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 

Juvenile Accountability 

Block Grants Program 

Holding youth accountable for their

delinquent behavior is a cornerstone of the 

national response to juvenile delinquency.

By consistently applying sanctions that are 

appropriate to the developmental stage of 

the offender and the severity of the offense,

juvenile justice systems strive to foster individual responsibility while protecting public 

safety and enhancing the quality of life. 

Since 1998, the Office of Juvenile Justice 

and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has 

helped States and communities implement 

accountability-based programs through 

the Juvenile Accountability Block Grants 

( JABG) program. The JABG program 

awards Federal block grants to the 50 States,

the District of Columbia, and the 5 U.S. 

territories (Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin 

Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 

Northern Mariana Islands). OJJDP also 

provides training and technical assistance to 

help States and communities develop, operate, and measure the effectiveness of their 

accountability programs. 

As Congress envisioned it, the goal of the

JABG program is to reduce juvenile offending

through accountability-based programs that

are targeted to both offenders and the juvenile 

justice system. Accountability means holding

a juvenile who has violated the law responsible

for this behavior by imposing consequences

commensurate with the seriousness of the 

offense and the youth’s prior criminal history.These sanctions can include restitution,

community service, victim-offender mediation, intensive supervision, house arrest, or 

confinement. At the same time, JABG funds, 

training, and technical assistance enhance

the ability of State and local juvenile justice

systems to establish and maintain intervention 

and treatment programs, track offenders in the 

juvenile justice system, and process cases in a

timely manner. 

The JABG program is based on research 

studies on youth and juvenile offenders that 

have demonstrated that applying consequences or sanctions swiftly, consistently, and 

in a graduated manner works best in preventing, controlling, and reducing the likelihood 

of subsequent violations (Griffin, 1999). Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

What is the 

JABG program? 

OJJDP’s JABG program helps 

States and communities develop 

and implement programs that: 

•	 Hold	youth	accountable	for	

delinquent	behavior	through	

the	imposition	of	graduated	

sanctions that are consistent 

with	the	severity	of	the	offense.

•	 Strengthen	the	juvenile	justice	

system’s	capacity	to	process	

cases	efficiently	and	work	

with	community	partners	to	

keep	youth	from	reoffending.

Learn more at 

ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/jabg. 

october 2009 

Jeff Slowikowski, Acting Administrator Jeff Slowikowski, Acting Administrator 
 

l Ninety percent of youth leaving the program 

 successfully completed program requirements. 

l Ninety percent of participating youth who had a goal 


 of finding employment were placed in jobs.
 

l All of the participating youth appeared in court as 

 scheduled and did not interfere with the court process. 

l Participating youth completed 175 hours of service to 

 the community. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Authorizing Legislation
 

The House of Representatives passed the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants ( JAIBG) Act

in 1997 under Title III of H.R. 3, the Juvenile Crime Control Act of 1997. Congress first funded the 

program through an appropriations act in fiscal year (FY) 1998 (Public Law 105–119, 111 Stat. 2440).

OJJDP is the administering agency. Section 12102 of the 21st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–273, 116 Stat. 1758), codified at 42 U.S.C.

3796ee, included provisions to change the name of the JAIBG program to the Juvenile Accountability Block Grants program, expand the number and scope of the purpose areas, refine the program’s reporting and monitoring requirements, and include funding of the program as part of Title

I (Part R, Chapter 46, Subchapter XII–F) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act. 

Eligibility 

The Governor or other chief executive officer of each State designates a single State agency to 

receive, manage, and administer JABG funds.1 To be eligible for JABG funds, the State must

annually submit to the OJJDP Administrator an application that describes the proposed activities 

and the criteria by which the effectiveness of the activities in achieving the stated goals will be 

assessed. Units of local government, including American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribal

entities, are eligible to receive an allocation as subgrants by States. 

In addition to being eligible for JABG funds as units of local government, AI/AN tribes, as defined 

by Section 102 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 479a), or a

consortium of such tribes, are eligible for JABG funding through OJJDP’s Tribal Juvenile Accountability Discretionary Grants program. OJJDP awards these grants on a competitive basis. 

States and subgrantees can spend their JABG funds on programs in 17 distinct purpose areas defined

by Congress (see sidebar “Juvenile Accountability Block Grants Program Purpose Areas”). The purpose

areas encompass four types of activities: hiring staff, training staff, building infrastructure (expanding or 

1

The	term	“State”	means	any	State	of	the	United	States,	the	District	of	Columbia,	and	the	five	territories.

continued on p. 4 

JABG Funds at Work 

l Only 12.5 percent of participating youth reoffended 

while in the program. 

Alternatives to Detention (Maine)	 

The Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program in Portland, 


ME, was created to address overcrowding in the detention 

unit at Long Creek Youth Development Center. ATD provides supervision for youth in the community so they can 

be released from detention while awaiting their appearance 

in court. Services include an afternoon-evening reporting 

center and intensive case management. A system of graduated sanctions and rewards provides incentives and fosters 

support in the community that will remain in place after 

youth are discharged from the program. The program’s impact is illustrated by the following data covering the period 

April 2007–March 2008: 

Juvenile Accountability Conferences 

(North Dakota)

Juvenile accountability conferences provide the opportunity for an offender, victim, and key supporters of both 

to come together with a trained facilitator to discuss the

2 InFocus 
 

 

 

Juvenile Accountability Block Grants Program Purpose Areas 

Purpose Area Description of Purpose Area 

1. Graduated sanctions Developing, implementing, and administering graduated sanctions for juvenile offenders. 

2. Corrections/detention facilities Building, expanding, renovating, or operating temporary or permanent juvenile corrections or detention facilities, 

including training of personnel. 

3. Court staffing and pretrial 

services 

Hiring juvenile court judges, probation officers, and court-appointed defenders and special advocates, and funding 

pretrial services (including mental health screening and assessment) for juvenile offenders, to promote the effective 

and expeditious administration of the juvenile justice system. 

4. Prosecutors (staffing) Hiring additional prosecutors to prosecute more cases involving violent juvenile offenders and thereby reduce backlogs. 

5. Prosecutors (funding) Providing funding to enable prosecutors to address drug, gang, and youth violence problems more effectively and 

for technology, equipment, and training to help prosecutors identify and expedite the prosecution of violent juvenile 

offenders.. 

6. Training for law enforcement 

and court personnel 

Establishing and maintaining training programs to help law enforcement and other court personnel prevent and 

control juvenile crime. 

7. Juvenile gun courts Establishing juvenile gun courts for the prosecution and adjudication of juvenile firearms offenders. 

8. Juvenile drug courts Establishing drug court programs to provide continuing judicial supervision of juvenile offenders with substance 

abuse problems and to integrate the administration of other sanctions and services for such offenders. 

9. Juvenile records systems Establishing and maintaining a system of juvenile records designed to promote public safety. 

10. Information sharing Establishing and maintaining interagency information-sharing programs that enable the juvenile and criminal justice 

systems, schools, and social service agencies to make more informed decisions regarding the early identification, 

control, supervision, and treatment of juveniles who repeatedly commit serious delinquent or criminal acts.. 

11. Accountability Establishing and maintaining accountability-based programs designed to reduce recidivism among juveniles 

who are referred by law enforcement personnel or agencies. 

12. Risk and needs assessment Establishing and maintaining programs to conduct risk and needs assessments of juvenile offenders that 

facilitate effective early interventions and the provision of comprehensive services, including mental health 

screening and treatment and substance abuse testing and treatment. 

13. School safety Establishing and maintaining accountability-based programs designed to make schools safe. 

14. Restorative justice Establishing and maintaining restorative justice programs. 

15. Juvenile courts and probation Establishing and maintaining programs to enable juvenile courts and juvenile probation officers to more 

effectively and efficiently hold juvenile offenders accountable and reduce recidivism. 

16. Corrections/detention personnel Hiring detention and corrections personnel and establishing and maintaining training programs for them to 

improve facility practices and programming. 

17. Reentry Establishing, improving, and coordinating prerelease and postrelease systems and programs to facilitate the 

successful reentry of juvenile offenders from State or local custody in the community. 

impact of the crime and how to repair the harm caused. As 

part of its restorative justice program, North Dakota’s Juvenile Court has used juvenile accountability conferences 

statewide as an intervention for misdemeanor offenders 

and property offenders at all levels. 

The conferences have had a significant impact on the 

individuals involved and increased system responsiveness by addressing reparation and accountability for 

the offenders while addressing concerns of the victims and communities. The most recent performance 

measurement data for the court attest to the program’s 

success; 90 percent of juveniles who took part in a juvenile accountability conference did not reoffend in the 

6-month period following completion of the program. 

InFocus 3 
 

Office Of Juvenile 

Justice and 

delinquency PreventiOn 

Serving Children, Families, 

and Communities 

renovating the physical plant or developing information-sharing mechanisms such

as partnerships), and implementing direct 

service programs (e.g., specialty courts, restorative justice programs, programs that use 

graduated sanctions, and assessment services). 

Award Process 

Of its total allocation, a State may retain 

up to 25 percent at the State level absent

a waiver. A State may request a waiver if it

can demonstrate that it bears the primary 

financial burden (more than 25 percent) for

the administration of juvenile justice within 

that State. Unless a State receives a waiver 

from the OJJDP Administrator, it must 

distribute not less than 75 percent of its allocation among units of local government. A 

unit of local government must qualify for a 

minimum of $10,000 under the substate allocation formula to receive a subgrant award.

This calculation is based on a formula that 

combines local law enforcement expenditures 

and the number of juvenile violent crime arrests for each jurisdiction. 

Federal funds may not exceed 90 percent 

of total program costs, including any funds 

that a State or unit of local government sets 

aside for program administration. However,

when a State uses JABG funds to construct 

a permanent juvenile facility, it must provide

a cash match of at least 50 percent of total

program costs. 

Performance 

Measures 

Since FY 2004, OJJDP has required all

grantees to submit annual performance data.

OJJDP provides a menu of approximately 300 

performance indicators from which grantees 

can select, depending on the type of program

they operate. In addition, OJJDP has developed a list of core measures that it applies to 

all juvenile justice programs. 

OJJDP expects recipients/grantees to use

these data to inform their administration 

of JABG funds and to improve program

performance. Performance data also highlight

programs that have been particularly effective,

providing a valuable model for other accountability initiatives. The sidebar “JABG Funds at 

Work” describes two JABG-funded programs

that are holding youth accountable in ways 

that reduce the risk of reoffending, strengthen 

the juvenile justice system, and improve the

quality of life for communities. These programs are just two examples of the success of 

JABG-funded initiatives nationwide. 

Reference 

Griffin, P. 1999. Developing and Administering Accountability-Based Sanctions for Juveniles. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of

Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 

continued from p. 2 

For More Information on the JABG Program 

To	learn	more	about	OJJDP’s	JABG	program,	visit	ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/jabg.	For	information	

about	how	to	access	JABG	funds	that	have	been	awarded	to	your	State,	or	to	request	

OJJDP-sponsored	training	and	technical	assistance,	contact	your	State’s	Juvenile	Justice	

Specialist	or	JABG	Coordinator.	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” or “JABG	Coordinator.”

•	 Click	on	your	State	in	the	map	provided.

Also	available	on	OJJDP’s	Web	site	is	the	Juvenile	Accountability	Block	Grants	Program

Guidance	Manual,	which	is	designed	to	help	States	apply	for,	receive,	obligate,	and

expend	funds	provided	under	the	JABG	program.	The	manual	can	be	accessed	at	

ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/jabg/files/2007_jabg_guidance_manual.pdf.

For information about other 

OJJDP programs, go to 

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp. 

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). 

*NCJ~226357* 4 InFocus