JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES $24 MILLION IN AWARDS TO ENFORCE UNDERAGE DRINKING LAWS

    WASHINGTON ? The Department of Justice?s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) today announced more than $24 million in awards to enforce state and local underage drinking laws nationwide. The awards are made through the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) program, which supports law enforcement, public education, and coalition building activities to address underage access to and consumption of alcohol.

    ?We need to aggressively get the message out to our youth about the dangers of underage drinking,? said Laurie O. Robinson, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs. ?We are committed to assisting state and local authorities in their efforts to enforce underage drinking laws that protect our youth.?

    The EUDL program, administered by OJP?s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), is the only federal initiative directed exclusively toward preventing underage drinking. The program is an annual initiative consisting of block grants and discretionary awards.

    Each state, territory, and the District of Columbia received $360,000 in the form of block grants. The awards support a wide range of activities, including a strong emphasis on compliance checks of retail alcohol outlets to reduce sales to minors, crackdowns on false identification, and programs to deter older youth or adults from providing alcohol to minors. OJJDP also awarded discretionary grants totaling $1.9 million to Missouri and Wyoming to prevent alcohol access and consumption by underage service personnel in the U.S. Air Force and $2 million to the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation to provide training, technical assistance, and information sharing to EUDL grantees and local agencies focusing on enforcement strategies.

    OJJDP is hosting the 11th annual National EUDL Leadership conference, ?Beyond Boundaries: Timely Trends and Technology,? in Dallas, Texas, today and Friday. More than 1,300 law enforcement personnel, state EUDL coordinators, judges, public and military officials, community members and youth are attending the conference to be informed of current trends in underage drinking prevention and enforcement. Attendees will also expand their knowledge on cutting-edge technology, evaluation, and tools to enhance Federal, state and local efforts to combat underage drinking.

    The Office of Justice Programs, headed by Acting Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has five component bureaus: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime. Additionally, OJP has two program offices: the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART).  More information can be found at https://ojp.gov.

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