Juvenile Accountability Block Grants Program: 2004 Report to Congress

• NCJ Number: 208362
• Date Published: August 2005
• Length: 43 pages
• Publication Series: OJJDP Juvenile Accountability Block Grants Series
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation

Annotation

This report reviews the 2003 through 2004 performance of the Juvenile Accountability Block Grants (JABG) program offered through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).

Abstract

Data from the 6-month reporting period between October 2003 and March 2004 indicate that the JABG is meeting its stated goals. First round performance measurement data on JABG-funded programs suggest that local juvenile justice systems are saving an average of $3,050 per client through JABG-funded accountability services or programming and are reducing the time from offense to sanction by an average of 5 hours. Other findings show that grantees spend the majority of their funds on two JABG purpose areas: (1) establishing and maintaining juvenile accountability programs, and (2) improving the efficiency of juvenile courts and probation services. The JABG was revised and reauthorized by Congress in 2002 as a grant program supporting innovative juvenile justice programs that strive to reduce offending through accountability-based initiatives, including the use of graduated sanctions that are proportionate to the severity of the offense. This report presents the first performance evaluation of the reauthorized JABG program, which expanded the number and scope of program areas from 12 to 16 and refined the programs monitoring and reporting requirements. Data on the JABG program were collected in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB’S) performance measurement requirements. OJJDP developed 289 performance indicators for the JABG program, which were grouped by purpose area and type of performance measurement. Data were received from 42 JABG grantees and contain information for approximately 1,608 subgrantees. In addition to the presentation of evaluation data, this report offers information on the types of programs that have been developed using JABG funds, as well as how developing these accountability-based programs have impacted State and local juvenile justice infrastructures and practices. The report also details the training and technical assistance available through the OJJDP to help local authorities develop more effective juvenile programming. Tables, figures, bibliography