OJJDP FY 2022 Enhancing Juvenile Indigent Defense

OJP is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and racial equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety and protects the public from crime and evolving threats, and builds trust between law enforcement and the community. OJJDP envisions a nation where our children are free from crime and violence. If they come into contact with the justice system, the contact should be rare, fair, and beneficial to them. This program supports improvements for youth defense. In alignment with current knowledge and understanding of adolescent development, juvenile justice leaders-including the defender community, in particular - are shifting the vernacular used to describe young people to ensure system actors are using language that affirms the dignity and value of all youth, supports positive identity development, and promotes fairness, equity, and justice for all youth. For this reason, this solicitation uses the term "youth" in lieu of the term "juvenile." Funding awarded under this solicitation must be used to improve what has historically been referred to as "juvenile indigent defense." Where the term "youth defense" or "youth indigent defense" is used in this solicitation, it means the defense of juveniles who are indigent.