Despite clear and consistent communication from the states that additional federal resources are needed to fulfill the letter and the spirit of the JJDPA, for the eighth year in a row the President's Fiscal Year 2009 (FY09) budget, released February 4, 2008, zeroes out all existing juvenile justice programs and replaces them with one large competitive grant program schedule at $164 million—down 57% in total funding from $383.6 million under the FY08 Omnibus budget.
Under the President’s FY09 budget proposal, JJDPA Title II (Formula Funds) and other federal grant streams designed to support State Plans, SAGs, Compliance with Core Requirements and Purposes, and other critical delinquency prevention and intervention efforts are no longer be guaranteed. Instead, a new grant program, titled the “Child Safety and Juvenile Justice Program," would consolidate existing juvenile justice and exploited children programs such as the Internet Crimes Against Children into a single, flexible grant program to be distributed through a competitive discretionary grant process. Sound familiar? This is the same message the President conveyed last year.
State and local entities would have to bid for grants and would face uncertainty as to whether they would receive federal funds at all, as well as for how much and for how long. Instead of providing JJDPA funding—the monies could be used for entirely different matters and there’s no assurance of equitable distribution among and within states. Such a discretionary, competitive grant program would mean there would no longer be a relatively consistent, coordinated nationwide effort to reduce juvenile delinquency and improve juvenile justice systems.
FEDERAL JJ FUNDING AS APPROPRIATED (in millions):
|
FY03 |
FY04 |
FY05 |
FY06 |
FYO7 CR |
FY08 |
President's
FY 09 |
Title II
|
$83.3 |
$83.2 |
$83.3 |
$79.2 |
$79.2 |
$74.3 |
--0-- |
| Title V |
$46.1 |
$79.2 |
$79.4 |
$64.4 |
$64.4 |
$61.1 |
--0-- |
| JABG |
$188.8 |
$59.4 |
$54.6 |
$49.5 |
$49.5 |
$51.7 |
--0-- |
| DPBG |
$126.4 |
--0-- |
--0-- |
--0-- |
--0-- |
--0-- |
--0-- |
| OJJDP |
$6.8 |
$3.6 |
$3.0 |
$0.7 |
$0.7 |
$0.7 |
--0-- |
Demonstration
Projects |
--0-- |
$78.8 |
$101.4 |
$105 |
$105 |
$93.8 |
--0-- |
| Mentoring |
$15.9 |
--0-- |
$14.9 |
$9.9 |
$9.9 |
$70 |
--0-- |
| Child Safety |
--0-- |
--0-- |
--0-- |
$30 |
$30 |
$32 |
--0-- |
SUGGESTED ACTIONS:
We urge State Advisory Groups (SAGs) and all CJJ allies to draw attention to the dire consequences that this proposal would have for your state if it goes unchallenged. Because the President’s budget proposal has the potential to do away with programs under the JJDPA, as reauthorized in 2002, as well as the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant, as reauthorized in 2005, it would mean a loss of significant funds as well as training and technical assistance to:
- Keep status offenders out of locked detention;
- Guard against children being placed in adult jails and other setbacks in conditions of confinement for children and youth;
- Improve mental health, substance abuse, educational screening and services for at-risk and adjudicated youth;
- Support law enforcement and delinquency prevention initiatives;
- Advance other important juvenile justice programs and system improvements that are supported (at least in part) with federal monies.
Please share your urgent concerns about the President’s zero budget for juvenile justice under the JJDPA with the following:
- Your Governor’s office;
- Heads of your State Planning Agency and Juvenile Justice Agency;
- Your Congressional representatives.
Voice your concerns about:
- Proposed elimination of predictable and effective support for state and local juvenile justice programs and the JJDPA, by channeling all juvenile justice funding into a single competitive, discretionary grant-making program;
- Overall reduction of juvenile justice funding (another 57%);
- Apparent abandonment of the federal role in juvenile justice.
Where can you get the budget?
[1] http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2009/pdf/appendix/jus.pdf
For more information, contact Tara Andrews, Deputy Executive Director of Policy and Programs, at [2] andrews@juvjustice.org.
[1]: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2009/pdf/appendix/jus.pdf
[2]: mailto:andrews@juvjustice.org