Eric Holder - Questioned on OJJDP for the record in Senate confirmation hearing.

Senate Judiciary Committee posted on their website list of questions for the record from Senators to Eric Holder on the Attorney General confirmation hearing. One of the questions that I came across was from Senator Feingold. Feingold asked Holder a question on how he would restore the leadership of OJJDP as AG:

Question 6:

6. A growing body of research shows that prevention and intervention programs and mental health and drug treatment services can help children move out of the juvenile justice system, return to school, and become responsible members of our communities. In the outgoing Administration, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) was widely criticized for failing to provide leadership and innovation in delinquency prevention policy and the effective administration of juvenile justice. How do you plan to prioritize youth and juvenile justice and delinquency prevention in the Department of Justice, and will you seek to restore OJJDP to its previous role as the leader and central resource for juvenile justice innovation?

The federal government should be a leader in tackling the difficult questions surrounding juvenile delinquency. The President-Elect and Vice-President-Elect have supported a comprehensive public health approach to addressing youth crime. Community-based programs – employing the evidence-based strategies that you describe – have been shown to be most effective in steering young people away from a life of crime. If confirmed, I hope to restore the Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to its former role as a leader in advancing these and other innovations. I also plan to give priority to juvenile justice and delinquency prevention issues in a number of ways:

First, I will work with the President to identify a strong leader for OJJDP Administrator.

Second, I will work with the new Administrator to reinvigorate the important work of OJJDP, especially in the area of delinquency.

Third, I will ensure that OJJDP’s professional staff is given senior leadership support within the Department.

Fourth, the Department will reach out to constituent organizations to elicit their views on what we can and should be doing.

Finally, we will make it a priority to work with Congress on reauthorization of the JJDP Act.