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## Other Youth Topics

## Breadcrumb

            -  Youth Topics 
            -  Juvenile Justice 
            -           Youth Involved with the Juvenile Justice System      

# Youth Involved with the Juvenile Justice System

Some children and youth become involved with the juvenile justice system because they are accused of committing a delinquent or criminal act. Other youth encounter the system for status offenses—actions that are illegal only because of a youth’s age—such as truancy, underage drinking, and running away from home. Not all of these cases, however, are formally processed through the courts.

**What do we know about youth involved in the juvenile justice system?**
                      - While an estimated 2.7 million youth under the age of 18 were arrested in the United States during a single year in 1997, that number decreased by 74 percent in 2019. 1
                      - Though overall rates have been steadily declining over the past years, approximately 423,077 delinquency cases are adjudicated and disposed in juvenile courts annually. Fifty-two percent (220,000) of those disposed cases were adjudicated delinquent in 2018. 2
                      - Youth are referred to the juvenile justice system for different types of offenses. Figure 1 illustrates the percent of referrals based on the types of offenses for youth between the ages of 12 and 17 in 2018. 3

**Figure 1: Percent of Juvenile Court Involvement Charges by Type for Youth Between the Ages of 12 and 17 in 2018**

*Data source:**https://ojjdp. ojp. gov/publications/delinquency-cases-in-juvenile-court-2018. PDF**(PDF, 4 pages)*

**Adjudicated Youth**

While many youth cases do not get processed formally through the court, the majority of youth that are processed through the juvenile court are adjudicated (i. e., declared by a judge to be) delinquent, for most offenses.
                        - An average of 53 percent of all petitioned cases that went to juvenile court were adjudicated delinquent in 2019. Fifty-one percent of person offenses were adjudicated delinquent, 53 percent of property offenses, 51 percent of drug offences, and 56 percent of public order offenses.  4
                        - Between 1997 and 2019, the number of youth detained in residential placement decreased 50 percent to a total of 14,344, and the number of youth committed in residential placement decreased 73 percent to 21,141. The total number of youth in residential placement in 2019 was 36,479, its lowest level since the data collection began in 1997, when 105,055 youth were held in out-of-home placement.  5
                        - The average state cost for the secure confinement of a young person is now $588 per day, or $214,620 per year, a 44 percent increase from 2014. These cost figures over a six-year period represent the growing economic impact of incarcerating youth. However, the long-term impact of these policies extends well beyond the fiscal cost.  6
                        - Youth who are detained or incarcerated may be subject to various negative circumstances, including:	                           - overcrowding
                          - physical and sexual violence
                          - risk of suicide
                          - death 7

Limiting incarceration as a punitive measure for youth when applicable has strong potential to mitigate some of these negative circumstances that occur in or are exacerbated by various out-of-home placement settings.

**Gender, Race, and Ethnicity**

Considerable variability by gender and deep disparities by race and ethnicity exist in both pre-adjudication detention and post-adjudication residential placement.

##### Gender

                        - Since 2006, the proportion of females remained relatively constant for arrests, delinquency cases, petitioned status cases, and youth in placement. From 2009 through 2015, the relative decline in arrests for boys and girls was the same (down 49%).  8
                        - Data continue to suggest that girls are less likely to be petitioned, adjudicated, detained and/or committed in out-of-home placement than boys for most categories of delinquent offenses.  9                            - Girls in 2014 were more likely to receive diversion programming or probation than boys, who were more likely than their female counterparts to be formally petitioned and adjudicated through the court or be put in residential placement.  3

##### Race and Ethnicity

                        - Youth of color are overrepresented within—and treated differently by—the juvenile justice system compared to their White peers.
                        - Brown and Black youth are more likely to be detained and committed than non-Hispanic White youth.
                        - For every 100,000 non-Hispanic Black juveniles living in the U.S., 315 were in a residential placement facility on October 23, 2019; for Hispanic youth the rate was 92, and for non-Hispanic Whites it was 72.  11

In response to significant racial and ethnic disparities present at all stages in the juvenile justice process, many states have begun implementing reforms to make the system more equitable. Recent policy suggestions for states, organizations, and community partners seeking to enact change include:
                        - Forming working groups composed of juvenile justice professionals and diverse community partners to address existing racial and ethnic disparities
                        - Using regular data collection and analysis at each decision point in the juvenile justice process to guide future efforts at diminishing those disparities
                        - Ensuring that race and ethnicity are distinguished from each other in youth surveys for accurate data analysis
                        - Developing more community-based diversion pathways and alternatives to detainment
                        - Enhancing culturally/linguistically competent programs and services for youth at each stage of the justice process 12

**Repeated Involvement**

Recidivism,6 as measured by various levels of reinvolvement with the justice system (e.g., rearrest, probation violations, reincarceration), is fairly high for youth under the age of 21. However, according to a follow-up study on previously incarcerated youth, most youth who committed serious offenses reduced their offending over time regardless of interventions, and (92%) experienced decreased or limited illegal activity during the first three years following their encounter with the juvenile justice system. The only two factors that played notable roles in rearrest rates in this seven-year study were:14
                        - The presence of substance use disorder.  Youth with a substance use disorder were more likely to continue to offend over the 7-year study period and less likely to spend time working or attending school than those with no substance use disorder. Youth who used substances more often and in greater quantity were more likely to be arrested than less frequent users, a pattern that did not change over time.
                        - Quality services and positive experiences in institutions.  The quality of youth services, the degree to which services were matched to individual youth’s needs, and a positive institutional experience and facility environment were associated with reduced rates of rearrest. These results suggest that investing in improved care and support services in facilities has potential to reduce rearrest rates and future involvement with the justice system.

Additionally, studies show that academic measures are predictive of chances of recidivism.
                        - Incarcerated boys between the ages of 12-18 who have high or average academic performance while in a correctional facility are two times less likely to engage in repeated involvement with the justice system after release than those with lower academic performance who are in a remedial education group while in a facility.  15
                        - In a study of more than 4,000 juveniles released from secure facilities in Florida, youth with above average academic performance during the time they were confined were more likely to return to school upon release than their lower-performing peers, a notable finding given the fact that above average attendance in school serves as a protective factor against being arrested.  16

**Educational Status and Outcomes**

Many youth who encounter the juvenile justice system have experienced academic failure, disengagement from school, and/or school disciplinary challenges. Academic outcomes for these youth are generally less positive than those of youth who do not encounter the system, suggesting that academic interventions may be a strong avenue for serving youth at risk of entering the juvenile justice system.
                        - Nearly half of all students who enter residential juvenile justice facilities have an academic achievement level that is below the grade equivalent for their age.  17
                        - Youth in the juvenile justice system are identified as eligible for special education services at three to seven times the rate of youth outside the system.  18
                        - Many incarcerated youth are marginally literate or illiterate and have already experienced school failure.  19
                        - Many youth who are incarcerated have a history of truancy and grade retention (repeating a grade due to failing the previous year). A study of more than 400 incarcerated ninth-graders found that, in the year prior to incarceration, these students had attended school barely half the time and were failing most of their courses.  20 Youth with high truancy who later get funneled into the juvenile justice system are also more likely to have received special education services than their peers who had strong school attendance.  21
                        - Exclusionary discipline practices such as expulsion or suspension significantly increase a student’s likelihood of becoming involved in the juvenile justice system rather than mitigating delinquent behaviors. Alternative disciplinary measures that do not remove at-risk students from the school setting prove more beneficial for youth.  22

Considering the substantial correlation between academic failure and/or truancy and involvement with the juvenile justice system, academic interventions and truancy reduction programs provide promise for improving youth outcomes.

**Mental Health and Substance Use**

Youth involved with the juvenile justice system often have mental health23 and/or substance use disorders. These typically affect their academic performance, behavior, and relationships with peers and adults.
                        - Studies point to a significant overrepresentation of youth with mental health disorders in the juvenile justice system, with a high percentage of youth (approximately 70 percent) involved in the system having a diagnosable mental health disorder and nearly 30 percent of those experiencing  severe  mental health disorders.  24                            - About two thirds of youth in detention or correctional settings have at least one diagnosable mental health disorder, compared with an estimated 9 to 22 percent of the general youth population.  25
                        - Many youth in the juvenile justice system have a history of trauma and ensuing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders which are all correlated with later delinquency and/or involvement in the system.  26  Particularly, adolescents who witnessed or were survivors of violence are more likely to be charged with a violent crime against another individual later.	                           - Academic progress and high academic performance weaken this relationship between early violence-related trauma and juvenile justice involvement, serving as a protective factor against involvement with the juvenile justice system.  27
                        - Youth in contact with the juvenile justice system experience higher prevalence rates for various categories of mental disorders than their peers. In addition to experiencing a high prevalence of disruptive disorders, the most common mental health challenge for these youth is substance use disorder (76 percent), followed by high anxiety (33 percent), ADHD (14 percent), depression (12 percent), posttraumatic stress disorder (12 percent), and mania (7 percent).  28
                        - Most youth in the system meet the criteria for or are diagnosed with more than one mental health disorder.  29
                        - Many court-involved adolescents have recently used illegal substances. The adolescents who perpetrate more serious and chronic offenses have been found to use more substances and are more likely to qualify for a diagnosis of a substance use disorder.  30
                        - Between 2005 and 2018, drug law violations among youth decreased by 44 percent.  31
                        - Higher levels of substance use increase the rate of offending, the severity of the committed offense, and the duration of antisocial behavior.  32

Despite the exceedingly high proportion of youth within the juvenile justice system who experience mental health disorders, referral rates for mental health treatment within justice facilities remain low.33

Targeted trainings for juvenile correctional facility professionals regarding mental health screening and treatment referrals would point more youth toward the necessary treatment for their unique needs. Particularly, mental health diversion initiatives and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which helps patients adjust their thinking and behavior patterns have shown positive results in reducing delinquency and recidivism among justice-involved youth.34

## Resources for Justice-Involved Youth and Their Families

**Respect Youth Stories: A Toolkit for Advocates to Ethically Engage in Youth Justice Storytelling (PDF, 15 pages)**The National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) and its member organization Citizens for Juvenile Justice (CfJJ) partnered with youth to create the following toolkit. The toolkit assists advocacy organizations in establishing ethical and youth-informed practices for facilitating young people sharing their stories in public, including through the press, legislative testimony, digital media, publications, or panel discussions. The toolkit aims to help young people understand their right to establish boundaries while sharing their experiences in public.

**Improving Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities in Juvenile Corrections**This toolkit includes evidence- and research-based practices, tools, and resources that educators, families, facilities, and community agencies can use to better support and improve the long-term outcomes for youth with disabilities in juvenile correctional facilities. The toolkit focuses on four key areas of juvenile corrections: facility-wide practices, educational practices, transition and re-entry practices, and community and interagency practices.

**Model Programs Guide: Substance Abuse**The Model Programs Guide contains evidence-based juvenile justice and youth prevention, intervention, and reentry programs. Each program is rated either effective, promising, or no effect. Users can search the database for programs and interventions based on the age range of the child or young adult or can use other search filters to search for programs addressing substance use.

**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.

**Roadmap to Behavioral Health—A Guide to Using Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Services****(PDF, 25 pages)**This guide can help people understand how to use health insurance coverage to improve their mental and physical health. It provides an eight-step road map for understanding behavioral health, finding and accessing appropriate providers, and staying on the road to recovery.

**Transition Toolkit 3.0: Meeting the Educational Needs of Youth Exposed to the Juvenile Justice System****(PDF, 60 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.

**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.

**You Got This! Educational Pathways for Youth Transitioning from Juvenile Justice Facilities****(PDF, 12 pages)**This guide offers a framework of tips and resources for youth transitioning from the juvenile justice system back into their schools and communities. It informs youth and professionals working closely with incarcerated youth of juveniles’ rights both within the system and at school and includes a roadmap of juvenile detention to school re-enrollment, a re-enrollment checklist, community resources and organizations, a student bill of rights, and more.

## Resources for Community Partners

**Easy Access to the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 1997-2019**This database allows users to view and analyze statistics on nearly every cross-section of youth populations present in residential placement over the span of 22 years. Developed to facilitate analysis of national data on delinquent youth held in these out-of-home facilities, this website provides yearly information on youth demographics and characteristics, including sex, race/ethnicity, age, length of stay in residential placement, nature of offense, and more.

**Fact Sheet Template: Complex Trauma in Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth****(PDF, 7 pages)**This fact sheet contains a detailed description of the path from complex trauma exposure to involvement in the juvenile justice system. The source also provides recommendations for judges and juvenile justice program administrators, parents and family members, and adults who supervise youth regarding how to best serve and understand justice-involved youth.

**Intersection between Mental Health and the Juvenile Justice System****(PDF, 13 pages)**This literature review focuses on the scope of mental health challenges of at-risk and justice-involved youth, the impact of mental health on justice involvement as well as the impact of justice involvement on mental health, and disparities in mental health treatment in the juvenile justice system. Evidence-based programs that have been shown to improve outcomes for youth with mental health issues are explored.

**Education for Youth Under Formal Supervision of the Juvenile Justice System****(PDF, 18 pages)**This literature review discusses the intersection of the educational and the juvenile justice systems. It outlines the academic characteristics and challenges of youth in the juvenile justice system (including those in detention and long-term secure residential facilities, and under probation supervision) and interventions aimed at improving educational outcomes for this high-risk population.

**Model Programs Guide: Substance Abuse**The Model Programs Guide is an online resource of evidence-based juvenile justice and youth prevention, intervention, and reentry programs. Each program is rated either effective, promising, or no effect. Users can search the database for programs and interventions based on the age range of the child or young adult or can use other search filters to find programs addressing substance use.

**Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect**This webpage features a list of resources related to child abuse prevention, protecting children from risk of abuse, and strengthening families.

**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.

## Resources for Practitioners

**NEW!****Youth and the Juvenile Justice System: 2022 National Report****(PDF, 226 pages)**This is the fifth edition of a comprehensive report from the National Center for Juvenile Justice on youth victimization, offenses committed by youth, and the juvenile justice system's response. The report — previously called "Juvenile Offenders and Victims" — provides juvenile justice practitioners and policymakers with information on youth and their involvement with the juvenile justice system through the 2019 data year.

****Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Racial and Ethnic Minority Youth: A Guide for Practitioners****(PDF, 28 pages)****This guide addresses reasons for differences in mental health etiology and outcomes among youth. While some racial and ethnic minority youth experience lower rates of lifetime mental health disorders, their disorders tend to have a more chronic course.

****Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach****(PDF, 27 pages)****This paper introduces SAMHSA’s concept of trauma and offers a framework for how an organization, system, or service sector can become trauma informed by integrating the perspectives of researchers, practitioners, and people with experience of trauma.

****Practical Tips for Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts to Implement****(PDF, 13 pages)****This guide describes the objectives outlined in OJJDP’s Juvenile Drug Treatment Guidelines (PDF, 60 pages) and provides suggested short-term and long-term actions related to each objective. Juvenile drug treatment courts can use this information to guide the implementation, operation, and evaluation of their practices**.**

****Child Abuse Training for Judicial and Court Personnel****This project trains judicial, legal, and social service professionals to improve their response in child abuse and neglect cases. It also teaches practitioners how to coordinate information and services across the juvenile justice and child welfare systems.

****In Focus: Children's Advocacy Centers****(PDF, 1 page)****This brief details the important work of children's advocacy centers and their multidisciplinary teams of child abuse prevention and intervention professionals.

****Tool Kit for Creating Your Own Truancy Reduction Program****(PDF, 229 pages)****This toolkit provides a comprehensive analysis of the causes of truancy, the extent of the issue, evaluation measures for truancy reduction programs and barriers to accurate progress measurement, as well as best practices for managing truancy reduction among youth.

****Understanding Child Trauma****This infographic provides key statistics and information to help the public recognize the signs of child traumatic stress. This infographic can be downloaded as a whole or by the three key subject areas and is available in English and Spanish.

****Wraparound Process Literature Review****(PDF, 7 pages)****This literature review explains how the wraparound process addresses gaps that delinquent youth with severe emotional and behavioral disorders previously experienced in the justice system, provides ten key principles of the wraparound process, and describes positive impacts of such programming.

## **References**

1 Puzzanchera, 20212 Hockenberry, 20203 Hockenberry, 20204 Puzzanchera & Hockenberry, 20215 Puzzanchera, 2021; Hockenberry, 20206 Justice Policy Institute, 20207 Sickmund, M. & Puzzanchera, C., 20148 Ehrmann, Hyland & Puzzanchera, 20199 Ehrmann, Hyland & Puzzanchera, 201910 Puzzanchera & Ehrmann, 201811 Department of Justice, 202112 National Juvenile Justice Network, 201413 Accurately estimating a nation-wide recidivism rate is very difficult because jurisdictions do not use the same measures to define it and great variance exists, depending on what is measured.14 Sickmund & Puzzanchera, 201415 Archwamety & Katsiyannis, 2000; Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 201916 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2019; Blomberg, Bales & Piquero, 201217 Sedlak & McPherson, 2010; Hovey, Zolkoski & Bullock, 201718 Leone & Weinberg, 201019 Krezmien & Mulcahy, 200820 Balfanz, Spiridakis, Neild, & Legters, 200321 Zhang et al., 201022 Gerlinger et al., 202123 Although there is a clear and strong correlation between mental health disorders and involvement in the juvenile justice system, a causal relationship cannot be determined between the two based on existing research. It is unclear which factor may be the precipitator for the other, or if such a causal relationship even exists.24 Skowyra & Cocozza, 2007; Meservey & Skowyra, 2015; Teplin et al., 2013; Development Services Group, Inc., 201725 Schubert & Mulvey 2014; Schubert, Mulvey, & Glasheen 2011; Development Services Group, Inc., 201726 Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice, 2006; Felitti et al., 1998; and Quinn, Rutherford, & Leone, 200127 Wyrick & Atkinson, 202128 Schubert, Mulvey, & Glasheen, 2011; Schubert & Mulvey, 201429 Schubert, Mulvey, & Glasheen, 2011; Teplin et al., 2013; Development Services Group, Inc., 201730 Mulvey, Schubert, & Chassin, 201031 Hockenberry & Puzzanchera, 202132 Young, Dembo, & Henderson, 200733 Developmental Services Group, 201734 Developmental Services Group, 2017; Jeong, Lee, & Martin, 2014; Colwell, Villarreal, & Espinosa, 2012

## 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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Prosecution, Transfer, and Registration of Serious Juvenile Sex Offenders

Young Offenders: What Happens and What Should Happen

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