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

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

What is the Community 

Prevention Grants 

program? 

OJJDP’s Community Prevention 

Grants program funds collaborative, community-based delinquency 

prevention efforts. The program integrates six fundamental principles: 

•	 Comprehensive	and	multidisciplinary approaches. 

•	 Research-	and	evidencebased strategies. 

•	 Community	control	and	

decisionmaking. 

•	 Leveraging	of	existing	

resources and systems. 

•	 Evaluation	to	monitor	the	

program’s progress and 

effectiveness. 

•	 A	long-term	perspective. 

Learn more at 

ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/cpg. 

Jeff Slowikowski, Acting Administrator Jeff Slowikowski, Acting Administrator 

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Justice Programs 

october 2009 october 2009 

Community Prevention Grants 

Program 

Since 1994, the Office of Juvenile Justice 

and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP’s)

Community Prevention Grants program has

helped communities develop a comprehensive,

research-based approach to delinquency prevention.The goal is to improve outcomes for

youth by reducing risk factors and enhancing 

protective factors in schools, communities,

and families. 

Extensive research has shown that risk 

factors are associated with the likelihood that 

a youth will engage in delinquent behavior,

and protective factors help prevent or reduce

that likelihood.The Community Prevention 

Grants program provides funds that enable

communities to address these factors in a locally suitable and sustainable manner. 

The program encourages local leaders to initiate multidisciplinary needs assessments of the 

risks and resources in their communities and 

develop locally relevant prevention plans that 

simultaneously draw on community resources,

address local gaps in services, and employ 

evidence-based or theory-driven strategies. 

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 Title 

V Incentive Grants for Local Delinquency

Prevention Programs, which include the

Community Prevention Grants program. 

Eligibility 

To be eligible to receive a grant, the Governor or other chief executive officer of each 

State must designate a single State agency

(usually the agency that administers OJJDP’s 

Formula Grants program) to receive, manage, and administer the funds.1 

 The State 

must also have a properly constituted State 

Advisory Group (SAG), as specified in the

JJDP Act of 2002. 

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).
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Award Process 

In most years, OJJDP allocates funds to qualifying States

on the basis of their proportionate population younger

than age 18. As a result of decreased congressional allocations for the Community Prevention Grants program

over recent years, in lieu of the above formula, OJJDP

has distributed an equal amount to all States (less for 

the territories). 

States, in turn, award funds to qualified units of local 

government through a competitive process. States may

fund each local program in 12-month increments for up to 

3 years. Funds are granted in 19 program areas (see sidebar

“Community Prevention Grants Program Areas”)

to support local programs to keep at-risk youth

and nonserious juvenile offenders from entering 

the juvenile justice system. 

To be eligible to apply for a subgrant from the

State, a unit of local government must receive SAG 

certification of compliance with the JJDP Act’s core 

requirements; convene or designate a local Prevention Policy Board,2 submit a 3-year, comprehensive 

community delinquency prevention plan; and provide 

a 50-percent match (cash or in-kind) for the award, if

the State does not provide the match. 

2

Prevention Policy Boards are community planning bodies that 

involve coalitions of youth-serving agencies and organizations, 

parents, youth, and faith-based institutions in the development 

and implementation of local prevention programs. 

InFocus 

States give priority in funding to local applicants who 

demonstrate the ability to develop data-driven prevention plans and employ evidence-based strategies.

OJJDP has developed the Model Programs Guide, a 

searchable Web site containing information on the full 

range of evidence-based juvenile justice programs. 

continued on p. 4 

Community Prevention 


Grants at Work 


Working Together To Combat 


Truancy (Kentucky) 


With assistance from Community Prevention Grants program funding, 

community agencies, schools, and the family court in Fayette County, 

KY, are partnering to improve school attendance among middle and high 

school students. One community organization that has made a significant 

difference	is	the	Truancy	Assessment	Center	(TAC),	established	in	2006.

The	center,	which	targets	youth	ages	12–17,	has	assessed	and	provided

services	to	118	youth	and	112	families	experiencing	problems	with	school

attendance.	TAC	completes	a	holistic,	comprehensive	assessment	of	the

family’s strengths, needs, and issues affecting school attendance and 

refers the family to the most appropriate community partner for services. 2 
 

Community Prevention Grants Program Areas 

Program Area Description of Program Area 

3. Child abuse and neglect Programs that provide treatment to juvenile victims of child abuse or neglect and their families to reduce the likelihood that such 

at-risk youth will commit 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. 

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, in corrections, and programs undertaken as part of program areas 12 and 32 of the Formula Grants 

program that are designed specifically to prevent gang-related or substance abuse activities. 

10. Disproportionate 

minority contact 

Delinquency prevention programs primarily to address the disproportionate number of minority juveniles who come into contact with the 

juvenile justice system, pursuant to Section 223(a)(22) of the JJDP Act of 2002. 

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

12. Gangs Programs 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. 

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 hate crimes committed by juveniles. 

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

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

19. Juvenile system 

improvement 

Programs, research, and other initiatives to examine issues related to the juvenile justice system or to improve existing juvenile justice 

information-sharing systems. 

20. Mental health services Psychological and psychiatric evaluations and treatment, counseling services, and family support services for at-risk juveniles and firsttime 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 atrisk juvenile and/or first-time and nonserious juvenile offender (mentee). 

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

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 services in an area located outside a metropolitan statistical area as designated by the U.S. Bureau of the Census. 

27. School programs Educational 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. 

32. Substance abuse Programs to prevent and treat the use and abuse of illegal and other prescription and nonprescription drugs and the use and abuse of 

alcohol among at-risk juveniles and nonserious juvenile offenders. 

34. Youth (or teen) courts Juvenile justice programs in which peers play an active role in the disposition of first-time and nonserious juvenile offenders. Most communities use youth courts as a sentencing option for first-time offenders charged with misdemeanor or nonserious, nonviolent offenses 

who acknowledge their guilt. The youth court serves as an alternative to the traditional juvenile court. 

Note: Community Prevention Grants program areas are a subset of the 35 Formula Grant program areas. 

Their numbering reflects the numbers assigned to the Formula Grant program areas. 

Referrals	come	directly	from	the	Fayette	County	Public	Schools

(FCPS)	and	family	court.	Any	youth	who	has	accumulated	three	or

more unexcused absences and is not receiving services from any 

other program is eligible for services. 

In	2007,	the	Fayette	County	family	court	ordered	FCPS	to	file	a

petition	on	every	youth	with	12	or	more	unexcused	absences	so

they could come directly to court for supervision by the judge. 

That	year,	FCPS	filed	855	petitions—an	increase	of	more	than	400

from	the	previous	year—and	the	family	court	processed	629	cases.

Starting	in	2007,	staff	from	each	of	Fayette	County’s	middle,	high,

and alternative schools are in court on certain days. Youth’s cases 

are reviewed on the day staff from their school will be present. 

Having school staff present in court increases accountability for 

both	the	youth	and	the	school.	TAC	staff	and	other	community

partners share information and resources available for each case. 

In	addition,	TAC	staff,	the	judge,	and	other	community	partners

make a presentation at least once a year in all county middle and 

high schools to inform parents and youth about available resources, truancy laws, and the policies regarding and consequences of 

noncompliance. This new approach is an important tool in 

deterring truancy. 

Data indicate that the family court’s supervision of truant youth 

is highly effective. Partners reviewed all the youth who were 

seen	by	the	family	court	judge	on	March	5	and	12,	2007,	a	total

of	37	cases.	The	average	number	of	unexcused	absences	the

youth had before seeing the judge was 35; the average after 

seeing	the	judge	was	9.	The	University	of	Kentucky	College

of Social Work evaluated this information and found these 

numbers to be statistically significant. 

InFocus 3 
 

Communities can use the database to identify

evidence-based prevention programs that will fit 

their needs and enhance their likelihood for success. (To access the Model Programs Guide, go to

ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/programs/mpg.html.) 

Performance Measures 

In 2004, OJJDP introduced a series of performance measures to better determine how well local prevention programs were meeting their goals.

OJJDP disseminates a set of quantitative performance indicators to the States and directs them 

to collect data from their local subgrantees and to 

report annually on the outputs and outcomes of 

their prevention efforts. OJJDP expects grantees 

to use this feedback to adjust their administration of Federal funds and to improve program 

performance. Performance data also highlight 

programs that have been particularly effective.

The sidebar “Community Prevention Grants at 

Work” describes one local program that has made 

significant progress in addressing the problem of 

truancy. This is just one example of the success 

of OJJDP’s community prevention initiatives 

nationwide. 

Training and Technical 

Assistance 

OJJDP offers a three-part training series to help

grantees write successful 3-year delinquency prevention plans. The training includes: community 

team orientation, which brings together key local 

leaders and provides an overview of the Community Prevention Grants program; community data 

collection and analysis training; and community 

program development training, which shows 

participants how to use data to develop delinquency prevention plans and how to select appropriate 

strategies using the Model Programs Guide. 

The Office also provides specialized training 

in performance measurement and evaluation,

evidence-based practices, and sustainability. 

For More Information on the 

Community Prevention Grants Program 

To learn more about OJJDP’s Community Prevention Grants program, visit ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/cpg. 

For information about how to access Community Prevention Grants program 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 Community Prevention Grants Program 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	“State	Community	Prevention	

Grants Program Coordinator.” 

•	 Click	on	your	State	in	the	map	provided.

continued from p. 2 

*NCJ~227345*

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).