Weekly News Brief

"Traumatizing At-Risk Kids Is Not the Way To Lead Them Away from Crime and Drugs"—Laurie O. Robinson, OJP's Assistant Attorney General, and Jeff Slowikowski, Acting Administrator of OJP's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, co-authored an op-ed that appeared this week in The Baltimore Sun. They noted that research has shown that "scared straight" programs such as those highlighted in the A&E Network show, "Beyond Scared Straight," are ineffective and potentially harmful. Instead, research has shown that mentoring programs are effective in reducing incidents of delinquency, substance use and academic failure. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-scared-straight-20110131,0,5698267.story

DOJ Announces Enhanced Human Trafficking Enforcement Initiative—Attorney General Eric Holder said this week that the Department of Justice would join the Departments of Homeland Security and Labor to streamline federal criminal investigations and prosecutions of human trafficking offenses. In January, OJP released an Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force Strategy and Operations e-Guide which provides resources and guidance to support effective Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force operations, including task force formulation and structuring, and strategies and lessons learned from the anti-trafficking field as well as a centralized link to trainings and other resources. The e-guide was prepared by OJP's Bureau of Justice Assistance and Office for Victims of Crime, which fund anti-human trafficking task forces across the country. http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/February/11-ag-140.html
https://www.ovcttac.gov/taskforceguide

February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month—President Obama issued a proclamation to bring attention to teen dating violence. Each year, one in four teens report being the victim of verbal, physical, emotional or sexual violence. More information about teen dating violence, including a study funded by OJP's National Institute of Justice (NIJ), is available at http://www.ncjrs.gov/teendatingviolence. Confidential advice and referrals are available through the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline at 1-866-331-9474 or at www.LoveIsRespect.org.

February 15th is the Deadline for Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery Nominations—Nominations for the Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-298) are due by Feb. 15, 2011. The awards will recognize acts of bravery, as described by the Act, performed between Jan. 1, 2010, and Dec. 31, 2010, by federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement officers nominated by their agency's leadership. ojp.gov/BJA/CBOB.

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