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Delinquency Prevention Services

The Office of Prevention and Victims Services (OPVS) was created in 1992 to administer the California Department of the Youth Authority's (CYA) delinquency prevention and victims services responsibilities. While the primary mission of the DJJ revolves around maintaining custody of, and providing treatment, training and education for, wards of the juvenile court placed in its jurisdiction, the Department established OPVS to acknowledge its responsibilities and support in crime and delinquency prevention and community and victim restoration.

The Delinquency Prevention Division (DPD) was responsible for leading the Department's prevention efforts. This was accomplished through four specific programs and a variety of other activities. The four established programs are as follows:

1. The County Correctional Facility Capital Expenditure and Youth Facility Bond Act of 1988 and the Juvenile and Gang Violence Prevention, Detention and Public Protection Act of 1998 provided nearly $50 million in grant funding for Youth Centers and Youth Shelters. Through these two programs, grant funds were allocated to counties and community based agencies on a competitive basis for acquisition, construction, renovation and equipping of youth centers and shelters. The DPD administers these grants and provides support and monitoring of the youth centers and shelters which provide thousands of at-risk youth with positive programs and services.

2. Gang Violence Reduction Projects enlist the services of community based programs, schools, and law enforcement to provide youth with positive alternatives to gang participation.

3. Proud Parenting/Mentoring Programs utilize parenting education, mentoring and family activites to train, up to the age of 25, including teen parents and youth supervised under the jurisdiction of the CYA, to be good parents. This program is based on the premise that the prevention of child maltreatment is closely linked to later delinquency and can be prevented.

4. Tattoo Removal Programs: The Delinquency Prevention Division maintains and updates a resource listing of tattoo removal programs throughout the state of California. Most of these programs provide free tattoo removal services to at-risk youth (under the age of 25) with the intent of removing a barrier (tattoos) to future employment and law-abiding behavior.

For additional information please contact the Corrections Standards Authority (formerly Board of Corrections) at (916) 322-1427 or visit their web site: www.cdcr.ca.gov/DivisionsBoards/CSA/index.html

Additional Prevention Resources on the Web