Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and MacArthur Foundation Announce $2 Million in Funding for Juvenile Justice Programs

In September, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the MacArthur Foundation announced they would provide $2 million in funding to advance juvenile justice reform, under a renewed private-public partnership. To four organizations, two years of funding at $125,000 per year will be awarded to support innovative reforms in treatment and services for youth through project oversight and technical assistance in four areas: disproportionate minority contact reduction, risk assessment and behavioral health screening, mental health training for juvenile justice, and dual status youth technical assistance.

The four selected organizations and their projects are listed here:

• The Center for Children’s Law and Policy will select two jurisdictions to be part of their efforts of reducing disproportionate minority contact. They will use a collaborative, data-driven approach to improving equity and enhancing outcomes for youth of color who come into contact with the juvenile justice system.
• The National Youth Screening & Assessment Project at the University of Massachusetts Medical School will select probation sites in two states that will use evidence-based tools for effective case planning to achieve reductions in out-of home placements and delinquency.
• The Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Collaborative for Change at the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice will be providing comprehensive adolescent development and mental health training to juvenile correctional and detention staff at six sites. The goals of the training are to improve staff knowledge, understanding, and ability to respond to youth with mental health needs.
• The Robert F. Kennedy National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice will select four jurisdictions that will receive consultation with designing and implementing multi-system responses to improve outcomes for youth involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice system.

To learn more and to read the announcement, click here.