ATLANTA (October 16, 2020) — The Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) is pleased to announce the approval of over $500K for 11 new projects under the Opioid Affected Youth Initiative (administered by 8 subgrant recipients).

In 2018, CJCC was one of six initial governmental organizations awarded the Opioid Affected Youth Initiative (OAYI) grant from the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice (OJJDP).

This initiative focuses on improving Georgia’s opioid response for youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice system by funding new programming designed to respond to the growing number of youth who are opioid involved or opioid affected.

The goals of the grant are to:

  • Establish a statewide panel of experts (OAYI Steering Committee) to identify the greatest areas of concern to address the opioid epidemic and its impact on youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice system.
  • Integrate and analyze data from stakeholder groups to understand the risk factors for opioid abuse and related crime for juvenile offenders. Develop a strategic plan to coordinate interventions and evaluate effectiveness.
  • Implement and increase use of evidence-based programming and assessment tools for youth and families receiving evidence-based services.

At this time, the OAYI Steering Committee has been meeting regularly since September 2019. OJJDP approved Georgia’s Download this pdf file. OAYI Strategic Plan in June 2020. A request for proposals (RFP) was released in early June (and re-released in August) for applicants to implement evidence-based programs addressing the opioid epidemic with a focus on Georgia’s youth.

As of October 1st, from the RFP, 8 awards totaling $584,154 were made (for a total of 11 projects) to local programs to address opioid misuse using evidence-based services. Funding recipients include: the Bulloch County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council, Communities in Schools of Burke County Family Connections, the Council on Alcohol and Drugs, the Davis Direction Foundation, the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse, the Savannah-Chatham Board of Education Police Department, the Stephens County Board of Education, and Unison Behavioral Health.

For more information about Georgia’s Opioid Affected Youth Initiative or the projects awarded, please contact Stephanie Mikkelsen, Juvenile Justice Program Director, at [email protected] or visit https://cjcc.georgia.gov/grants/grant-subject-areas/juvenile-justice/opioid-affected-youth-grant-program.

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About the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC)

Created by the Georgia General Assembly in 1981 as an Executive Branch agency, the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) represents the culmination of many efforts to establish a statewide body that would build consensus and unity among the State's diverse and interdependent, criminal justice system components. For more information visit the CJCC website: https://cjcc.georgia.gov/.

CONTACT:
Dannielle Lewis – Communications, External Affairs and Training & Content Manager
[email protected]

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