Six feature articles address the ways that the Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is using its resources to address juvenile victims, those youth at risk for delinquency, and justice-involved youth.
The opening article announces and provides access to resources for communities to use in the National Child Abuse Prevention Month (April) in raising public awareness of the nature, prevalence, and harms of child abuse, as well as the services available for child victims and their families. A second article describes how OJJDP is cooperating with Rights4Girls and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges in supporting the Interactive Institute's efforts to provide judges and court officers with the training and tools they need to identify children who are being trafficked or are at risk for victimization, along with effective strategies for responding to the needs of each victim. Another feature article describes the ways in which OJJDP is interacting with State officials across the country in addressing the core protections of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevent Act, which establishes Federal standards for a minimal level of safety and treatment for justice-involved youth. The article on OJJDP's convening of the Tribal youth strategic planning meeting in Norman, OK, notes that OJJDP's Acting Administrator Eileen Garry assured meeting participants that OJJDP will continue to support Tribal efforts to find holistic and culturally based ways to prevent delinquency and provide appropriate services for justice-involved Tribal youth. Two other feature articles discuss OJJDP's support for Washington State's Smart on Juvenile Justice Launch and its support for Oakland, California's efforts in violence prevention.