U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Justice Programs 

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

Office of Justice Programs Innovation • Partnerships • Safer Neighborhoods www.ojp.usdoj.gov 

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

OCTOBER 2009 

What is the Formula 

Grants program? 

OJJDP’s Formula Grants program supports efforts related 

to delinquency prevention and 

reduction, juvenile justice system 

improvement, research, evaluation, 

statistical analysis, and training 

and technical assistance in all 50 

States, the District of Columbia, 

and the 5 U.S. territories. 

Learn more at 

ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/formulagrants. 

Jeff Slowikowski, Acting Administrator Jeff Slowikowski, Acting Administrator 

Formula Grants Program 

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP’s) Formula

Grants program supports State1 and local 

efforts in planning, operating, and evaluating projects that seek to prevent at-risk

youth from entering the juvenile justice 

system or intervene with first-time and 

nonserious offenders to provide services that 

maximize their chances of leading productive, successful lives. These services include 

job training, mental health and substance

abuse treatment, community service and 

other forms of restitution, and school 

programs to prevent truancy. The Formula 

Grants program also provides funds to

enhance the effectiveness and efficiency

of the juvenile justice system. 

OJJDP provides funds directly to States to 

help them implement comprehensive juvenile justice plans based on detailed studies 

of the needs in their jurisdictions. Juvenile 

justice specialists in each State administer 

the funding through subgrants to units of

local government, local private agencies, and 

American Indian tribes to support programs 

in accordance with legislative requirements.

OJJDP also provides training and technical 

assistance to States and communities. 

Authorizing 

Legislation 

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention ( JJDP) Act of 2002 (Public Law

107–273, 42 U.S.C. § 5601 et seq.) reauthorized OJJDP to administer the Formula 

Grants program to support delinquency

prevention and intervention efforts and 

improvements in the juvenile justice system. 

Eligibility 

To be eligible to receive a formula grant, a 

State must designate one agency to prepare 

and administer a comprehensive 3-year

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

plan, establish a State Advisory Group 

1

The term “State” means any State of the United States, 

the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories (Puerto 

Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and 

the Northern Mariana Islands). 
 

 

(SAG) appointed by the Governor or other chief

executive officer to provide policy direction, participate in preparing and administering the Formula 

Grants program plan, and commit to achieve and

maintain compliance with the following four core

requirements of the JJDP Act: 

•	 Deinstitutionalization of status offenders 

(DSO).2 

•	 Separation of juveniles from adults in secure 

facilities (separation). 

•	 Removal of juveniles from adult jails and 

lockups (jail removal). 

•	 Reduction of disproportionate minority 

contact (DMC) within the juvenile justice 

system. 

2

A status offender is a juvenile who has committed an act 

that would not be a crime if an adult committed it. Common 

examples are drinking or possessing alcohol, smoking tobacco, 

running away from home, or being truant from school. 

Formula Grants Program Areas 

Program Area Description of Program Area 

1. Aftercare/reentry Programs to prepare targeted juvenile offenders to successfully return to their communities after serving a period of secure confinement 

in a training school, juvenile correctional facility, or other secure institution. Aftercare programs focus on preparing juvenile offenders for 

release and providing a continuum of supervision and services after release. 

2. Alternatives to detention Alternative services provided to a juvenile offender in the community as an alternative to confinement. 

3. Child abuse and neglect programs Programs that provide treatment to juvenile offenders who are victims of child abuse or neglect and to their families to reduce the 

likelihood that such juvenile offenders will commit subsequent violations of law. 

4. Children of incarcerated parents Services to prevent delinquency or treat first-time and nonserious delinquent juveniles who are the children of incarcerated parents. 

5. Community Assessment Centers 

(CACs) 

Centers that lead to more integrated and effective cross-system services for juveniles and their families. CACs are designed to positively 

affect the lives of youth and divert them from a path of serious, violent, and chronic delinquency. Using a collaborative approach, CACs 

serve the community in a timely, cost-efficient, and comprehensive manner. 

6. Compliance monitoring Programs, research, staff support, or other activities primarily to enhance or maintain a State’s ability to adequately monitor jails, detention 

facilities, and other facilities to ensure compliance with Sections 223(a)(11), (12), (13), and (22) of the JJDP Act. 

7. Court services Programs to encourage courts to develop and implement a continuum of pre- and postadjudication restraints that bridge the gap between 

traditional probation and confinement in a correctional setting. Services include expanded use of probation, mediation, restitution, community service, treatment, home detention, intensive supervision, electronic monitoring, translation services and similar programs, and secure, 

community-based treatment facilities linked to other support services. 

8. Deinstitutionalization of 

status offenders 

Programs, research, or other initiatives to eliminate or prevent the placement of accused or adjudicated status offenders and nonoffenders 

in secure facilities, pursuant to Section 223(a)(11) of the JJDP Act. 

9. Delinquency prevention Programs to prevent youth at risk of becoming delinquent from entering the juvenile justice system or to intervene with first-time and 

nonserious offenders to keep them out of the juvenile justice system. This program area excludes programs targeted at youth already 

adjudicated delinquent, on probation, or in corrections, and those programs designed specifically to prevent gang-related or substance 

abuse activities undertaken as part of program areas 12 and 32. 

10. Disproportionate minority contact Programs, research, or other initiatives primarily to address the disproportionate number of juvenile members of minority groups who 

come into contact with the juvenile justice system, pursuant to Section 223(a)(22) of the JJDP Act. 

11. Diversion Programs to divert juveniles from entering the juvenile justice system. 

12. Gangs Programs, research, or other initiatives primarily to address issues related to preventing juvenile gang activity. 

13. Gender-specific services Services to address the needs of male and female offenders in the juvenile justice system. 

14. Graduated sanctions A system of sanctions that escalate in intensity with each subsequent, more serious delinquent offense. 

15. Gun programs Programs to reduce the unlawful acquisition and illegal use of guns by juveniles (excluding programs to purchase guns from juveniles). 

16. Hate crimes Programs to prevent and reduce hate crimes committed by juveniles. 

17. Jail removal Programs, research, or other initiatives to eliminate or prevent the placement of juveniles in adult jails and lockups, as defined in Section 

223(a)(13) of the JJDP Act. 

18. Job training Projects to enhance the employability of at-risk juveniles and/or first-time and nonserious juvenile offenders or to prepare them for future 

employment (e.g., job readiness training, apprenticeships, and job referrals). 

2 InFocus 
 

 

 

 

If a State, despite its good faith efforts, fails to 

demonstrate compliance with any of the core 

requirements in any year, OJJDP will reduce its 

formula grant for the subsequent fiscal year by 20 

percent for each requirement for which the State is 

noncompliant. Without a waiver from the OJJDP 

Administrator, States must agree to use 50 percent 

of their allocations for that fiscal year to achieve 

compliance. If a State is ineligible to receive a 

formula grant or chooses not to participate in the 

program, OJJDP will make its allotment, excluding 

the SAG allocation, available to a local public or 

private nonprofit agency with statewide capacity to 

carry out activities designed to bring the State into 

compliance with the core requirements. 

Award Process 

OJJDP awards formula grant funds to States on the

basis of their proportionate population younger than

age 18. Each State must use at least two-thirds of

its award funds for programs that local public and

private agencies operate and for eligible American 

Indian tribal programs. Eligible tribes must agree to

attempt to comply with the JJDP Act core requirements. Funds that the States pass through to the

tribes are proportionate to the tribal population

younger than age 18. 

States generally issue requests for proposals that

invite local governments, private nonprofit agencies,

and tribes to compete for funds to support programs

that address the priority needs identified in State

plans. States give funding priority to evidence-based

programs and activities that are likely to produce a

positive impact. Local recipients’ ability to demonstrate success in achieving the goals specified in

their applications to the State agency will determine

their eligibility for continued funding. 

Program Areas 

States may use their formula grants in 35 program 

areas that Congress has defined (see sidebar 

“Formula Grants Program Areas” below). 

Program Area Description of Program Area 

19. Juvenile justice system 

improvement 

Programs, research, and other initiatives to examine issues or improve practices, policies, or procedures on a systemwide basis 

(e.g., examining problems affecting decisions from arrest to disposition and detention to corrections). 

20. Mental health services Psychological and psychiatric evaluations and treatment, counseling services, and/or family support services for at-risk juveniles and/or 

first-time and nonserious juvenile offenders. 

21. Mentoring Programs to develop and sustain a one-to-one supportive relationship between a responsible adult age 18 or older (mentor) and an at-risk 

juvenile and/or first-time and nonserious juvenile offender (mentee). 

22. American Indian programs Programs to address juvenile justice and delinquency prevention issues for American Indians and Alaska Natives. 

23. Planning and administration Activities related to State plan development, other preawarded activities, and administration of the Formula Grants program, including 

evaluation, monitoring, and one full-time staff position pursuant to Section 222(c) of the JJDP Act and the OJJDP Formula Grant Regulation. 

24. Probation Programs to permit juvenile offenders to remain in their communities under conditions that the juvenile court prescribes. 

25. Restitution/community service Programs to hold first-time and nonserious juvenile offenders accountable for their offenses by requiring community service or repayment 

to the victim. 

26. Rural area juvenile programs Prevention, intervention, and treatment services in an area located outside a metropolitan statistical area as designated by the 

U.S. Census Bureau. 

27. School programs Education programs and/or related services to prevent truancy, suspension, and expulsion. School safety programs may include support 

for school resource officers and law-related education. 

28. Separation of juveniles from 

adult inmates 

Programs that ensure that juveniles will not be detained or confined in any institutions where they may come into contact with adult 

inmates, pursuant to Section 223(a)(12) of the JJDP Act. 

29. Serious crime Programs, research, or other initiatives to address serious and violent criminal-type behavior by youth. This program area includes 

intervention, treatment, and reintegration of serious and violent juvenile offenders. 

30. Sex offender programs Programs to support the assessment, treatment, rehabilitation, supervision, and accountability of juvenile sex offenders. 

31. State Advisory Group allocation Activities related to carrying out the State Advisory Group’s responsibilities under Section 223(a)(3) of the JJDP Act. 

32. Substance abuse Programs, research, or other initiatives to address the use and abuse of illegal and other prescription and nonprescription drugs and the 

use and abuse of alcohol among at-risk juveniles and/or nonserious juvenile offenders. 

33. Youth advocacy Projects to develop and implement advocacy activities focused on improving services for and protecting the rights of youth affected by the 

juvenile justice system. 

34. Youth (or teen) courts Juvenile justice programs in which peers play an active role in the disposition of the juvenile offender. Most communities use youth courts 

as a sentencing option for first-time offenders charged with misdemeanor or nonviolent offenses who acknowledge their guilt. The youth 

court serves as an alternative to the traditional juvenile court. 

35. Strategic community action 

planning 

Programs and activities that bring together committed community leaders and residents to identify and access existing local resources 

for the development of a multifaceted response to juvenile justice issues. 

InFocus 3 
 

Performance Measures 

OJJDP requires all recipients of its funding to collect and report data that

measure the results of funded activities. OJJDP expects grantees to use 

these data to inform their administration of grant funds and to improve 

program performance. Performance data also highlight programs that have 

been particularly effective. 

For More Information on the 

Formula Grants Program 

To learn more about the Formula Grants program, visit ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/formulagrants. 

For information about how to access the formula grant funds awarded to your State, 

or to request OJJDP-sponsored training and technical assistance, contact your State’s 

Juvenile Justice Specialist. Contact information is available on the OJJDP Web site. 

•	 Visit	ojjdp.ncjrs.gov.

•	 Click	on	“State	Contacts”	in	the	left	navigation	panel.

•	 Select	the	checkbox	next	to	“Juvenile	Justice	Specialist.”	

•	 Click	on	your	State	in	the	map	provided.

Formula Grants at Work 

Formula grant funds are preventing delinquency, reducing 

recidivism, and supporting evidence-based practices that 

help ensure the effectiveness of future programs. In 2008, 

States and territories reported data for a total of 1,775 

subgrants across more than 900 separate organizations. 

This represents more than $98 million in funded activities. 

Formula grant programs served more than 518,000 youth 

during the reporting period. Of these youth: 

•	 Seventy-seven percent completed program 

requirements. 

•	 Seventy-five percent exhibited a desired change 

in the targeted behavior (e.g., reduced antisocial 

behavior, improved school attendance, increased 

social competence). 

•	 Nine percent offended or reoffended during the 

program period. 

Of the formula grant-funded 

programs, about 40 percent 

reported implementing at 

least one evidence-based 

program. 

*NCJ~227470*

Office Of Juvenile 

Justice and 

delinquency PreventiOn 

For information about other 

OJJDP programs, go to 

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp. 

4 InFocus 

Serving Children, Families, 

and Communities 

The Office of Juvenile Justice 

and Delinquency Prevention is 

a component of the Office of 

Justice Programs, which also 

includes the Bureau of Justice 

Assistance; the Bureau of Justice 

Statistics; the Community 

Capacity Development Office; 

the National Institute of Justice; 

the Office for Victims of Crime; 

and the Office of Sex Offender 

Sentencing, Monitoring, 

Apprehending, Registering, 

and Tracking (SMART).