A positive bond between a developing child and a nurturing adult pays rich dividends that can last a lifetime. With the growing erosion of family life and heavy demands on overburdened support systems, this attachment is increasingly problematic. When a child’s family is unable or unwilling to provide adequate supervision and support, a mentor can help fill this critical gap.

In 1992, Congress responded to this need by amending the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to establish the Juvenile Mentoring Program (JUMP). The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) supports 93 mentoring projects under JUMP, in addition to mentoring initiatives funded through our Formula Grants Program—nearly 300 in 1997 alone.

This 1998 Report to Congress describes the initial stages of OJJDP’s ongoing evaluation of the 93 projects funded under JUMP and includes its preliminary findings, which are hopeful. Positive outcomes to date include reports from both mentors and youth that mentoring was a positive experience, and that youth benefitted from the experience, specifically in staying away from alcohol and drugs, avoiding fights and friends who are starting trouble, keeping away from gangs, and not using guns or knives.

As OJJDP continues to expand mentoring efforts through JUMP, it will also further develop the evaluation of mentoring. Data collection will be enlarged and refined, and more comprehensive analyses will be conducted. Furthermore, the evaluation time period will be extended to 2001. These enhancements should result in the most definitive national evaluation of mentoring to date. OJJDP will also strengthen local evaluations by developing a manual to assist JUMP sites in collecting and assessing program data.

The knowledge gained from the national and local JUMP evaluations should strengthen mentoring activities and enhance such beneficial results as reducing juvenile delinquency and gang participation, improving academic performance, and reducing the school dropout rate. The initial findings contained in this report to Congress give reason to expect these positive outcomes.