Juvenile Justice: Technical Assistance and Better Defined Evaluation Plans Will Help Girls' Delinquency Programs

• NCJ Number: 228539
• Author(s): Eileen R. Larence
• Date Published: October 2009
• Length: 11 pages
• Sale Source: Azimuth Inc.
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Technical Assistance
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded October 22, 2009

Annotation

Eileen R. Larence, Director of Homeland Security and Justice, testifies before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security (October 20, 2009) regarding technical assistance and improved evaluation plans that will upgrade girls' delinquency programs.

Abstract

This testimony is based on the July report of the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) as well as selected updates made in October 2009. With an overall goal of developing research that communities need to make sound decisions about how best to prevent and reduce girls' delinquency, OJJDP established the Girls Study Group in 2004 under a cooperative agreement with a research institute. The group's objectives include the identification of effective or promising programs, program elements, and implementation principles. Objectives also include developing program models that inform communities of what works in preventing or reducing girls' delinquency, identifying gaps in girls' delinquency research, developing recommendations for future research, and disseminating findings to the girls' delinquency field about effective or promising programs. The Study Group, which was convened by the research institute and approved by OJJDP, includes 12 academic researchers and 2 practitioners experienced in implementing girls' delinquency programs. Two other practitioners are involved in the group's activities. In response to the Study Group's finding that girls' delinquency programs need to be better prepared for evaluation, OJJDP will provide a technical assistance workshop by the end of October 2009, in order to address this need. OJJDP plans to issue a solicitation in fiscal year 2010 for funding in support of evaluations of girls' delinquency programs. Further, OJJDP is developing a plan that will provide leadership to the girls' delinquency field by clearly specifying actions OJJDP intends to take in meeting its goals; such a plan will also help OJJDP to ensure its goals are met. 16 notes