09.30.14

Hoeven Announces Nearly $400K to North Dakota for Youth Offender Supervision

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has awarded nearly $400,000 in formula funds to the North Dakota Department of Corrections Division of Juvenile Services to continue its Attendant Care program, which provides non-secure supervision for juvenile offenders as an alternative to secure detention or jail at nine sites throughout the state. The funds are made available through the DOJ’s Title II Formula Grants Program, which supports state and local delinquency prevention and intervention efforts as well as juvenile justice system improvements.

“Our young people represent the future of our state and nation, and we are working to lay a good foundation for them and ensure they have opportunities to succeed in their adult lives,” Hoeven said. “Part of that effort is to educate and encourage them to build productive lives. These funds will support our state’s efforts to intervene early with young people who have committed minor offenses and who are struggling, whether at home, at school or with substance abuse, helping them to avoid entering the justice system.”

Senator Hoeven serves as a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee where he works to support funding for programs that enhance North Dakota’s efforts to rehabilitate offenders and prevent future offenses through law enforcement, education and intervention. In June, the committee passed the Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Appropriations bill, which directs the DOJ to create plans to support law enforcement in the Bakken.

Earlier this month, Senator Hoeven led a roundtable with western North Dakota law enforcement officials and North Dakota AG Wayne Stenehjem to address the changing law enforcement needs in the Bakken Region. During the meeting, Hoeven and Stenehjem highlighted a letter they sent that week to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) requesting that the agencies increase the number of agents and permanently staff offices in western North Dakota. The letter can be found here.