Roughly half of Americans believe crime is increasing in the US, and more than half believe addressing it should be a priority for the federal government. As part of ongoing federal efforts, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has reauthorized Title II Part B Formula Grant funding, which is allocated to states and territories to help reduce young people’s contact with the juvenile justice system.
With the fiscal year 2025 Title II Formula Grants Program Notice of Funding Opportunity now open, states and territories can take advantage of these funds by investing in effective local programs that assess and address young people’s needs early, strengthen community supports, and reduce incarceration—improving outcomes for young people while making communities safer overall. In this article, we outline examples of how states can effectively use Title II funds.
Community-based approaches reduce juvenile delinquency
Over the past 30 years, the juvenile justice system has reduced its dependence on incarceration, instead prioritizing diversion and rehabilitation. Not only has this strategy change led to a 67 percent decline in serious violent offenses, but it has also been cost-effective. Incarcerating a child in a juvenile detention facility costs an average of $588 a day, or about $214,000 per year (PDF), while community-based programs are a fraction of the cost.
Rather than preventing crime, incarceration often deepens the root causes of offending and increases the likelihood of repeated criminal legal system involvement into adulthood.
Research consistently shows that any justice system involvement can have lasting negative consequences for young people, particularly when it involves detention. Young people in custody experience interruptions to their education, negative physical and mental health effects, and heightened risks of sexual victimization, with most instances committed by staff.
Community-based alternatives, by contrast, are proven to reduce delinquency, violence, and recidivism while improving long-term outcomes for young people.
By reducing recidivism and preventing delinquency, states can strengthen law enforcement efforts and allow agencies to focus resources on serious and immediate public safety threats, rather than repeatedly responding to the same people cycling through the system. Prevention and early intervention efforts also build trust between law enforcement and communities.
What is the Title II Formula Grants Program?
The Title II Formula Grants Program, authorized under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, amended in 2018, supports state and local efforts to prevent and address delinquency while improving juvenile justice systems. Through the program, OJJDP allocates funds directly to states to help them implement comprehensive juvenile justice plans tailored to their specific needs.
To qualify for a grant, states must (PDF)
- meet 33 statutory state plan requirements;
- designate a state agency to develop and administer a comprehensive three-year juvenile justice and delinquency prevention plan;
- establish a state advisory group to guide policy and participate in plan development and administration; and
- commit to the four core requirements: deinstitutionalization of status offenses, separation of incarcerated youth from adults, removal of youth from adult jails and lockups, and a plan to address racial and ethnic disparities.
Funds are allocated to states and territories based on population data (PDF), with minimum awards equal to $400,000 for states and $75,000 for territories. Most funds are administered locally, in line with the state advisory group priorities outlined in three-year plans, though some funds may be kept by states for administration. In some cases, a state can receive a waiver to keep funding at the state level if the majority of juvenile and delinquent services are provided statewide.
Title II Grant funds can be used for the specific budget areas defined by OJJDP (PDF), which include community-based alternatives, educational programs, workforce development, treatment for histories of abuse or trauma, gender-specific prevention programs, and programs to support young survivors of human trafficking. In fiscal year 2023, OJJDP awarded more than $47 million in Formula Grants to 48 states, the District of Columbia, and several US territories. This amounts to less than a dollar per child in most states.
Sources: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, “Distribution of Juvenile Justice Formula Grants by State and Tribal Pass Through Amounts” (PDF); US Census Bureau, “State Population By Characteristics: 2020-2024.”
Note: Under-18 population are estimates as of July 1, 2023, to reflect the 2023 federal fiscal year, which ran from October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023.
States can use Title II Formula Grant funding to help young people
Title II grants give states some latitude in how they can use the funding, and many different examples have proven effective.
New Mexico leverages federal Title II Formula Grant funding alongside substantial state investments to support a statewide continuum of juvenile justice programs, partnering with 22 continuum sites that administer 88 programs. This coordinated funding approach allows New Mexico to strategically target federal dollars toward compliance, tribal pass-through funding, administration, and program enhancement. As a result, the state has provided services for 8,097 young people, focusing on prevention and diversion, mentoring, and programs tailored to the needs of specific populations and rural communities.
In Utah, Title II funds have supported after-school programs in Cedar City and West Valley City that focus on preventing juvenile justice system contact among elementary school–age children. The program provides ways for young people to spend their time productively after school, a period when children are especially likely to engage in delinquent behaviors.
In Baltimore City, Maryland, Title II funding has been used for restorative justice approaches (PDF), such as community conferencing programs where young people and victim-survivors meet in a facilitated mediation setting to discuss solutions. The program has proven successful, with just 11 percent of involved young people making new contacts with the juvenile justice system. Additionally, victim-survivors in 98 percent of cases reported feeling satisfied with the outcomes.
Across the state of Idaho, Title II funding has supported the sustained implementation of assessment centers (PDF), which serve as a single point of contact to identify the root causes of concerning behavior and connect young people and families to individualized services. These steps can prevent and divert young people away from deeper involvement in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Assessment centers rely heavily on strong partnerships with law enforcement, especially school resource officers, who often act as primary referral sources.
In all instances, Title II formula grants have helped reduce violence and make our communities safer by funding effective interventions and programs that support children. With the program’s reauthorization, states can learn from examples like these and consider grant management resources available from organizations like the Coalition of Juvenile Justice to most effectively bring down violent crime and protect their community’s children.
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