Dear John,
The Trump Administration recently cancelled 373 Department of Justice grants, including 49 administered by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). These were effective and promising programs directed toward everything from the Gault Center’s work enhancing juvenile indigent defense to Roca, Inc.’s violence prevention interventions. Allies and partners of The Sentencing Project, too many to name here, were unfairly targeted in ways that will hurt our children and ultimately harm public safety.
In March, weeks before the cuts were announced, The Sentencing Project and the Coalition for Juvenile Justice hosted a webinar highlighting reports by the federal government’s Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention on evidence-based reforms that meet the needs of youth and families.
Listening to experts around the nation, the Coordinating Council issued two reports in 2024, one with recommendations to Congress and the White House and one with recommendations for systems leaders, emphasizing a Continuum of Care model that identifies evidence-based interventions and supports for youth — including both those who have been victims of crime and those who are involved in delinquency.
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The webinar featured Jill Ward, the former Senior Policy Advisor at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, along with two members of the Coordinating Council: Michael Mendoza, National Criminal Justice Director at LatinoJustice PRLDEF, and Mark Patterson, former Administrator of the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility.
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These reports provide a critical roadmap for practitioners, advocates, and allies at the national, state, and local levels to implement a Continuum of Care model. Please share these important resources with your network to ensure this critical work is not forgotten and our youth are given the support they need to thrive in safe communities.
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