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Juvenile Justice Funding Trends
Kristin M. Finklea
Analyst in Domestic Security
April 9, 2009
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
RS22655
CRS Report for Congress
P
repared for Members and Committees of Congress
c11173008

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Juvenile Justice Funding Trends

Summary
Although juvenile justice has always been administered by the states, Congress has had
significant influence in the area through funding for grant programs administered by the
Department of Justiceâ€™s (DOJâ€™s) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).
The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974, P.L. 93-415, was the first
comprehensive juvenile justice legislation passed by Congress. Since 1974, the act has undergone
several key amendments, including a significant reorganization enacted by P.L. 107-273 in 2002.
Funding for juvenile justice programs within DOJ declined from FY2002 levels by 38% to $348
million to FY2007, then increased to $384 in FY2008. For FY2009, juvenile justice funding
within DOJ declined to $374 million.
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Juvenile Justice Funding Trends

Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
Juvenile Justice Legislation and Grant Programs ......................................................................... 1
State Formula Grant .............................................................................................................. 1
Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Block Grant Program......................................................... 2
Part E: Developing, Testing, and Demonstrating Promising new Initiatives and
Programs (Challenge Grants) ............................................................................................. 2
Juvenile Mentoring Program ................................................................................................. 2
Gang-Free Schools and Communities Grant .......................................................................... 2
Title V Community Prevention Block Grants......................................................................... 2
Victims of Child Abuse Act Grant ......................................................................................... 3
Juvenile Accountability Block Grants (JABG)....................................................................... 3
Juvenile Justice Appropriations ................................................................................................... 3
Historical Appropriations by Account.................................................................................... 4

Figures
Figure 1. Juvenile Justice Appropriations .................................................................................... 4

Tables
Table 1. Juvenile Justice Appropriations by Program, FY2001-FY2009....................................... 6

Contacts
Author Contact Information ........................................................................................................ 7
Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................... 7

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Juvenile Justice Funding Trends

Introduction
The federal government has no juvenile justice system of its own. Instead, starting in the 1960s,
the federal government began establishing federal juvenile justice entities and grant programs in
order to influence the statesâ€™ juvenile justice systems. Eligibility for many of these grant programs
is tied to certain mandates that the states must adhere to in order to receive federal funding. This
report provides a brief overview of the juvenile justice grant programs and the overall
appropriation administered by the Department of Justiceâ€™s (DOJ) Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).
Juvenile Justice Legislation and Grant Programs
The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) was first passed by Congress in
19741 and was most recently reauthorized in 2002 by the 21st Century Department of Justice
Appropriations Authorization Act.2 The JJDPAâ€™s provisions are currently unauthorized, having
expired in FYs 2007 and 2008. The JJDPA as originally enacted had three main components: it
created a set of institutions within the federal government that were dedicated to coordinating and
administering federal juvenile justice efforts; it established grant programs to assist the states with
setting up and running their juvenile justice systems; and it promulgated core mandates that states
had to adhere to in order to be eligible to receive grant funding. While the JJDPA has been
amended several times over the past 30 years, it continues to feature the same three components.3
The following section outlines various juvenile justice grant programs. With two exceptions
(outlined below), these grant programs are authorized by the JJDPA.
State Formula Grant
The JJDPA authorizes OJJDP to make formula grants to states that can be used to fund the
planning, establishment, operation, coordination, and evaluation of projects for the development
of more effective juvenile delinquency programs and improved juvenile justice systems.4 Funds
are allocated annually among the states on the basis of relative population of people under the age
of 18, and states must adhere to certain core mandates5 in order to be eligible for funding.
Authorization for this program expired in FY2007.

1 P.L. 90-415.
2 P.L. 107-273.
3 For more information on the legislative history of juvenile justice, refer to CRS Report RL33947, Juvenile Justice:
Legislative History and Current Legislative Issues, by Blas NuÃ±ez-Neto.
4 42 U.S.C. Â§5631.
5 There are currently four core mandates with which â€“ unless for specified exceptions â€“ states must generally comply:
states must deinstitutionalize their status offenders (such as truants); states cannot detain or confine juveniles in
facilities in which they would have contact with adult inmates; juveniles cannot be detained or confined in any jail or
lockup for adults; and states must show that they are working to address the issue of disproportionate minority
confinement within their juvenile justice systems.
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Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Block Grant Program
This is a discretionary grant program that replaced a number of smaller grant programs in the
most recent JJDPA reauthorization. The program authorizes OJJDP to make funding available to
carry out a broad range of activities in purpose areas designed to prevent juvenile delinquency.6
Grant funding is allocated to the eligible states based on the proportion of their population that is
under the age of 18. This grant program has not received appropriations to date.
Part E: Developing, Testing, and Demonstrating Promising new
Initiatives and Programs (Challenge Grants)
The Challenge Grants program authorizes OJJDP to make grants to state, local, and Indian
governments and private entities in order to carry out programs that will develop, test, or
demonstrate promising new initiatives that may prevent, control, or reduce juvenile delinquency.7
Authorization for this program expired in FY2007.
Juvenile Mentoring Program
This grant program was repealed in 2002 by the 21st Century Department of Justice
Reauthorization Act (P.L. 107-273); however, it has continued to receive appropriations each
subsequent fiscal year. These grants are awarded to local educational agencies (in partnership
with public or private agencies) to establish and support mentoring programs.
Gang-Free Schools and Communities Grant
The Gang-Free Schools and Communities Grant program was repealed in 2002 by the 21st
Century Department of Justice Reauthorization Act (P.L. 107-273); however, funding for gang
resistance education and training continued to receive appropriations in each subsequent fiscal
year. These grants are used to fund a wide variety of prevention or accountability based gang
projects. Currently, funding is included as a part of appropriations for the Title V Community
Prevention Block Grants.
Title V Community Prevention Block Grants
The Community Prevention Block Grant program8 authorizes OJJDP to make grants to states,
that are then transmitted to units of local government, in order to carry out delinquency
prevention programs for juveniles who have come into contact with, or are likely to come into
contact with, the juvenile justice system. Authorization for this program expired in FY2008.

6 42 U.S.C. Â§5651.
7 42 U.S.C. Â§5665.
8 42 U.S.C. Â§5781-5784.
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Victims of Child Abuse Act Grant
The Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-647) authorizes OJJDP to fund technical
assistance, training, and administrative reforms for state juvenile and family courts in order to
improve the way state juvenile justice systems handle cases of child abuse and neglect.9 This
program has been unauthorized since FY2005 but has continued to receive appropriations.
Juvenile Accountability Block Grants (JABG)
The Juvenile Accountability Block Grant (JABG) program was originally created by the FY1998
DOJ Appropriations Act (P.L. 105-119) and was appropriated each subsequent fiscal year. The
JABG program was subsequently codified by the 21st Century Department of Justice
Reauthorization Act (P.L. 107-273).10 Although the JABG program does not reside within the
JJDPA it is nevertheless administered by OJJDP. The JABG program authorizes the Attorney
General (AG) to make grants to states and units of local government to strengthen their juvenile
justice systems and foster accountability within their juvenile populations by holding juveniles
accountable for their actions. Authorizations for this program expire in FY2009.
Juvenile Justice Appropriations
Figure 1 shows overall appropriations for juvenile justice programs within DOJ. This juvenile
justice appropriation includes funding allocated within the purview of the JJDPA, as well as other
grant programs that are administered by OJJDP but that are not within the JJDPA. Examples of
these types of non-JJDPA programs include the JABG program and the Victims of Child Abuse
Act grant, which have sometimes been included in different parts of the DOJ appropriation but
nevertheless are tailored to juveniles and administered by OJJDP.
From FY1999 to FY2002, overall funding for juvenile justice within the DOJ appropriation
remained relatively stable, averaging about $550 million annually. From FY2002 to FY2007,
however, overall juvenile justice funding fell by 38% to $348 million. The majority of this
reduction came from the JABG program. Appropriations for JABG fell from a high of $250
million in FY2002 to $49 million in FY2007. In FY2008, the overall appropriation for juvenile
justice programs increased by about 10% from FY2007 to $384 million. Funding for JJDPA
programs increased by about 15%, from $260 million in FY2007 to $300 million in FY2008. In
FY2009, the overall appropriation for juvenile justice programs decreased by about 2.5% to $374
million. Funding for JJDPA programs decreased slightly to $299 million in FY2009.

9 42 U.S.C. Â§13021-13024.
10 JABG was codified within the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796ee).
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Juvenile Justice Funding Trends

Figure 1. Juvenile Justice Appropriations
FY1998 â€“ FY2009
600
557 565
500
535
545
499
)
475
359 389
384
349 348
374
400
illions
m
n 300
(i
299
300
299
rs
268
270
279
287
265
271
263
260
lla 200
o
D
202
100
0
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
JJDPA Programs
All Programs Administered by OJJDP

Sources: Amount for FY1998 enacted taken from H.Rept. 105-405; FY1999 enacted taken from H.Rept. 105-
825; FY2000 enacted taken from H.Rept. 106-680; FY2001 enacted taken from H.Rept. 107-139; FY2002 enacted
taken H.Rept. 107-278; FY2003 enacted taken from H.Rept. 108-10; FY2004 enacted taken from H.Rept. 108-
401; FY2005 enacted taken from H.Rept. 108-792; FY2006 enacted taken from H.Rept. 109-272. FY2007
appropriation is based on FY2006 enacted minus a 1.28% rescission, as per P.L. 110-5. FY2008 enacted taken
from P.L. 110-161. FY2009 enacted taken from P.L. 111-8.
Notes: Numbers are rounded. Appropriations for FY1998 and FY1999 may not include relevant rescissions. The
amount for FY2000 includes a 0.38% government-wide rescission as per P.L. 106-113; FY2001 includes a 0.22%
government wide rescission as per P.L. 106-554; FY2003 includes a 0.65% government-wide rescission pursuant
to P.L. 108-7; FY2004 includes 0.59% government-wide rescission and a 0.465% DOJ-wide rescission pursuant to
P.L. 108-199; FY2005 includes a 0.80% government-wide rescission and a 0.54% DOJ-wide rescission pursuant to
P.L. 108-447; and FY2006 includes a 1% across the board rescission pursuant to P.L. 109-148.
Historical Appropriations by Account
Table 1 provides a summary of juvenile justice appropriations by program. The programs
appropriated for juvenile justice have varied somewhat from year to year. For example, the 21st
Century Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-273), among other things,
repealed a number of pre-existing grant programs and consolidated many of their purpose areas
within the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Block Grant.11 As the table shows,
however, this block grant has not been appropriated since its inception. Instead, the appropriators
have continued to fund some of the pre-existing grant programs (chiefly, the Victims of Child

11 These grant programs were as follows: Victims of Child Abuse; Community Based Gang Intervention; Tribal Youth;
Juvenile Mentoring Programs; and Boot Camps grant programs.
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Abuse, Gang-Free Schools and Communities Grant, and Juvenile Mentoring Programs grants)
either as separate line-items or with funding set aside from the Title V Community Prevention
Grants.
Table 1 also shows that appropriations for specific programs can vary from year to year and that
some programs are specifically appropriated in one year but may not be specifically identified in
other years, such as Project Sentry and Project Child Safe,12 which have received stand-alone
appropriations some fiscal years and have been set aside from the Title V grant program in other
years. Some programs receive funding from larger accounts; for example, OJJDPâ€™s Enforcing
Underage Drinking Laws13 has received an appropriation of $25 million set aside from the Title V
grant program every year since FY1999. The program does not appear on the table because it has
never received a stand-alone appropriation.

12 Project Sentry provided resources for state and local juvenile justice prosecutors to fund initiatives focusing on gun-
crimes committed by juveniles. Project Child Safe sought to educate children on firearm safety and fund the purchase
of safety locks for firearms.
13 This program supports efforts by States, in cooperation with local jurisdictions, to prohibit the sale of alcoholic
beverages to or the consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors. Another program that does not appear on the chart
is the Tribal Youth Program. It receives annual funding set aside from the Title V grant program and is currently
funded at $25 million for FY2009. It began receiving appropriations in FY1999, and through this program, OJJDP
makes grants to federally recognized tribes and Alaska Native villages for delinquency prevention, control, and system
improvements for tribal youth.
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Table 1. Juvenile Justice Appropriations by Program, FY2001-FY2009
($ millions)
Program
FY2001 FY2002 FY2003 FY2004 FY2005 FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 FY2009
Part A:
7 7 7 4 3 1 1 1 â€”
Coordination
Part B: State
89 89 84 84 84 80 79 74 75
Formula Grants
Part C:
50 59 89 â€” â€” â€” â€” â€” â€”
Delinquency
Prevention
Block Grant
Part D:
12 12 12 (20) (25) (25) (25) (19) (10)
Community
Gang
Prevention
Part E:
10 10 10 80 102 106 105 94 82
Challenge
Grants
Part G: Juvenile
16 16 16 â€” 15 10 10 70 80
Mentoring
Program Grant
Research and
â€” â€” â€” 3 10 â€” â€” â€” â€”
Development
Delinquency
N/A
N/A â€” â€” â€” â€” â€” â€” â€”
Prevention
Block Grant
Title V:
95 94 47 80 80 65 64 61 62
Community
Prevention
Grant
Secure our
(15)
(15) â€” 10 15 15 15 15 â€”a
Schools Act
Juvenile
250 250 190 60 55 50 49 52 55
Accountability
Block Grant
Victims of Child
9 8 11 13 15 15 15 17 20
Abuse Act
Drug
11 11 â€” â€” â€” â€” â€” â€” â€”
Prevention
Program
Project
Sentry â€” (5) (5) 15 â€” â€” â€” â€” â€”
Project Child
â€”
(38)
(25) 5 5 1 1 â€” â€”
Safe
Project Safe
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 â€” â€”
Start
Total Juvenile
559 565 475 363 394 353 348 384 374
Justice
Appropriation
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Sources: FY2001 enacted taken from H.Rept. 107-139; FY2002 enacted taken H.Rept. 107-278; FY2003 enacted
taken from H.Rept. 108-10; FY2004 enacted taken from H.Rept. 108-401; FY2005 enacted taken from H.Rept. 108-
792; FY2006 enacted taken from H.Rept. 109-272. FY2007 appropriation is based on FY2006 enacted minus a 1.28%
rescission, as per P.L. 110-5. FY2008 enacted taken from P.L. 110-161. FY2009 enacted taken from P.L. 111-8.
Notes: This table does not include rescissions, and numbers in parentheses are non-adds that have been set aside
from other grant programs.
a. For FY2009, funding for programs under the Secure Our Schools Act was appropriated at $16 million
under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) account.

Author Contact Information

Kristin M. Finklea

Analyst in Domestic Security
kfinklea@crs.loc.gov, 7-6259

Acknowledgments
A previous version of this report was authored by Blas NuÃ±ez-Neto.

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