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## Other Youth Topics

## Breadcrumb

            -  Youth Topics 
            -  Juvenile Justice 
            -           Points of Intervention      

# Points of Intervention

There are many steps community partners, families, and others can take to positively impact youth both before and after they have encountered the juvenile justice system.

There are distinct points in the juvenile justice process at which communities and agencies can intervene in the lives of youth involved with the system. Though they can vary by state, general examples of such interventions at each of the major steps are shown below. Click on the boxes in Figure 1 to learn more about the different points of intervention within the juvenile justice system.

**Figure 1: Juvenile Justice System Intervention Points**

Adapted from Skowyra & Cocozza, *Blueprint for change: A comprehensive model for the identification and treatment of youth with mental health needs in contact with the juvenile justice system*.

**Initial contact and referral**: When a youth is suspected of committing an offense, the police are often the first to intervene. Law enforcement officers respond to calls from schools, parents, the concerned public, and victims of a suspected offense. When responding to a call, law enforcement officers typically have discretion about how best to respond. Common responses include
                      - informal “adjustment,” either on site or at the station house;
                      - diversion  of youth from formal processing based on certain conditions; or
                      - filing of a formal complaint or charges.

Increasingly, law enforcement departments are partnering with community agencies to assist police responding to calls by co-responding with police officers, co-training police on how best to respond to youth, or providing an alternative place for law enforcement officers to take youth other than a detention facility or jail. Communities can partner with law enforcement on such efforts, to ensure that youth are processed in the manner that is best for the community and the youth without undue escalation. Return to Figure 1.

**Intake:**“Intake” generally refers to the process after a formal referral by law enforcement (or, in some cases, from a parent or family member), during which an assessment process determines whether a case should be dismissed, handled informally, or referred to juvenile court for formal intervention. While the general function of intake is consistent, its structure varies significantly across jurisdictions. Intake may be the responsibility of:
                      - probation officers,
                      - the juvenile court,
                      - the prosecutor’s office,
                      - a state juvenile justice agency, or
                      - a centralized intake center.

The discretionary decisions made during intake represent a significant opportunity to identify and engage community-based alternatives to detention. By working with intake units to provide assessment services and diversion opportunities, communities and agencies can ensure that the needs of youth are identified early and that youth are diverted (when appropriate) before they and their families experience the negative effects of system contact. Return to Figure 1.

**Diversion****:** One process that can happen at any point in a youth’s involvement with the juvenile justice system is diversion. Diversion is an attempt to channel young people who commit offenses away from the juvenile justice system. The concept of diversion is based on:
                      - the theory that processing certain youth through the juvenile justice system may do more harm than good  2
                      - the idea of reducing stigmatization for youth who have committed relatively minor acts might best be handled outside the formal system
                      - the sentiment that youth should “avoid associating with youth who have a more delinquent history”  3
                      - the notion that diversion offers a cost-effective method to address overburdened juvenile courts and overcrowded juvenile justice institutions, so that courts and institutions can focus on more serious offenses.

Youth who go through diversion rather than detention are statistically less likely to recidivate or engage in future delinquent behaviors than those who are formally detained through the justice system. 4 For these reasons, placing youth in community rehabilitative settings through diversion programs is accepted as the preferred and most effective method of dealing with juveniles facing minor delinquency charges. 5 Learn more about the impact of diversion programs of youth involved in the juvenile justice system or return to Figure 1.

**Detention**: The most common use of secure detention facilities is as a short-term “holding” facility for youth while they await processing and/or disposition. However, some states also use detention as a holding facility for youth awaiting placement after adjudication. In any case, detention is not intended to be punitive. The state or local jurisdiction is usually responsible for providing education, recreation, medical attention, assessment, counseling, and other intervention supports and services. The intent is to maintain a youth's well-being during his or her short-term stay in custody.

Alternatives to detention have been a key area of focus in recent years. Crowding of juvenile correctional facilities and the unproven effectiveness of detention and confinement toward rehabilitating youth (oftentimes resulting in more harm than good due to heightened isolation and time spent apart from positive influences such as school and family) are two examples of the logic against youth detention. 6 Learn more about alternatives to detention in Diversion Programs.

Despite these pervading sentiments against detention among researchers in the field, two of the recognized and intended benefits of detention services are maintaining the safety of the public and providing initial quality screening and assessment services for youth who encounter the justice system. The data collected using a validated screening and risk and needs assessment tool can prove to be invaluable to the youth, family, court, and child-serving agencies as decisions are made that address the youth’s future. This is particularly true given the prevalence of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders and learning and intellectual disabilities among justice-involved youth. Return to Figure 1.

**Graduated Sanctions**: Graduated sanctions or consequences are a continuum of disposition options that juvenile court judges and court staff have to help reduce delinquency. These sanctions have a dual role—protecting the public and children, and facilitating access to services for the juvenile who commits an offense. For graduated sanctions to reduce delinquency, they must work to ensure that the right juveniles are connected to the right programs at the right time.

Typically, graduated sanctions are divided into three to five major levels/categories and have programs and intervention strategies that work within each level. They include
                        - immediate (such as community service or curfew restrictions)
                        - intermediate (such as intensive supervision or electronic monitoring)
                        - community confinement (such as secure or non-secure out-of-home residential community-based programs)
                        - secure confinement
                        - reentry/aftercare.

Each level/category identifies the behavior that has brought the youth to the court’s attention, possible program types or components, and services. Employment of effective graduated sanctions may bring additional objectivity to the court’s decision-making and more effective alignment of supports and services to youth needs in a manner conducive to habilitation and rehabilitation.

**Judicial processing****:** Judicial processing includes adjudication and disposition. *Adjudication* refers to the process of conducting a hearing, considering evidence, and making a delinquency determination. If a youth is found delinquent during the adjudicatory process, a *disposition* plan is developed. The disposition plan is similar to sentencing within the adult system. This plan details the consequences of the youth’s offense (e.g., probation, placement in a juvenile correctional facility, restitution). Development of the plan is based on a detailed history of the youth and assessment of available support systems and programs. It can include psychological evaluations and diagnostic testing.

There are many opportunities within judicial processing for communities and agencies to work with the courts. These entities can provide diagnostic and evaluation services, collaborate with the justice system to establish diversion options for youth, and establish community-based programs and services that can be incorporated into a dispositional plan. Return to Figure 1.

**Dismissal****:** Another option in the decision-making process for juveniles who commit offenses is an order of dismissal of the pending case prior to adjudication. The delinquency charge is dropped but the conduct/behavior involved in the charge may be considered by the court and the court may order restitution or another disposition. If the court chooses to dismiss the case, the offense is identified as a dismissal rather than an adjudication in the youth’s court record. Return to Figure 1.

**Probation supervision:** Probation supervision is the most common disposition within the juvenile justice system. Probation supervision is frequently accompanied by other court-imposed conditions, such as community service, restitution, or participation in community treatment services. For youth on probation supervision, this can be an important opportunity to provide physical and mental health services and other supports.

Partnerships with communities and agencies can ensure that there is a range of services and programs available to meet the needs of youth on probation supervision. Services offered by community partners may include:
                      - the implementation of training and technical assistance programs for probation officers
                      - counseling and other therapeutic programs 7
                      - sponsored activities that foster connection between the youth, their families, and their communities
                      - accessible programming that promotes  positive youth development

A community partnership approach that centers youth developmental needs shows promise in mitigating unnecessary punitive measures and high rates of recidivism, and provides youth with the necessary tools to make better decisions as they transition into adulthood.8 Return to Figure 1.

**Secure correctional placement****:**Placement in a secure juvenile correctional facility is the most restrictive disposition that a youth in the juvenile justice system can receive. Although all juvenile correctional facilities are designed to impose a sanction on the youth, protect the public, and provide some type of structured rehabilitative environment,9 the characteristics of these facilities vary significantly.

Because of their secure nature and long-term custody of youth, these facilities are responsible for providing a range of comprehensive, individualized, and sustained services similar to those in detention (i.e., educational, recreational, medical, assessment, and counseling). However, some facilities have been criticized as being inappropriate for rehabilitative programming and for fostering physical and sexual abuse and maltreatment, with 5.8 percent of youth in state juvenile facilities and large non-state juvenile facilities in 2018 reporting sexual misconduct by facility staff.10 Furthermore, when youth serve long-term sentences in these facilities, their confinement creates a significant separation from the families and communities that they will return to, thus creating a substantial obstacle to successful reentry upon release.11 This obstacle is created despite the opportunity for beneficial long-term treatment, educational, vocational, and medical services that may accompany their extended time spent in the facility. Scholars argue that the separation created from positive everyday influences in their lives makes it very difficult for the effects of any type of therapeutic intervention to be sustained.12 Such circumstances are correlated with difficulties adjusting upon reentry into the community and high rates of recidivism. 13

Youth who end up in correctional placement should be afforded access to effective, evidence-based services and supports relevant to their needs, through effective collaboration between facilities, the community, and applicable agencies. Return to Figure 1.

**Reentry****:** Reentry is the final point in the juvenile justice processing continuum, and incorporates programs and services that assist youth transitioning from juvenile justice placement back into the community.14 An effective reentry program involves collaboration between the juvenile justice facility staff, probation/parole officers, and case managers with other child-serving systems and community partners and agencies. This process begins well in advance of a youth’s release and ensures that the youth is linked with effective community-based services, which can be critical to their long-term success.

Since one of the goals of reentry planning is to link youth with community physical and mental health services and other supports that will be available after contact with the juvenile justice system ceases, reentry is a logical point in the juvenile justice system for a partnership with communities. These efforts are typically managed/supervised by a probation/parole officer. Communities must partner with correctional facilities to provide reentry planning and services to youth who will continue to require care upon release. These efforts need to begin early—shortly after the youth enters the facility—and should, whenever possible, involve the youth, their family, residential facility staff, the probation/parole officer, schools, mental/behavioral health service providers, and other representatives from the community-based agencies that will be working with the child or adolescent on release from care. Learn more about reentry or return to Figure 1.

## Resources

**Expunging Juvenile Records: Misconceptions, Collateral Consequences, and Emerging Practices****(PDF, 12 pages)**This bulletin discusses common misconceptions surrounding expungement and clarifies the differences between expungement, sealing, and confidentiality as methods for destroying or limiting access to juvenile records. It also provides information about the collateral consequences of juvenile records as well as federal, state, and local emerging practices.

**Guiding Principles for Providing High-Quality Education in Juvenile Justice Secure Settings****(PDF, 38 pages)**This report provides five guiding principles recommended by the federal government to provide high-quality education to youth in juvenile justice secure settings. The suggested principles create environments conducive to teaching, learning, social-emotional supports, and positive educational outcomes for youth that lessen likelihood to reenter the justice system.

**Improving Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities in Juvenile Corrections: Transition and Reentry****(PDF, 7 pages)**This source summarizes best practices for helping youth with disabilities transition out of the juvenile justice system and reenter their communities. Included within the document are countless resources and websites with information for previously incarcerated youth and youth with disabilities, parents and families of incarcerated youth, as well as educators and other after-care community partners.

**Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Legislation**Visit this webpage to view theJuvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act Reauthorization of 2018, the Redline Version: Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act as Amended by the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018, and related legislation. These sources enacted by Congress have enabled the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to support efforts at the local, state, and federal levels to improve the juvenile justice system and prevent delinquency before it happens.

**Model Programs Guide: Practices**This guide presents evidence-based juvenile justice and youth prevention, intervention, and reentry programs. Each program is rated either effective, promising, or no effect. Users can find 18 Delinquency Prevention programs (e.g., arts-based programs and therapies, jobs and workforce development, school-based programming, violence prevention) and 13 programs focused on Detention, Confinement, and Supervision (e.g., reentry/aftercare, diversion, residential treatment centers, comprehensive/wrap around services). It also contains information on other programming in varying content areas.

**National Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk (NDTAC)**This website serves as an information hub, technical assistance center, resource for program evaluation and data reporting, and a facilitator of information and peer-to-peer learning in relation to educational programming for youth who are neglected, delinquent, or at-risk of entering the juvenile justice system. Users can access webinars and conferences on the site and explore resources for parents, families, and service providers for neglected or delinquent youth.

**Protecting the Civil Rights of Students in the Juvenile Justice System****(PDF, 4 pages)**This publication highlights some of the disparities youth involved in the juvenile justice system face while in detainment and/or out-of-home placement. Gender and racial disparities within justice facilities are discussed, as are disparate educational programming, teacher quality, and information on the rights of youth in these facilities and the protections they are entitled to under the Office of Civil Rights.

**Reentry Starts Here: A Guide for Youth in Long-Term Juvenile Corrections and Treatment Programs****(PDF, 36 pages)**This youth-centered toolkit equips incarcerated minors with a guide on what to expect upon reentry and what footwork they should be doing while still in a juvenile correctional facility and well after. The guide is organized into two sections: planning for reentry while in placement and successful reentry into your community. Included are descriptions regarding common barriers youth may encounter upon reentry as well as tools and action steps to help them overcome those barriers.

**Rights of Juveniles**This webpage regarding the Special Litigation Section of the U.S. Department of Justice is a resource for those who suspect maltreatment or unnecessary confinement in a juvenile justice facility. The page offers phone numbers and email contact information for community Special Litigation Section partners where information can be received regarding a juvenile justice case or concern.

**Vulnerable Population: Incarcerated Youth**For youth, parents, community members, or practitioners who need a starting point to familiarize themselves with the juvenile justice system and processes, this fact sheet may be a good place to start. It provides basic definitions and fast facts as well as links to various government reports and publications focusing on the juvenile justice system.

## References

1 Austin, Johnson & Weitzer, 2005; Development Services Group, Inc., 20142 Austin, Johnson & Weitzer, 2005; Development Services Group, Inc., 20143Austin, Johnson & Weitzer, 2005; Development Services Group, Inc., 2014; Petrosino, Turpin–Petrosino & Guckenburg, 20104Ryon et al., 20135 Austin, Johnson, & Weitzer, 2005; Development Services Group, Inc., 20146 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 20177 The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 20218 Bilchik, 19989 Greenwood, et al., 1996; Smith & Stroop, 201910 Austin, Johnson & Weitzer, 2005; Development Services Group, Inc., 201411 Austin, Johnson & Weitzer, 2005; Development Services Group, Inc., 201412 Austin, Johnson & Weitzer, 2005; Development Services Group, Inc., 201413 Geis, 2003; Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 201714 Platt et al., 2015; Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2017

## Other Resources on this Topic

### Agencies 

                          - National Institute of Justice
                          - Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
                          - Tribal Justice and Safety

### Announcements 

                          - 2022 National Crime Victims’ Service Awards Recipients Announced
                          - 2023 Advancing Racial Justice and Equity in Youth Legal Systems Certificate Program
                          - 50th Anniversary of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA)
                          - Brightly-Colored Fentanyl Used to Target Young Americans
                          - Department of Justice Awards More Than $136 Million to Support Youth and Reform the Juvenile Justice System
                          - Department of Justice Awards Nearly $105 Million to Protect Children from Exploitation, Trauma, and Abuse
                          - Event: National Conference on Juvenile Justice
                          - Fact Sheet: System Involvement Among LBQ Girls and Women
                          - How to Connect to OJJDP TTA
                          - National Drug Court Month
                          - National Youth Justice Awareness Month, 2015
                          - OJJDP’s Fiscal Year 2021 Discretionary Awards Total Nearly $344 Million
                          - Opportunity: Call for Lightning Talk and Poster Submissions
                          - Podcast: Justice Matters
                          - Report: Coordination to Reduce Barriers to Reentry: Lessons Learned from COVID-19 and Beyond
                          - Report: Data Snapshot on Hispanic Youth Delinquency Cases
                          - Report: Drug and Alcohol Use Reported by Youth in Juvenile Facilities, 2008–2018
                          - Report: Healing Indigenous Lives: Native Youth Town Halls
                          - Report: Juvenile Court Statistics 2014
                          - Report: Juveniles Incarcerated in U.S. Adults Jails and Prisons, 2002–2021
                          - Report: Mentoring in Juvenile Treatment Drug Courts
                          - Report: Patterns of Juvenile Court Referrals of Youth Born in 2000
                          - Report: PREA Data Collection Activities, Calendar Year 2022
                          - Report: Referrals to Law Enforcement and School-Related Arrests in U.S. Public Schools During the 2020-21 School Year
                          - Report: Spotlight on Girls in the Juvenile Justice System
                          - Report: Spotlight on Juvenile Justice Initiatives: A State by State Survey
                          - Report: Student Discipline and School Climate in U.S. Public Schools
                          - Report: Substantiated Incidents of Sexual Victimization Reported by Juvenile Justice Authorities, 2013–2018
                          - Report: The Impact of COVID-19 on Juvenile Justice Systems: Practice Changes, Lessons Learned, and Future Considerations
                          - Report: The Prevalence of Safe, Stable, Nurturing Relationships Among Children and Adolescents
                          - Request for Information: Programs and Strategies for Justice–Involved Young Adults
                          - Resource: 5 Ways Juvenile Court Judges Can Use Data
                          - Resource: A Law Enforcement Official’s Guide to the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model
                          - Resource: Activate: The Center to Bring Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Research to Youth-Supporting Professionals
                          - Resource: Adverse Childhood Experiences Capacity Assessment Tool Roadmap
                          - Resource: Answering the Call
                          - Resource: Archived Webinar – Multi-Tiered Systems of Support in Residential Juvenile Facilities
                          - Resource: Arrests of Youth Declined Through 2020
                          - Resource: Beyond the Box
                          - Resource: Changing Prison Culture Reduces Violence
                          - Resource: Child Victims and Witnesses Support Materials
                          - Resource: Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice System Involvement
                          - Resource: Child Welfare in the News
                          - Resource: Common Problems, Common Solutions: Looking Across Sectors at Strategies for Supporting Rural Youth and Families Tool-Kit
                          - Resource: Community Violence Intervention: The Chicago Story
                          - Resource: Complex Trauma Fact Sheets
                          - Resource: Core Youth Outcomes in Youth of Color
                          - Resource: Court Improvement Programs: Collaboration Between Child Welfare Agencies and Legal and Judicial Communities
                          - Resource: Data Snapshot: Youth Victims of Suicide and Homicide
                          - Resource: Dear Colleague Letter: Court-Imposed Fees and Fines for Youth
                          - Resource: Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Court, 2019
                          - Resource: Department of Justice Awards Nearly $105 Million To Protect Children From Exploitation, Trauma and Abuse
                          - Resource: Diversion Programs I-Guide
                          - Resource: Drug Courts
                          - Resource: Emoji Drug Code: Decoded
                          - Resource: Facility Characteristics of Sexual Victimization of Youth in Juvenile Facilities, 2018
                          - Resource: Family-Based Justice Center
                          - Resource: Family-Based Justice Center
                          - Resource: Federal Justice Statistics Program 2020-2021 Datasets
                          - Resource: Five Things
                          - Resource: Five Things About Juvenile Delinquency Intervention and Treatment
                          - Resource: Focused Deterrence of High-Risk Individuals: Response Guide No. 13
                          - Resource: Guide for Drafting or Revising Tribal Juvenile Delinquency and Status Offense Laws
                          - Resource: Highlights From the 2020 Juvenile Residential Facility Census
                          - Resource: Improving Youth Defense
                          - Resource: Interactions Between Youth and Law Enforcement
                          - Resource: Judicial Leadership for Community-Based Alternatives to Juvenile Secure Confinement
                          - Resource: Juvenile Court Statistics 2021
                          - Resource: Juvenile Residential Facility Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic
                          - Resource: Juveniles in Residential Placement, 2019
                          - Resource: Key Considerations for Applying an Equity Lens to Collaborative Practice
                          - Resource: Let's Talk Podcast - The Offical National Runaway Safeline Podcast
                          - Resource: Leveraging the Every Student Succeeds Act to Improve Educational Services in Juvenile Justice Facilities
                          - Resource: Literature Review on Teen Dating Violence
                          - Resource: Literature Review: Children Exposed to Violence
                          - Resource: Mentoring as a Component of Reentry
                          - Resource: Mentoring for Enhancing Career Interests and Exploration
                          - Resource: Mentoring for Enhancing School Attendance, Academic Performance, and Educational Attainment
                          - Resource: National Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Dashboard
                          - Resource: OJJDP Urges System Reform During Youth Justice Action Month (YJAM)
                          - Resource: Preventing Youth Hate Crimes & Identity-Based Bullying Fact Sheet
                          - Resource: Prevention and Early Intervention Efforts Seek to Reduce Violence by Youth and Youth Recruitment by Gangs
                          - Resource: Probation Reform: A Toolkit for State Advisory Groups (SAGs)
                          - Resource: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Processing of Delinquency Cases
                          - Resource: Raising the Bar: Creating and Sustaining Quality Education Services in Juvenile Detention
                          - Resource: Reentry Matters: Voices of Experience
                          - Resource: Resilience, Opportunity, Safety, Education, Strength (ROSES) Program
                          - Resource: Suicide and Homicide Death Rates Among Youth and Young Adults Aged 10–24: United States, 2001–2021
                          - Resource: Support for Child Victims and Witnesses of Human Trafficking
                          - Resource: Support for Prosecutors Who Work with Youth
                          - Resource: The Fight Against Rampant Gun Violence: Data-Driven Scientific Research Will Light the Way
                          - Resource: The Mentoring Toolkit 2.0: Resources for Developing Programs for Incarcerated Youth
                          - Resource: The National Center for Youth with Diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Expression (The National SOGIE Center) 
                          - Resource: Toolkit for Implementing Authentic Youth Engagement Strategies Within State Advisory Groups
                          - Resource: Trends and Characteristics of Delinquency Cases Handled in Juvenile Court, 2020
                          - Resource: Trends and Characteristics of Youth in Residential Placement, 2021
                          - Resource: Trends in Youth Arrests for Violent Crimes
                          - Resource: Updates to Statistical Briefing Book
                          - Resource: Updates to Statistical Briefing Book on Homicide Data
                          - Resource: We Meet Them Where They Are: The Importance of Mentoring as a Component of Youth Gang Violence Intervention
                          - Resource: What Youth Say About Their Reentry Needs
                          - Resource: Youth and the Juvenile Justice System: 2022 National Report
                          - Resource: Youth Justice Action Month (YJAM) Toolkit
                          - Resource: Youth Justice Action Month: A Message from John Legend
                          - Resource: Youth Reentry and Family Engagement
                          - Resource: Youth Voice in Juvenile Justice Research
                          - Resource: Youths with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the Juvenile Justice System
                          - Respect Youth Stories: A Toolkit for Advocates to Ethically Engage in Youth Justice Storytelling
                          - Second Chance Month: April 2023
                          - Share with Youth: Youth Reentry Technical Assistance (YRTA) Center Fellowship Program
                          - Webinar Archive: Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Meeting
                          - Webinar Recording: Building Parent Leadership and Power to Support Faster, Lasting Reunification and Prevent System Involvement
                          - Webinar Recording: Don’t Leave Us Out: Tapping ARPA for Older Youth
                          - Webpage: Youth Violence Intervention Initiative
                          - Youth Voices Have Moved to YE4C

### Collaboration Profiles 

                          - Providing Unbiased Services for LGBTQ Youth Project
                          - Youth M.O.V.E. National: Making a Difference through Youth-Adult Partnerships
                          - Youth M.O.V.E. National: Making a Difference through Youth-Adult Partnerships

### Conferences 

                          - 2015 NDTAC National Conference Materials

### Data Sources 

                          - Bureau of Justice Statistics
                          - National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
                          - National Youth Gang Survey Analysis
                          - Uniform Crime Reports

### Feature Articles 

                          - Correctional Education Guidance Package
                          - CrimeSolutions.gov Website Launched
                          - Department of Education Opportunity: Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth
                          - Gang Prevention: An Overview of Research and Programs
                          - Just Launched! Redesigned YE4C
                          - Keeping youth in school and out of the justice system
                          - Myth Busters: National Reentry and Medicaid
                          - Programs and Strategies for Justice–Involved Young Adults
                          - Reforming Juvenile Justice: A Developmental Approach
                          - Secretary Duncan Hosts First Meeting with National Council of Young Leaders

### Programs 

                          - Gang Resistance and Education Program
                          - OJP Releases FY 2015 Program Plan for Funding Initiatives
                          - Reintegration of ExOffenders Program

### Publications 

                          - 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment
                          - A Comparison of Four Restorative Conferencing Models
                          - Aftercare Services
                          - Amber Alert: Best Practices
                          - Balanced and Restorative Justice for Juveniles: A Framework for Juvenile Justice in the 21st Century
                          - Behavioral Health Problems, Treatment, and Outcomes in Serious Youthful Offenders
                          - Changing Lives: Prevention and Intervention to Reduce Serious Offending
                          - Comprehensive Responses to Youth At Risk: Interim Findings From the SafeFutures Initiative
                          - Criminal Career Patterns
                          - Curriculum for Training Educators of Youth in Confinement
                          - Developmental Sequences of Girls’ Delinquent Behavior
                          - Economic Costs of Youth Disadvantage and High-Return Opportunities for Change
                          - Employment and Training for Court-Involved Youth
                          - Explanations for Offending
                          - Facilitating Cross-System Collaboration: A Primer on Child Welfare, Alcohol and Other Drug Services, and Courts
                          - Fact Sheet: Disproportionate Minority Contact
                          - Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice Issues 2013 Report
                          - Federal Justice Statistics, 2010
                          - First Issue of Journal of Juvenile Justice Available
                          - From the Courthouse to the Schoolhouse: Making Successful Transitions
                          - Functional Impairment in Delinquent Youth
                          - Graphic Novels for Youth in Custody
                          - Growth of Youth Gang Problems in the United States: 1970-98
                          - Highlights of the 2010 National Youth Gang Survey
                          - Implementation of the Intensive Community-Based Aftercare Program
                          - Improving Literacy Skills of Juvenile Detainees
                          - Intensive Aftercare for High-Risk Juveniles: A Community Care Model
                          - Intensive Parole Model for High-Risk Juvenile Offenders
                          - Interim Report for the Department of Labor Youth Offender Demonstration Project: Process Evaluation
                          - Juvenile Arrests 2011
                          - Juvenile Correctional Education: A Time for Change
                          - Juvenile Court Statistics 2009
                          - Juvenile Justice Bulletin: Gang Prevention
                          - Juvenile Justice Bulletin: Juvenile Transfer Laws
                          - Juvenile Mentoring Program: 1998 Report to Congress
                          - Juvenile Mentoring Program: A Progress Review
                          - Juveniles in Residential Placement, 2010
                          - Make a Friend-Be a Peer Mentor
                          - Mentoring-A Proven Delinquency Prevention Strategy
                          - Mobilizing Communities To Prevent Juvenile Crime
                          - National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day 2013 Short Report, May 9, 2013
                          - National Partnership for Juvenile Services Launches Online Journal
                          - Native American Traditional Justice Practices
                          - OJJDP Annual Report 2012: How OJJDP Is Working for Youth Justice and Safety
                          - OJJDP Family Listening Sessions: Executive Summary
                          - OJJDP Releases Fact Sheet on Delinquency Cases in Criminal Courts
                          - OJJDP Releases Fact Sheet on Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Courts
                          - OJJDP’s Model Programs Guide Adds Three Literature Reviews
                          - OJJDP’s Statistical Briefing Book - 2012
                          - Prediction and Risk/Needs Assessment
                          - Predictors of Youth Violence
                          - Promoting Recovery and Resilience for Children and Youth Involved in Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems
                          - Prosecution, Transfer, and Registration of Serious Juvenile Sex Offenders
                          - PTSD, Trauma, and Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders in Detained Youth
                          - Reintegrating Juvenile Offenders Into the Community: OJJDP's Intensive Community-Based Aftercare Demonstration Program
                          - Reintegration, Supervised Release, and Intensive Aftercare
                          - Risk Assessment for Adolescents
                          - Serving Youth in Confinement
                          - Socioeconomic Mapping and Resource Topography
                          - Special Education and the Juvenile Justice System
                          - Spring 2014 Issue of Journal of Juvenile Justice
                          - Stories of Change Among Justice-Involved American Indian Youth
                          - Successful Program Implementation: Lessons Learned from Blueprints
                          - Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors Among Detained Youth
                          - Survey of Youth in Residential Placement (SYRP) 2003
                          - The Impact of Gangs on Communities
                          - The Northwestern Juvenile Project: Overview
                          - Trauma-informed Care and Outcomes Among Youth
                          - Victims, Judges, and Juvenile Court Reform Through Restorative Justice
                          - Women and Girls in the Corrections System
                          - You’re an Adult Now: Youth Offenders in Adult Corrections
                          - Young Offenders: What Happens and What Should Happen

### Resources 

                          - Alaska Native Tribal Courts Gain Right to Protect Women in Domestic Violence Cases
                          - Community-Based Responses to Justice-Involved Young Adults
                          - Creating and Maintaining Good Relationships Between Juvenile Justice and Education Agencies
                          - Data Dashboards to Support Title I, Part D Program Administration: A Step-By-Step Guide
                          - Fact Sheet: Delinquency Cases in Juvenile Courts, 2013
                          - Fact Sheet: Solitary Confinement Banned for Juveniles in Federal Prisons
                          - Gender-Specific Programming
                          - Juvenile Arrests 2012
                          - Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 2014 National Report
                          - Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2012: Selected Findings
                          - New Modules Developed for Sexual Assault Advocate/Counselor Training
                          - New Reports Highlight OJJDP’s Tribal Green Reentry Grantee Experiences
                          - New Title I, Part D Data Collection Resource
                          - OJJDP Bulletin: Deterrence Among High-Risk Adolescents
                          - OJJDP News @ a Glance, January/February 2015
                          - OJJDP News @ a Glance, May/June 2015
                          - OJJDP Releases Research on Youth's Mental Health Needs and Long-Term Outcomes after Detention
                          - OJJDP Safe Start Center
                          - OJJDP Updates National DMC Data to Statistical Briefing Book
                          - OJJDP, MENTOR Launch National Mentoring Resource Center
                          - OJJDP's Pathways to Desistance Bulletins Now Available in E-Book Format
                          - OJJDP’s Model Programs Guide Adds Three Literature Reviews
                          - Policy Guidance: Girls and the Juvenile Justice System
                          - Promote Your Youth Program
                          - Quality Education Services Are Critical for Youth Involved With the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems
                          - Report: 2015 Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice Recommendations
                          - Report: Co-Offending Among Adolescents in Violence Victimizations, 2004-13
                          - Report: Data Snapshot on Hispanic Youth Delinquency Cases
                          - Report: Defend Children: A Blueprint for Effective Juvenile Defender Services
                          - Report: Developmentally Appropriate Criminal Justice Responses to Justice-Involved Young Adults
                          - Report: Evaluations of OJJDP’s Juvenile Justice Reform and Reinvestment Initiative
                          - Report: Expanding Access to Justice, Strengthening Federal Programs
                          - Report: Impact of Domestic Violence Policies and Practices on Girls and Young Women
                          - Report: Judicially-Led Responses to Eliminate School Pathways to the Juvenile Justice System
                          - Report: Juvenile Court Statistics
                          - Report: Juvenile Court Statistics 2014
                          - Report: Juveniles in Residential Placement, 2013
                          - Report: Mentoring in Juvenile Treatment Drug Courts
                          - Report: National Juvenile Probation Office Survey
                          - Report: Recommendations of the LGBT Subcommittee: Advancing the Reform Process for LGBQ/GNCT Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
                          - Report: Sexual Victimization in Prisons, Jails, and Juvenile Correctional Facilities
                          - Report: Spotlight on Girls in the Juvenile Justice System
                          - Report: Spotlight on Juvenile Justice Initiatives: A State by State Survey
                          - Report: The Prevalence of Safe, Stable, Nurturing Relationships Among Children and Adolescents
                          - Resource: 5 Ways Juvenile Court Judges Can Use Data
                          - Resource: A Guide to the Guidelines: Practical Tips for Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts to Implement
                          - Resource: Arts-Based Programs and Arts Therapies Literature Review
                          - Resource: Arts-Based Programs and Arts Therapies Webpage
                          - Resource: Beyond the Box Resource Guide
                          - Resource: Building a School Responder Model
                          - Resource: Child Labor Trafficking
                          - Resource: Data Snapshot on Youth Residential Facilities
                          - Resource: Diversion Programs I-Guide
                          - Resource: Drug Courts
                          - Resource: Engage, Involve, Empower: Family Engagement in Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts
                          - Resource: Focused Deterrence of High-Risk Individuals: Response Guide No. 13
                          - Resource: Improving Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities in Juvenile Corrections
                          - Resource: Increasing Access to Higher Education for Justice-Involved Individuals
                          - Resource: Interactions Between Youth and Law Enforcement
                          - Resource: Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Guidelines
                          - Resource: Leveraging the Every Student Succeeds Act to Improve Educational Services in Juvenile Justice Facilities
                          - Resource: Mentoring as a Component of Reentry
                          - Resource: New Title I, Part D Data Collection Guide
                          - Resource: OJJDP Policy: Monitoring of State Compliance with the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act
                          - Resource: OJJDP Updates Juvenile Homicide Data to Statistical Briefing Book
                          - Resource: Raising the Bar: Creating and Sustaining Quality Education Services in Juvenile Detention
                          - Resource: Statistical Briefing Book
                          - Resource: The Mentoring Toolkit 2.0: Resources for Developing Programs for Incarcerated Youth
                          - Resource: Tribal Access to Justice Innovation
                          - Resource: Updated Model Indian Juvenile Code
                          - Resource: Updates to Statistical Briefing Book
                          - Resource: Updates to Statistical Briefing Book on Homicide Data
                          - Resource: Updates to Statistical Briefing Book on Juveniles in Residential Placement
                          - Resource: Updates to Statistical Briefing Book on Law Enforcement and Court Data
                          - Resource: Youths with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the Juvenile Justice System
                          - Resources on Trauma and Youth in the Juvenile Justice System; Trauma Among Girls in the Juvenile Justice System
                          - Resources on Trauma and Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: Assessing Exposure to Psychological Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress in the Juvenile Justice Population
                          - Resources on Trauma and Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: Evidence-Informed Interventions for Posttraumatic Stress Problems with Youth Involved in the Juvenile Justice System
                          - Second Chance Pell Pilot Program for Incarcerated Individuals
                          - Share with Youth: Educational Pathways for Youth Transitioning from Juvenile Justice Facilities
                          - Support for Child Victims and Witnesses of Human Trafficking
                          - The Effects of Adolescent Development on Policing
                          - Tip Sheet: Federal Resources and Initiatives for Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At Risk
                          - Trainings: Substance Abuse Treatment, Child Welfare, and Court Professionals
                          - Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2015

### Technical Assistance 

                          - Bureau of Justice Assistance Training and Technical Assistance
                          - National Juvenile Justice Evaluation Center
                          - National Reentry Resource Center
                          - National Training and Technical Assistance Center - Juvenile Justice Programs
                          - The National Center on Education, Disability, and Juvenile Justice (EDJJ)
                          - Tribal Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center

### Tools & Guides 

                          - 3 Bold Steps for School Community Change
                          - CJCA Toolkit for Reducing the Use of Isolation
                          - CrimeSolutions.gov
                          - Departments of Justice, Education Release: Correctional Education Guidance Package for Serving Juvenile Justice System-Involved Youth
                          - Desktop Guide to Quality Practice for Working With Youth in Confinement
                          - Grants 101:  A Resource from Department of Justice
                          - IACP Youth Focused Policing: Program Impact Tools
                          - National Institute of Corrections
                          - OJJDP Updates Statistical Briefing Book
                          - Performance Measures Resources
                          - Problem-Oriented Guides for Police
                          - Resource: A Law Enforcement Official’s Guide to the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model
                          - Resource: Re-Entry Education Toolkit
                          - Risk and Protective Factors Data Tool

### Training Resources 

                          - IACP Launches Online Training Series on Juvenile Interviewing and Interrogation

### Videos & Podcasts 

                          - Supporting the Success of Youth in Juvenile Justice Settings
                          - Understanding Teen Dating Violence

### Webinars & Presentations 

                          - NDTAC Explores What It Takes To Make Youth in Justice Settings College and Career Ready
                          - Webinar: NDTAC Examines the Provision of Free Appropriate Education for Youth With Disabilities in Juvenile Secure Care

### Websites 

                          - Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
                          - Disproportionate Minority Contact
                          - Federal Bureau of Prisons
                          - Gangs (Security Threat Groups)
                          - National Gang Center
                          - National Girls Institute
                          - Resource: How OJJDP Is Meeting the Needs of At-Risk and Justice-Involved LGBTQI-GNC Youth
                          - Resource: National Resource Center on School-Justice Partnerships Website

### Youth Topics 

                          - Juvenile Justice
                          - Suicide Prevention
                          - Trafficking Prevention
                          - Violence Prevention

## Youth Briefs

How Individualized Education Program (IEP) Transition Planning Makes a Difference for Youth with Disabilities
Youth who receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) and especially young adults of transition age, should be involved in planning for life after high school as early as possible and no later than age 16. Transition services should stem from the individual youth’s needs and strengths, ensuring that planning takes into account his or her interests, preferences, and desires for the future.

Youth Transitioning to Adulthood: How Holding Early Leadership Positions Can Make a Difference
Research links early leadership with increased self-efficacy and suggests that leadership can help youth to develop decision making and interpersonal skills that support successes in the workforce and adulthood. In addition, young leaders tend to be more involved in their communities, and have lower dropout rates than their peers. Youth leaders also show considerable benefits for their communities, providing valuable insight into the needs and interests of young people

How Trained Service Professionals and Self-Advocacy Makes a Difference for Youth with Mental Health, Substance Abuse, or Co-occurring Issues
Statistics reflecting the number of youth suffering from mental health, substance abuse, and co-occurring disorders highlight the necessity for schools, families, support staff, and communities to work together to develop targeted, coordinated, and comprehensive transition plans for young people with a history of mental health needs and/or substance abuse.

Young Adults Formerly in Foster Care: Challenges and Solutions
Nearly 30,000 youth aged out of foster care in Fiscal Year 2009, which represents nine percent of the young people involved in the foster care system that year. This transition can be challenging for youth, especially youth who have grown up in the child welfare system.

Coordinating Systems to Support Transition Age Youth with Mental Health Needs
Research has demonstrated that as many as one in five children/youth have a diagnosable mental health disorder. Read about how coordination between public service agencies can improve treatment for these youth.

Civic Engagement Strategies for Transition Age Youth
Civic engagement has the potential to empower young adults, increase their self-determination, and give them the skills and self-confidence they need to enter the workforce. Read about one youth’s experience in AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC).

## Main navigation

- Juvenile Justice
- Youth Involved with the Juvenile Justice System
- Judicially Waived Cases
- Risk & Protective Factors
- Connections with Youth in the Child Welfare System
- Prevention & Early Intervention
- Points of Intervention
- Reentry
- Diversion Programs
- Federal- & State-Level Data
- References

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Economic Costs of Youth Disadvantage and High-Return Opportunities for Change

Prosecution, Transfer, and Registration of Serious Juvenile Sex Offenders

Young Offenders: What Happens and What Should Happen

### Resources

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Resource: Interactions Between Youth and Law Enforcement

Resource: Updates to Statistical Briefing Book

### Youth Topics

Juvenile Justice

Suicide Prevention

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