The Governor appointed a seven member Committee to provide oversight for the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant funds. The Bureau of Juvenile Justice, Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant, serving as the state fiduciary, disperses these block grants to eligible local units of government for the development and implementation of programs that comply with program guidelines. The state and each unit of local government eligible to receive JABG funds must establish a Coordinated Enforcement Plan for reducing juvenile crime. The state coordinated enforcement plan  is prepared by the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Committee. The coordinated enforcement plan is developed by a local Juvenile Crime Enforcement Coalition. The local Juvenile Crime Enforcement Coalition must include representation from law enforcement, schools, juvenile court, probation services, businesses, and non-profit social service organizations. Local units of government are eligible to apply for the block grant funds based upon pre-determined criteria and their coordinated enforcement plan. The coordinated enforcement plan must use the federal funds within the twelve juvenile justice system related program purpose areas listed below:

Juvenile Accountability Block Grants Purpose Areas

1. Developing, implementing, and administering graduated sanctions for juvenile offenders.
2. Building, expanding, renovating or operating temporary or permanent juvenile correction, detention, or community corrections facilities.
3. Hiring juvenile court judges, probation officers, and court appointed defenders and special advocates, and funding pretrial services (including mental health screening and assessment) for juvenile offenders, to promote the effective and expeditious administration of the juvenile justice system.
4. Hiring additional prosecutors, so that more cases involving violent juvenile offenders can be prosecuted and case backlog reduced.
5. Providing funding to enable prosecutors to address drug, gang and youth violence problems more effectively and for technology, equipment, and training to assist prosecutors in identifying and expediting the prosecution of violent juvenile offenders.
6. Establishing and maintaining training programs for law enforcement and other court personnel with respect to preventing and controlling juvenile crime.
7. Establishing juvenile gun courts for the prosecution and adjudication of juvenile firearms offenders.
8. Establishing drug courts for juvenile offenders that provide continuing judicial supervision over juvenile offenders with substance abuse problems and the integrated administration of other sanctions and services for such offenders.
9. Establishing and maintaining a system of juvenile records designed to promote public safety.
10. Establishing and maintaining interagency information-sharing programs that enable the juvenile and criminal justice systems, schools, and social service agencies to make more informed decisions regarding the early identification, control, supervision, and treatment of juveniles who repeatedly commit serious delinquent or criminal acts.
11. Establishing and maintaining accountability-based programs designed to reduce recidivism among juveniles who are referred by law enforcement personnel or agencies.
12. Establishing and maintaining programs to conduct risk and needs assessments of juvenile offenders that facilitate the effective early intervention and the provision of comprehensive services, including mental health screening and treatment and substance abuse testing and treatment to such offenders.
13. Establishing and maintaining accountability-based programs that are designed to enhance school safety.
14. Establishing and maintaining restorative justice programs
15. Establishing and maintaining programs to enable juvenile courts and juvenile probation officers to be more effective and efficient in holding juvenile offenders accountable and reducing juvenile recidivism.
16. Hiring detention and corrections personnel, and establishing and maintaining training programs for such personnel to improve facility practices and programming.

Timelines for the grant process vary and are set by the JABG Governors Committee.

System improvements through use of technology may present major opportunities for making juveniles and the juvenile justice system more accountable.  Therefore, the JABG Committee placed a high priority on technology.  The Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, prosecuting attorney's offices, the State Court Administrative office, circuit courts, and county and state juvenile detention facilities were given options for technology enhancements such as new software, computers, printers, and internet interfaces.  System software enhancements include Live Scan for juvenile fingerprints and photos.  Juvenile justice system agencies were encouraged to participate in the Juvenile Justice On Line Technology (JJOLT) system that offers web-based transfer of youth data, subject to tight access, privacy and security controls that enhance and simplify record keeping and information sharing.

Video conferencing technology was provided to state juvenile treatment institutions to allow access to mental health counseling through video technology.

Customers

Customers of the JABG grant are the local units of government that are eligible for funding and the juveniles being served by the JABG programs that are operational around the state.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility requirements for local units of government funding are based on a federal formula using uniform crime report data to include Part I violent crime data and law enforcement expenditure data.

Services Provided

JABG programs range anywhere from court and police diversion programs to aftercare/reintegration programs for youth coming out of placement.

Important Program Information

JABG program funds cannot be used to supplement state or local funds. Regular JABG grants require a ten percent local cash match. However, when funds are used to construct a permanent juvenile facility, the cash match must be at least fifty percent of total program costs.

All local communities participating are required to provide a substance abuse testing policy.

Referrals

The local program determines how the youths are referred to services funded by the JABG grant. Juveniles eligible to receive services through the JABG grant are those that have come in contact with the juvenile justice system.

For general information on the JABG grant click on the links below:

Development Services Group and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Legal Base

Public Law 106-553 enacted by Congress on December 21, 2000.

For additional information about the JABG program, contact:

Diana Peck or Shirley Winston, JABG Grant Analysts

Grand Tower, 4^th Floor

235 S. Grand Avenue

Lansing, MI 48909

Diana Peck (517) 335-3539

Email: peckd@michigan.gov

Shirley Winston (517) 335-6478

Email: Winstons@michigan.gov