Department of Justice, MacArthur Foundation Provide $2 Million to Support Juvenile Justice Reform
On January 26, 2012, the Department of Justice issued the following press release:
In a new private-public partnership, the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation are jointly providing $2 million to support innovative and effective reforms in treatment and services for youth involved in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems.
"We need to do what’s right for America's children," said Melodee Hanes, Acting Administrator of OJJDP. "This partnership supports state and community efforts to protect youth from harm, hold them accountable for their actions, provide for rehabilitation and improve public safety. In this tight economy, creatively partnering with a private organization such as MacArthur maximizes reform, while stretching limited public dollars."
OJJDP and the MacArthur Foundation each will provide a total of $1 million over two years to four organizations to support juvenile justice reform in four target areas. These organizations will in turn offer states and local governments training and technical assistance to improve mental health services for youth, reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system and better coordinate treatment and services for youth involved in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. The targeted reforms include:
- Mental Health Screening and Risk/Needs Assessment: The National Youth Screening and Assessment Project at the University of Massachusetts Medical School will provide technical assistance on the use of evidence-based tools for case planning to reduce out-of-home placements and recidivism. Contact Laura Guy at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
- Mental Health Training for Juvenile Justice: The National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice at Policy Research, Inc. will provide comprehensive adolescent development and mental health training for juvenile correctional and detention staff to improve their ability to respond to youth with mental health needs. Contact Kathy Skowyra at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
- Disproportionate Minority Contact Reduction: The Center for Children’s Law and Policy will provide technical assistance on evidence-based strategies to measurably reduce racial and ethnic disparities within the juvenile justice system. Contact Tiana Davis at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
- Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare System Integration: The Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps will provide technical assistance on implementing effective practices to reduce recidivism and out-of-home placement and to improve correctional alternatives for youth in the juvenile justice system, with a history of maltreatment. Contact John Tuell at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Janet Wiig at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
The partnership will build upon the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change initiative that seeks to create successful and replicable models of juvenile justice systems reform. OJJDP and MacArthur selected these four organizations because they helped develop, field test and evaluate effective best practice models included in the Models for Change initiative. The MacArthur Foundation has invested more than $100 million in promising juvenile justice reforms since 2004.
"Through our historic commitment to juvenile justice reform, MacArthur has identified and piloted effective models in key states. We are excited to collaborate with OJJDP now to support and spread these successful best practices for reform more broadly," said Laurie Garduque, MacArthur’s Director of Juvenile Justice.
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