In this final year of the three-year plan, the state will continue efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities (red) and promote positive youth development (PYD)

The Ohio Department of Youth Services (ODYS) received a $1,531,403 formula grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (CFDA 16.735 - PREA Program: Strategic Support for PREA Implementation) to support efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities (RED) in the juvenile justice system and promote positive youth development (PYD).

The funding will be used to provide delinquency prevention services targeting at-risk African American youth, as well as PYD programs serving youth of all races in impoverished communities with risk factors like drug abuse and high crime rates. Services include mentoring, skill-building, job readiness, counseling, and family therapy. ODYS will sub-award portions of the grant to community providers delivering these evidence-based services. The grant also supports ODYS's administrative costs for grant management, compliance monitoring, and State Advisory Group (SAG) activities. Quarterly and annual performance reports will track outcomes using OJJDP's predefined measures.

Because red falls under a compliance category, these efforts will be undertaken by allocating funding to delinquency prevention with the target population being african american youth. Much of ohios title II has been dedicated for this purpose since 2007. Thousands of african american youth have been served and the state has seen several years of reductions in disparity. The addition of PYD in 2021 has served non-minority and other youth to ensure that all youth have access to services. Administrative funds will be allocated to support the JJ specialist and a grants management representative, a small amount of funding will be used to support compliance monitoring. Funding will also be allocated for SAG activities. Delinquency prevention funding (red) will be awarded to community providers where large numbers of at-risk african american youths reside and have the greatest needs. The goal is to reduce contact with the juvenile justice system by providing prevention and early intervention services. Funding allocated for positive youth development (PYD) will be used to fund programs that serve youth of all races. The target population will be at-risk youths living in impoverished communities where there are risk factors such drug abuse, high crime rates, and where there is limited access to financial or other resources. Funding will be awarded for a fourth and final year to continuation programs for services such as mentoring, skill building, job readiness, counseling, and family therapy. Effectiveness will continue to be closely monitored by the department's grant management representative. Deliverables include services and programming for at-risk youth of all races, between the agencies of 10 and 17. Products will include quarterly and annual performance reports with performance/progress tracked using ojjdps predefined performance measures for the red and PYD program areas. Performance reports will be reviewed quarterly to ensure each program is on task and making adequate progress towards reaching the intended outcomes.