April 2003

A Message From OJJDP OJJDP’s Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grants (JAIBG) program was created on the premise that juvenile offenders should be held accountable for their crimes both as a matter of basic justice and as a way to prevent and deter delinquency. This Bulletin provides an indepth history of the JAIBG program, reviews the developmental perspective shaping juvenile accountability, and offers case histories illustrating effective practices that promote accountability. As the overview of OJJDP’s JAIBG Best Practices Series, this Bulletin also highlights information provided by the other Bulletins in the series to enhance the reader’s understanding of each of the 12 JAIBG program purpose areas and includes a bibliography of key references from the series to supplement that understanding. The JAIBG Best Practices Series is designed to help policymakers, planners, and practitioners in their efforts to hold youth accountable for their acts and, by doing so, to protect our communities.

Best Practices in Juvenile Accountability: Overview Marty Beyer Introduction A Developmental Perspective Juvenile Accountability in Practice The JAIBG Program Highlights From the JAIBG Best Practices Bulletins Conclusion Endnotes Key References JAIBG Publications NCJ 184745 Access OJJDP publications online at ojjdp.ncjrs.org

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Acknowledgments Marty Beyer, Ph.D., is an independent juvenile justice and child welfare consultant who focuses on reaching agreement with youth and families about needs and on designing individualized services to build on strengths and to meet needs.

Share With Your Colleagues Unless otherwise noted, OJJDP publications are not copyright protected. We encourage you to reproduce this document, share it with your colleagues, and reprint it in your newsletter or journal. However, if you reprint, please cite OJJDP and the author of this Bulletin. We are also interested in your feedback, such as how you received a copy, how you intend to use the information, and how OJJDP materials meet your individual or agency needs. Please direct your comments and questions to: Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse Publication Reprint/Feedback P.O. Box 6000 Rockville, MD 20849–6000 800–638–8736 301–519–5600 (fax) E-mail: tellncjrs@ncjrs.org