Juvenile Justice Funding Trends

Publication Date: April 2007

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Justice

Type:

Abstract:

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 Justice's (DOJ'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 has been reduced by 38% to $348 million from FY2002 to FY2007. In FY2008, the President's request would reduce juvenile justice funding within DOJ by 17% to $280 million and consolidate all existing grant programs into one broad discretionary grant program.