Overview
OJJDP's Tribal Youth Programs and Services helps tribal communities prevent victimization and juvenile delinquency, reduce violent crime, and improve tribal juvenile justice systems.
Tribal ConsultationOn June 25, 2020, OJJDP held a Tribal Consultation webinar. Tribal leaders and representatives from across the country attended and provided input on how OJJDP can collaborate with tribal communities to implement applicable provisions of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act (JJRA). During the consultation, OJJDP also sought feedback from tribes on how to increase their access to juvenile justice funding and improve coordination with tribal communities. The Tribal Consultation framing paper includes specific questions posed by OJJDP for input. OJJDP will accept written comments at [email protected] for 60 days after the virtual consultation. OJJDP has extended the written comment period until November 6, 2020. Please submit comments at [email protected]. Learn more about the Tribal Consultation:
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Programs and Funding
Between fiscal years 2017 and 2019, OJJDP awarded nearly $27 million to help improve outcomes for tribal youth.
- Fiscal Year 2019 -- $6.6 million
- Fiscal Year 2018 -- $7.2 million
- Fiscal Year 2017 -- $13 million
The Office participates in the Justice Department’s Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, which allows any of the 574 federally recognized tribes to submit a single application for most of the Department’s tribal grant programs. OJJDP supports two purpose areas within the solicitation—the Tribal Youth Program and Tribal Juvenile Healing to Wellness Courts. OJJDP also encourages tribes to apply for other funding opportunities to support their work in the areas of child protection, delinquency prevention, and juvenile justice system enhancement. The Office recently participated in a series of workshops to provide rural and tribal communities with guidance to increase their access to federal grants.
To bolster the grantees’ efforts, the Tribal Youth Resource Center and the Alaska Native Youth Training and Technical Assistance Project offer comprehensive, culturally relevant support to all tribes and to rural Alaska Native communities, respectively. The Office also funds research and convenes tribal consultations and youth summits to help promote the success and well-being of tribal youth.
Programs
Tribal Youth Program
Grants awarded through this program help tribes improve their juvenile justice systems and support prevention, intervention, and treatment approaches that benefit youth. OJJDP designed the funding to be flexible to accommodate the unique needs of each tribe since tribes’ cultures, needs, and capacities vary widely.
Tribal Juvenile Healing to Wellness Courts Program
These grants help participating courts develop or strengthen policies, procedures, and services that address underage drinking and substance use. Tribal juvenile healing to wellness courts often combine judicial intervention with tribal values, such as spirituality and connection to the family and community, to treat youth.
For more details on OJJDP funding and programs to support American Indian and Alaska Native communities, access the Tribal Youth Initiatives fact sheet.
Training and Technical Assistance
Training and technical assistance (TTA) is available through several sources:
The OJJDP Tribal Youth Resource Center provides federally recognized tribes with assistance through a variety of approaches including consultation through e-mails, telephone calls, and site visits as well as peer-to-peer dialogue and training, including teleconferences and Web-based discussions. Topics addressed include:
- capacity building
- culturally based approaches to prevention and intervention
- program implementation
- evaluation
- enhancement of tribal court systems
- strategic planning
- sustainability
- youth issues, including gangs and youth leadership
- community readiness assessments
- cultural adaptation to evidence based programs and practices
- trauma-informed care
The Tribal Law and Policy Institute, along with their partner the National Native Children's Trauma Center provides TTA to OJJDP tribal grantees and all federally recognized tribes to increase tribal communities' skills and knowledge about programs and strategies, building capacity to develop effective and sustainable programs for reducing juvenile crime and increasing youth potential in tribal communities.
Through the Alaska Native Youth Training and Technical Assistance Project (FY12–FY20), The Resource Basket, a program of the Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc., provides TTA to OJJDP tribal grantees in Alaska. The mission of The Resource Basket is to help rural communities support healthy, successful and culturally connected Alaska Native youth.
Training and technical assistance is also available for OJJDP funded grantees to support them in selecting and using performance measures and reporting performance measurement data.
Further information on how to access assistance is available on the Performance Measures webpage.
Contacts
OJJDP Contacts
Kara McDonagh
Program Manager
Programmatic, Training and Technical Assistance Contact
202-305-1456
[email protected]
Carmen Santiago-Roberts
Program Manager
Programmatic, Training and Technical Assistance Contact
202-514-9352
[email protected]
Geroma Void
Program Manager
Programmatic Contact
202-305-1790
[email protected]
Heather McDonald
Program Manager
Programmatic Contact
202-307-1619
[email protected]
Training and Technical Assistance Contacts
The Resource Basket
Rural Alaska Community Action Program (RurAL CAP)
800-478-7227
907-278-2309 (fax)
http://resourcebasket.org/
The Tribal Youth Resource Center
Tribal Law and Policy Institute (TLPI)
323-650-5467
323-650-8149 (fax)
https://www.home.tlpi.org
Resources
OJJDP Publications
AMBER Alert in Indian Country: Protecting Children in Tribal Communities
OJJDP-Sponsored, February 2020. This information sheet briefly describes the AMBER Alert training and technical assistance resources designed specifically for an effective response to cases of missing children in Indian Country. 1 page. NCJ 253539.
Abstract | PDF
Breaking the Ice: Creating a Dialogue With Youth
OJJDP-Sponsored, October 2017. This sheet provides tribal communities with ideas on how to educate youth about tough situations. 2 pages. NCJ 251735.
Abstract | PDF
Build the Skills To Support Tribal Youth
OJJDP-Sponsored, November 2016. This brief provides summaries of and how to access three role-play simulations designed to prepare adults to guide conversations with tribal youth that will foster their positive development. NCJ 252025. 1 page.
Abstract | PDF
Child Protection FAQ and Guide for Tribal Communities
OJJDP-Sponsored, October 2017. This guide provides tribal communities with an understanding of expectations, steps for an initial response, and frequently asked questions for when a child goes missing. 3 pages. NCJ 251733.
Abstract | PDF
Connect & Thrive: Maintaining Tribal Youth Connections During a Public Health Crisis
OJJDP-Sponsored, April 2020. This flier from the Tribal Youth Resource Center provides tips for maintaining tribal youth connections during a public health crisis. 4 pages. NCJ 254702.
PDF
The First Three Hours
OJJDP-Sponsored, October 2017. This information sheet provides tribal communities tips on how to be prepared as a parent or guardian when a child goes missing. The first three hours are the most crucial window of time for an initial response and gather available resources about a child. 2 pages. NCJ 251734.
Abstract | PDF
In Focus: Mentoring Youth
OJJDP Produced, April 2020. This fact sheet reports on OJJDP funding and technical assistance for youth mentoring programs, which provide participating youth a relationship with a caring adult who can provide the mentee guidance and support. 1 page. NCJ 253045.
PDF
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act Reauthorization 2018
OJJDP Produced, December 2018. This report presents the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-415; 88 Stat. 1109) as amended by Public Law 115-385, enacted December 21, 2018. NCJ 254286.
Abstract | PDF
Juvenile Justice Reform Act Tribal Provisions Fact Sheet
OJJDP-Sponsored, July 2019. This fact sheet outlines the special provisions that support tribal youth in the Juvenile Justice Reform Act (JJRA) of 2018, which became effective in fiscal year 2020. 1 page. NCJ 254703.
Abstract | PDF
Key Amendments to the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act Made by the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018
OJJDP Produced, June 2019. This fact sheet describes the major components of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act (JJRA) of 2018, with attention to key amendments it makes to the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 1974. 4 pages. NCJ 252961.
Abstract | PDF
Mentoring for Preventing and Reducing Substance Abuse and Associated Risks Among Youth
OJJDP-Sponsored, January 2020. This review examined research on youth mentoring as a strategy for preventing and reducing adolescent substance use, including opioids. 35 pages. NCJ 254503.
PDF | HTML
Model Programs Guide Literature Review: Tribal Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
OJJDP-Sponsored, April 2016. This literature review cites research on tribal youth in the juvenile justice system and details protective factors that can contribute to resiliency and reducing negative outcomes and behaviors. 10 pages. NCJ 249809.
PDF
OJJDP News @ a Glance, November/December 2019
OJJDP Produced. This newsletter features November: Native American Heritage Month, which provides examples of OJJDP's work to support American Indians and Alaska Natives nations around the country. 20 pages. NCJ 254270.
Abstract | HTML
Redline Version Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act As Amended by the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018
OJJDP Produced, March 2019. This report shows the particular amendments of 2018 that are designed to strengthen core requirements of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 by strengthening the deinstitutionalization of status offenders, the reduction of racial and ethnic disparities, and improving the jail removal and sight and sound core protections. 186 pages. NCJ 254285.
Abstract | PDF
Safe Routes Program
OJJDP-Sponsored, October 2017. This fact sheet provides information about the Safe Routes Program in which youth identify a place they can go when they feel unsafe in their own home. NCJ 252020. 6 pages.
Abstract | PDF
Strengthening Indian Country Through Tribal Youth Programs
OJJDP-Sponsored, 2009. This report, prepared by the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) in partnership with OJJDP, provides preliminary findings based on site visits with five Tribal Youth Programs in 2007 and 2008. The purpose was to investigate how individual programs are succeeding in improving the lives of at-risk youth and strengthening families in tribal communities. 24 pages. NCJ 228965.
Abstract | PDF
Tribal Juvenile Healing to Wellness Court Tip Sheet: Consequences and Rewards
OJJDP-Sponsored, May 2017. The Tribal Juvenile Healing to Wellness Court (TJHWC) is a judicial intervention that promotes accountability, healing, and tribal life-ways for court involved youth who suffer from addiction to alcohol and illegal substances. This tip sheet includes a few tips for creating a consequences and rewards system for youth participants. 1 page. NCJ 251265.
Abstract | PDF
Tribal Juvenile Healing to Wellness Handbook: Practical Planning and Supportive Tools
OJJDP-Sponsored, November 2017. This handbook is designed to support both newly developing and established Tribal Juvenile Healing to Wellness Courts (TJHWC). Sections are designed to support teams that may be working through a strategic planning process to implement or expand a TJHWC. The handbook includes many resources from across the body of knowledge related to youth behavior, development, and best practices related to juvenile drug treatment and wellness courts. 125 pages. NCJ 251448.
Abstract | PDF
The Tribal Ten Key Components and Tribal Youth Considerations
OJJDP-Sponsored, May 2017. The "Tribal Ten Key Components" are critical elements identified by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) and serve as a foundation for the development of Drug Courts. 9 pages. NCJ 251264.
Abstract | PDF
Additional Resources
Department of Justice: Operation Lady Justice
President Trump signed Executive Order 13898 in November 26, 2019, to form the Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. The task force aims to enhance the operation of the criminal justice system and address the legitimate concerns of American Indian and Alaska Native communities regarding missing and murdered people - particularly missing and murdered women and girls.
Department of Justice: Tribal Justice and Safety
The Department of Justice launched the Tribal Justice and Safety initiative in June 2009 to increase engagement, coordination and action on public safety in tribal communities.
Department of Justice: Defending Childhood
The Department of Justice's Defending Childhood initiative launched in September 2010 to address a national crisis: the exposure of America’s children to violence as victims and as witnesses.
Office of Justice Programs: American Indian & Alaska Native Affairs
Learn about the Justice Programs Council on Native American Affairs and its work groups, and access more tribal website resources from the Department of Justice.
Recent Awards
- nce; and traditional healing program, to support Tribal youth prevention, and extended outreach to children with a high number of adverse childhood experiences, those exposed to substance abuse and violence, or otherwise in need of intervention resources.
- OJJDP FY 20 Alaska Native Youth Training and Technical Assistance Project
- OJJDP FY 20 Alaska Native Youth Training and Technical Assistance Project