This report provides a brief overview of the juvenile justice grant programs and the overall appropriation administered by the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Juvenile Justice Legislation and Grant Programs

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) was first passed by Congress in 1974 and was most recently reauthorized in 2002 by the 21 st Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act. 107-273 ); however, it has continued to receive appropriations each subsequent fiscal year. Juvenile Justice Appropriations

 Figure 1 shows overall appropriations for juvenile justice programs within DOJ. This juvenile justice appropriation includes funding allocated within the purview of the JJDPA, as well as other grant programs that are administered by OJJDP but that are not within the JJDPA. Funding for juvenile justice programs continued to decline in FY2012. Juvenile justice funding continued to decline in FY2014; through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 ( P.L. Most recently, through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 ( P.L. 114-113 ), Congress increased juvenile justice funding and appropriated nearly $270.2 million for these programs for FY2016.
Although juvenile justice has always been administered by the states, Congress has had significant influence in the area through funding for grant programs administered by the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) of 1974, P.L. 93-415, was the first comprehensive juvenile justice legislation passed by Congress. Since 1974, the act has undergone several key amendments, including a significant reorganization enacted by P.L. 107-273 in 2002. The juvenile justice appropriation includes funding allocated within the purview of the JJDPA, as well as other grant programs that are administered by OJJDP but that are not within the JJDPA.
After the restructuring of juvenile justice grant programs in 2002, their funding, which had generally been above $500 million, began to decline. For FY2010, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (P.L. 111-117) provided $424 million for juvenile justice programs within DOJ. This was the largest amount appropriated to juvenile justice programs since FY2003. From FY2010 through FY2015, juvenile justice funding declined each subsequent fiscal year. Most recently, through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113), Congress increased juvenile justice funding to its highest level in five years and appropriated nearly $270.2 million for these programs for FY2016.