencies. 

` Fiscal Year 2019—$433,454

` Fiscal Year 2018—$415,822

` Fiscal Year 2017—$379,823

From the Field 

A 2018 award of more than 

$100,000 helped Kentucky address

gaps in its emergency operations

plan and improve the safety of

youth and staff in seven detention 

centers. The centers are located 

in areas where weather-related 

emergencies are common. 

The state also purchased a radio

system that allows on- and offsite 

staff to be contacted immediately 

during an emergency. An upgrade

to the facilities’ communication 

system allows it to connect directly

to the local, county, and state 

emergency systems. 

Kentucky also used part of the

funding to develop and add a 

trauma-response component to

the centers’ emergency training 

curriculums. By planning for

youth’s trauma-induced reactions 

to emergency situations, staff will 

be better able to protect youth

from—and guide them through—

the physical, mental, and emotional

effects of an emergency. 

1

 Hockenberry, S., and Sladky, A. Forthcoming. Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2018: Selected Findings. 

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Office of Juvenile Justice and 

Delinquency Prevention. Delinquency Prevention 

NCJ 255105 ojjdp.ojp.gov