Juvenile Justice and Adolescent Treatment Funding in the President's 2011 Budget

President Obama released his proposed 2011 federal budget this week. Here's a sneak peek at what that might mean for funding in the adolescent substance abuse treatment arena and for juvenile justice systems across the country. 
 
According to a summary from the Department of Health and Human Services, the President's budget:

Expands Substance Abuse and Treatment Prevention Activities
The Budget expands substance abuse treatment services at HIS facilities and federally qualified health centers, and provides $23 million for comprehensive substance abuse prevention services targeting early risk factors that can improve health outcomes for children and young adults. To assist in recovery to reduce recidivism, the Budget provides $56 million to expand the treatment capacity at drug courts and $23 million for re-entry programs. These activities are a part of over $150 million in new funding for the Departments of Health and Human Services and Justice (DOJ) to reduce the Nation’s demand for drugs by strengthening efforts to detect and prevent illicit drug use in our communities, expanding early drug abuse intervention in the primary health care system, enhancing specialty addiction treatment services, and breaking the cycle of illicit drug use, crime, and incarceration.

 
The Coalition from Juvenile Justice (CJJ), meanwhile, broke down the proposed funding for the Office of Justice Programs (OJDP) and the Office of Juvenile Justice Prevention (OJJDP) in an e-alert to subscribers.  Here's what they had to say:

 
Core Juvenile Justice Programs 
President Obama’s FY 2011 budget proposes funding for core federal juvenile justice programs at the following levels (new or eliminated uses for program dollars are italicized):
 

• $72 million for Title II programs (down from $75 million), including money within that figure for training and technical assistance to assist small, nonprofit organizations in states and localities with the federal grants process;
• $62 million for Title V, with no set-asides/earmarks;
• $40 million for JABG (down from $55 million);
• $45 million for youth mentoring programs (down from $100 million);
• $25 million to continue a grant program introduced in FY 2010 for “Community-based Violence Prevention Initiatives” (up from $10 million);
• $13 million for a new juvenile delinquency court improvement program;
• $806,000 for a DMC evaluation and pilot program; and
• $12 million to continue a gang and youth violence prevention and intervention program introduced in FY 2010 (up from $10 million, replaces G.R.E.A.T.).
• In addition, OJP (and presumably OJJDP) is able to use up to 10% of these program amounts ($29 million) for research and evaluation, and up to 2% of these program amounts ($5.8 million) for training and technical assistance.

 
 
Related Youth Programs within the Office of Justice Programs
 
In addition to core juvenile justice programs, the President’s FY 2011 budget proposal includes:
 

• $6 million for a Help Desk and Diagnostic Center to assist state, local and tribal governments, nonprofits and other OJP partners;
• $1 million – set aside out of larger pot of $70.8 million for general justice research, development and evaluation programs – to establish a website designed to inform criminal and juvenile justice communities regarding the latest developments in evidence-based and promising programs;
• $519 million (level-funded) for Byrne/JAG formula grants, including $7 million in carve-outs for specific purposes;
• $30 million for Byrne competitive grants (down from $40 million) to “improve the functioning of the criminal justice system, to prevent or combat juvenile delinquency and to assist victims of crime;”
• $57 million for drug, mental health and problem-solving courts (level-funded);
• $37 million for a new initiative on Children Exposed to Violence to support research and to provide demonstration grants and training and technical assistance (in partnership with HHS);
• $10 for the court-appointed special advocate program (down from $15 million);
• $100 million for the Second Chance Act (level-funded), of which $4 million is specifically set-aside for reentry programs for juvenile drug offenders; and
• Under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), four pots of youth-oriented funding:
• $14 million for safe havens for child victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and related crimes (level-funded);
• $3 million for prevention/intervention programs for men and youth (level-funded); $3.5 million for advocacy and counseling of youth victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and exploitation (level-funded); and
• $3 million (level-funded) to support projects that provide services to children and youth exposed to domestic violence.

Related Post:

• Is it possible to prevent youth violence with a limited budget? Sure is. Check out how Boston's youth violence rate fell by two-thirds just by opening feedback channels from the community to youth.

(Photo by moriza.)