The Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention brings together leaders of youth-serving agencies and representatives from youth-focused disciplines to coordinate federal programs related to delinquency prevention, missing and exploited children, and the detention/care of unaccompanied juveniles. An independent body within the executive branch of the federal government, the Council is composed of the Attorney General (who serves as the Council's chairperson); the Administrator of OJJDP (who serves as vice chairperson); the Secretaries of Labor, Education, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development; the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy; and the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Nine expert practitioners appointed by the President, the Senate Majority Leader, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives also serve as Council members.

The Council's June 2004 meeting was hosted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy at the White House Conference Center and focused on the coordination of mentoring programs. Council members heard presentations on the Mentoring Children of Prisoners program from the Family and Youth Services Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Juvenile Mentoring Program (JUMP) from OJJDP, and the School Mentoring Program from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.

Council meetings are held quarterly in Washington, DC, and are open to the public. The next meeting is scheduled for September 10, 2004. The final meeting of the year will be hosted by the U.S. Department of Labor on December 3, 2004. For meeting summaries and additional information, visit the Council's Web page (juvenilecouncil.gov).