Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Encyclopedia
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (or OJJDP) is an office of the United States Department of Justice
and a component of the Office of Justice Programs
.
OJJDP sponsors research, program, and training initiatives; develops priorities and goals and sets policies to guide federal juvenile justice issues. OJJDP also disseminates information about juvenile justice issues and awards funds to states to support local programming nationwide through the office's five organizational components.
The office cooperates with other federal agencies on special projects. For example, it formed the National Gang Center
along with the Office of Justice Programs
(OJP) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance
(BJA). The OJJDP has the National Youth Gang Center linked through the National Gang Center.
The office is headed by an administrator
, J. Robert Flores, since April 2002.
. 10 grants were awarded. The organization, Best Friends Foundation, run by founder and president, Elayne Bennett, wife of William Bennett
, ranked 51st out of 104 applications, was awarded $1.1 million over a three year period. The organization promotes self-respect, abstinence and rejection of illegal drug and alcohol use.
Similarly, The World Golf Association, with George H. W. Bush
speaking at one of that group's functions, was awarded grant money because it was the highest ranked applicant with sports as their primary function. Of the 104 applicants, only one other applicant had a sports bid. A one-year grant of $500,000 was awarded for the organization's "First Tee" program. The World Golf Association was ranked 47th among all the bids.
Henry Waxman
(D-CA) sitting on the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform leads the congressional investigation into wrongdoing.
Brian Ross of ABC News
reported on the investigation on World News Now
, June 10, 2008.
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
and a component of the Office of Justice Programs
Office of Justice Programs
The Office of Justice Programs is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that focuses on crime prevention through research and development, assistance to state and local law enforcement and criminal justice agencies through grants, and assistance to crime victims.The major bureaus...
.
OJJDP sponsors research, program, and training initiatives; develops priorities and goals and sets policies to guide federal juvenile justice issues. OJJDP also disseminates information about juvenile justice issues and awards funds to states to support local programming nationwide through the office's five organizational components.
The office cooperates with other federal agencies on special projects. For example, it formed the National Gang Center
National Gang Center
The National Gang Center is a coordinated project of three federal agencies, the Office of Justice Programs , Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention...
along with the Office of Justice Programs
Office of Justice Programs
The Office of Justice Programs is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that focuses on crime prevention through research and development, assistance to state and local law enforcement and criminal justice agencies through grants, and assistance to crime victims.The major bureaus...
(OJP) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance
Bureau of Justice Assistance
The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, within the United States Department of Justice.On Monday, December 13, 2010, President Barack Obama sent to the U.S. Senate the nomination of Denise Ellen O'Donnell, of New York, to be the Director of the Bureau, in...
(BJA). The OJJDP has the National Youth Gang Center linked through the National Gang Center.
The office is headed by an administrator
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
, J. Robert Flores, since April 2002.
Controversy
As of May 2008, Flores and the OJJDP were under congressional investigation for how $8.6 million was awarded to programs combating juvenile delinquency. The controversy involves money granted to programs with ties to George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. 10 grants were awarded. The organization, Best Friends Foundation, run by founder and president, Elayne Bennett, wife of William Bennett
William Bennett
William John "Bill" Bennett is an American conservative pundit, politician, and political theorist. He served as United States Secretary of Education from 1985 to 1988. He also held the post of Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under George H. W...
, ranked 51st out of 104 applications, was awarded $1.1 million over a three year period. The organization promotes self-respect, abstinence and rejection of illegal drug and alcohol use.
Similarly, The World Golf Association, with George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
speaking at one of that group's functions, was awarded grant money because it was the highest ranked applicant with sports as their primary function. Of the 104 applicants, only one other applicant had a sports bid. A one-year grant of $500,000 was awarded for the organization's "First Tee" program. The World Golf Association was ranked 47th among all the bids.
Henry Waxman
Henry Waxman
Henry Arnold Waxman is the U.S. Representative for , serving in Congress since 1975. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is considered to be one of the most influential liberal members of Congress...
(D-CA) sitting on the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform leads the congressional investigation into wrongdoing.
Brian Ross of ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
reported on the investigation on World News Now
World News Now
World News Now is an American overnight news program broadcast on American Broadcasting Company's television network. Its tone is often lighthearted, irreverent and humorous...
, June 10, 2008.
See also
- Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention ActJuvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention ActThe Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 is a United States federal law providing funds to states that follow a series of federal protections, known as the "core protections," on the care and treatment of youth in the justice system...
- Neglected or Delinquent Technical Assistance Center (NDTAC)Neglected or Delinquent Technical Assistance Center (NDTAC)The National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent or At Risk is the result of a contract between the U.S.Department of Education and the American Institutes for Research , a nonprofit research organization that performs...