Government links

Federal:
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This office, which is part of the U.S. Department of Justice, awards grants and funds to state and local governments, as well as private organizations, for programs and initiatives related to juvenile justice. This site lists which grants are available and how to apply for them.
     This site also provides resources for specific topics (such as gangs or school safety), and it has statistics and lists of national and international organizations, as well as state-by-state contact lists of specialists in many areas of juvenile justice.
     Best page: "Programs," which links to information about programs the OJJDP offers and topical links about juvenile justice, and the "Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse," which lists ways to contact the OJJDP with questions about any topic related to juvenile justice.

State:
The California Courts Self-Help Center offers comprehensive background on the state Juvenile Court system. The site clearly explains the procedure in the court system and states what rights parents and youth have.
     Best page: "Can my child be tried as an adult?" which explains how this can happen and for what crimes a 14-17-year-old can be tried as an adult.

The state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Division of Juvenile Justice
     Best pages: "Facts, stats and trends," which can be found among the links on the DJJ homepage, and "FAQs about DJJ." Both pages offer links to dozens of reports and statistical breakdowns, as well as other resources on juvenile justice, specifically in California.

The California Attorney General’s Web site offers information about criminal justice throughout the state. To learn more about juvenile justice use the "search" function.
     Best page: "Criminal Justice Statistics Center," which allows users to search for topics by keyword. It has plenty of stats on juveniles in the system.

The bi-partisan supported Legislative Analysts’ Office provides financial and policy advice to the state legislature. Search under the "subject areas" navigation bar on the top left and select "criminal justice" discover a wealth of information about all aspects of the justice system including juvenile crime trends, how juvenile justice fits into the state budget and analyses of proposed policies.

The state Office of Criminal Justice Programs, which is part of the Office of Emergency Services, provides financial and technical assistance to local governments and other agencies whose goal is to improve criminal and juvenile justice. The emphasis is on prevention, holding offenders accountable and on victims’ rights.

Local:
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Web site offers plenty of information about department policy and the laws pertaining to juveniles, as well as about special programs the department conducts for youth in Los Angeles. Go to the home page, then click on search on left nav-bar, type in juvenile and you’ll get information on juvenile division and other juvenile services and statistics.
     Best page: Crime Statistics Summary Archive, which allows users to see crime stats broken down by year. Each year’s statistical digest has specific information on juvenile crime and arrests.

The Juvenile Field Services Bureau and the Juvenile Special Services Bureau are the two bureaus in the Los Angeles County Probation Department which specialize in juvenile justice. Both bureaus serve as part of the Superior Court. Juvenile probation officers provide investigation and supervision services for juvenile offenders on court-ordered probation or in specialized programs. In addition, they recommend appropriate dispositions for juvenile offenders while preserving and enhancing the family unit, whenever possible.

The Los Angeles Unified School District has counselors for students who wind up in the juvenile court system: one for juvenile court, one for dependency court and one for juvenile traffic court.

The Los Angeles County juvenile court’s Web site explains procedures, rules and rights as well as offering hours, locations and contact information. (DJJ). The DJJ is the largest youth offender agency in the country with more than 3,600 young men and women in institutions and camps, and approximately 4,100 more on parole. This Web site provides background on the DJJ and its mission as well as statistical information about youthful offenders and juvenile justice in California.

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