Congresswoman Hirono Announces Federal Funding
to Reduce Juvenile Crime Rate in Hawai’i
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai’i) today announced a $336,000 U.S. Department of Justice grant for programs aimed at reducing Hawai’i’s juvenile crime rate, as well as addressing issues that challenge juvenile offenders as they work toward living productive, law-abiding lives.
The Hawai’i Office of Youth Services (OYS) is the designated state agency for the distribution of U.S. Department of Justice Juvenile Accountability Block Grant (JABG) funds. These funds are apportioned specifically to reduce juvenile offending through programs that feature offender-focused and system-focused activities that promote accountability.
"This federal grant goes to the heart of stopping a criminal career before it really has a chance to start. The programs that will receive this funding are critical to providing at-risk youth with a second chance after they’ve made a poor decision, while also holding them accountable for their actions,” said Hirono.
County governments are tasked with requesting OYS for funding to support island accountability programs. 75% of these JABG funds are directed to the counties. The state's portion of the funds is also used for alternatives to juvenile incarceration.
The list of juvenile offender accountability programs that have received funding in the past includes the Holopono Project in Pahoa on the Big Island, a Salvation Army family intervention program that offers guidance to troubled youth to help them make better decisions and to avoid further contact with the judicial system.
It also includes Project POI (Positive Outreach Intervention) in Wailuku, Maui, which focuses on reducing juvenile offender recidivism, along with the Kaua’i County Office of Prosecuting Attorney’s Youth Level Inventory Service and Kaua’i Teen Court.
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