United States Department of Justice

FY 2015 Police and Youth Engagement United States Department of Justice

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) provides national leadership, coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization. To fulfill this mission, OJJDP collaborates with professionals from diverse disciplines to improve juvenile justice practices and policies. Recent events have focused national attention on the need for enhanced trust between local law enforcement and the communities that they serve. OJJDP seeks to help inform law enforcement executives of key juvenile justice issues that jurisdictions face in improving relations between youth and law enforcement. Specifically, OJJDP will examine how to foster strong, collaborative relationships between local law enforcement, youth, families, and communities. OJJDP will emphasize evidence-based practices specific to youth engagement and will identify areas within police operations where additional training and technical assistance are needed, including training and protocols to enable law enforcement to better identify and respond to children who have been direct victims of or witnesses to violence in their homes, schools, and/or communities.