OJJDP FY 2022 Juvenile Justice System Reform and Reinvestment Initiative | O OJJDP 2022 171358

Opportunity Information: Apply for O OJJDP 2022 171358

The OJJDP FY 2022 Juvenile Justice System Reform and Reinvestment Initiative is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, administered by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). It is designed to help states move beyond small, isolated program changes and instead implement broader juvenile justice system reforms that measurably reduce reoffending. The core idea is to support practical, data-informed changes across multiple parts of the juvenile justice continuum, paired with a justice reinvestment approach where savings created by system improvements are deliberately redirected into prevention and intervention strategies that have evidence behind them.

The opportunity is grounded in OJP's stated priorities of advancing civil rights and racial equity, expanding access to justice, supporting crime victims and people impacted by the justice system, strengthening community safety, and improving trust between communities and the justice system. OJJDP frames this work around a clear vision: children should be free from crime and violence, and when contact with the juvenile justice system does occur, it should be rare, fair, and beneficial to the young person. In practice, that means the grant is aimed at reforms that reduce unnecessary system involvement, improve fairness and outcomes, and use research and local data to guide decisions rather than relying on tradition or anecdote.

What makes this initiative distinct is its emphasis on statewide implementation of innovative and/or research-based, data-informed policies, practices, and programs that are specifically aimed at reducing recidivism. The program is not limited to a single agency or a single intervention model; instead, it encourages improvements across multiple juvenile justice system components and disciplines. That can include work spanning law enforcement referrals, diversion and alternatives to formal processing, detention decision-making, court practices, probation supervision, placement decisions, reentry supports, and community-based services. The expectation is that states will use data to identify drivers of system involvement and reoffending, implement reforms that address those drivers, and track outcomes in a way that supports continuous improvement.

A central requirement is the justice reinvestment framework. Under that approach, states are expected to develop sustainable strategies to reinvest costs saved or avoided because of system improvements into effective juvenile justice prevention and intervention programs. The emphasis on sustainability matters: the initiative is not just about funding a pilot while federal dollars are available, but about creating a feedback loop where reforms reduce expensive and less effective responses (for example, unnecessary confinement or inefficient practices), and the financial space created by those reforms is intentionally directed toward approaches that prevent delinquency, address unmet needs, and lower the likelihood of future justice involvement. In other words, the grant is meant to help states build a long-term structure where better outcomes and smarter spending reinforce each other.

In terms of logistics, the opportunity number is O-OJJDP-2022-171358, and it is funded as a grant under the Law, Justice and Legal Services category (CFDA 16.827). Eligible applicants are state governments, with additional eligibility details referenced in the original notice. OJJDP anticipated making about three awards, with an award ceiling of $800,000 per award. The opportunity was created on June 2, 2022, and had an original application deadline of July 11, 2022.

Overall, this grant opportunity is aimed at supporting states that are ready to use evidence and state-specific data to drive meaningful juvenile justice reforms, reduce recidivism, improve fairness and equity, and institutionalize a reinvestment strategy so that savings from system improvements are redirected into prevention and effective community-based interventions.

• The Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OJJDP FY 2022 Juvenile Justice System Reform and Reinvestment Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.827.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 02, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 11, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $800,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for O OJJDP 2022 171358

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