Juvenile Justice Training and Technical Assistance Program

The Juvenile Justice Law Enforcement Training and Technical Assistance Project, which is managed by the IACP in collaboration with the Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, is a multi-year initiative focused on increasing the capacity of law enforcement and justice professionals to address juvenile victimization, delinquency, and crime from a holistic perspective. To accomplish this goal, we deliver a portfolio of products and services that:

• Increase the focus on juvenile justice issues.
• Encourage the development of innovative and effective prevention and/or intervention programs.
• Educate law enforcement and others on pertinent juvenile justice issues.
• Improve law enforcement’s effectiveness in promoting public safety.

Description of Project Activities

Training

We currently offer no-cost training workshops to law enforcement and juvenile justice professionals nationwide. Police, probation officers, school officials, social services and other justice stakeholders are encouraged to attend any of the following trainings:

• Juvenile Interview and Interrogation Techniques
  This two-and-a-half day workshop is designed to introduce, refine, or improve basic criminal investigative skills, tactics, and procedures for effectively interviewing and interrogating juveniles. Participants will use highly interactive exercises to analyze behavior, develop rapport, and understand adolescent behavior. This training is best suited for new officers or those with limited experience working with juveniles.
• Partnerships for Safe Schools
  This two-day training introduces principles of school safety, presents model school safety programs, and demonstrates critical incident management techniques. This workshop is intended for multi-agency school safety teams representing law enforcement, schools, and other juvenile justice stakeholder agencies. Participants will receive knowledge on how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from crisis and will develop or evaluate their school safety plans.
• Reclaiming Our Youth Through Tribal Collaboration
  This two-and-a-half day workshop assists tribal law enforcement in identifying high-risk juvenile offenses specific to their nations. Participants will develop action plans that they can implement to effectively address priority juvenile justice problems with particular emphasis on alcohol, drug use, and juvenile crime. Community and juvenile justice stakeholders are critical to the action plan development process. This course requires the submission of an application and a commitment on behalf of tribal leadership. Click here for an application.
• SHOCAP (Serious Habitual Offender Comprehensive Action Program)
  This three-day course introduces a comprehensive and cooperative case management process that enables the juvenile justice system to focus on youth who repeatedly commit serious crimes. SHOCAP brings together law enforcement, schools, juvenile corrections, and community partners to utilize all available resources to enable youth to become productive citizens. Agencies/individuals interested in reviewing this curriculum can access them using the links below. The curriculum is provided on an 'as-is' basis. Users will need to determine the relevance and accuracy of curriculum content for their jurisdictions.
  • Electronic Copies of the SHOCAP Curriculum:
  • Facilitator Guide (PDF)
  • Participant Manual (PDF)
  • PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)
• Managing Juvenile Operations
  This two-and-a-half day workshop provides law enforcement, investigations, and community policing agency professionals with the tools and resources for improving their response to juvenile issues.

Promising Practice Briefs

This series of periodic briefs provides information and examples of programs and practices successfully implemented to address pertinent juvenile justice issues. Topics include:

• Bullying - "Developing an Anti-Bullying Program: Increasing Safety, Reducing Violence"
• School Safety - "Partnering to Ensure School Safety"
• Gangs
• Juvenile Offender Reentry
• Truancy
• Juvenile Sexual Offenders
• Substance Abuse

Technical Assistance

The IACP responds to requests for technical assistance (TA) on topics presented through training workshops. TA is provided to:

• Facilitate the implementation of enhanced or new programs,
• Evaluate the effectiveness of juvenile justice initiatives,
• Provide assistance on improving or developing juvenile justice operations, policies, and/or programs.

Click here to apply for technical assistance.

For more information, please e-mail JuvenileJustice@theiacp.org or call 1-800-THE-IACP ext. 831.

This project is supported by Cooperative Agreement awarded by the Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.