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CJJ | Newsletter: March 2007


CJJ Conference News
- JJDPA Today: CJJ Summit on Reauthorization of the JJDPA
- CJJ Call for Summit Presentations
- CJJ Northeast Region Conference

CJJ Leadership News
- Message from Robin Jenkins, CJJ 2007 National Chair
- Message from Nancy Gannon Hornberger, CJJ Executive Director

CJJ Government Relations Alert
- Restore the Federal Juvenile Justice Budget!
- CJJ Contributes to Hill Briefings on Appropriations
- Earmarking of Juvenile Justice Monies

National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) News
- Virginia Amends “Once an Adult, Always an Adult” Law
- North Carolina Commission Recommends Increasing the Age of Juvenile Court Jurisdiction
- Connecticut General Assembly’s Juvenile Justice Planning and Implementation Committee Recommends Increasing the Age of Juvenile Court Jurisdiction
- Delaware Girls Initiative Underway

Resources and Information of Note
- National Prison Rape Elimination Commission Discusses Abuse in Texas Youth Commission Institutions
- Public Comment re: Adam Walsh Act
- New Report on Youth Prosecuted in Adult Criminal Court
- FSU Study Shows Strong Support for Juvenile Justice System
- Spirit of Youth Award Winner Profiled in San Francisco Chronicle
- Chapin Hall and National Conference of State Legislators Web Conference Series
- Temple Law Review Focuses on Law and Adolescence
- Justice Policy Institute Gang Fact Sheet
- Recent OJJDP Publications
- Youth Crime Prevention Conference and International Forum
- National Forum for Juvenile Justice Educators and Trainers




CJJ Conference News

JJDPA Today: CJJ Summit on Reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act

Registration is now open for JJDPA Today: June 9-12, 2007!

The Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) invites you to join fellow State Advisory Group members and allies for our Summit on Reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), June 9 - June 12, 2007, in Washington, D.C.

The CJJ Summit will bring together SAG members and other key leaders from across the nation to learn, discuss and strategize about the pending reauthorization of the JJDPA, as well as to conduct Hill visits with their congressional delegates. The Summit will include:
The Summit will also feature award presentations of the A. L. Carlisle Child Advocacy Award, the Spirit of Youth Award and the Tony Gobar Outstanding National Juvenile Justice Specialist Award. Included as well in the agenda will be: CJJ Regional Coalition Business Meetings; the Juvenile Justice Specialists’ Business Meeting, the DMC Coordinators’ Meeting and CJJ Leadership Committee Meetings; the CJJ Board of Directors’ Meeting (Sunday, June 10); Hill Training & Hill Day (Tuesday, June 12).
Location:
Washington Plaza Hotel
10 Thomas Circle, NW, Washington, DC
Phone: 202-842-1300, Web: [1] www.washingtonplazahotel.com
CJJ Room Block Rate: $159 per night for a single/double (subject to change)
Reservations are open now through May 9, 2007
To register go to:
[2] www.Cvent.com
Click on the “RSVP for Event” tab
Enter event code 5VNNTF93T2W
Registration fees: $100 CJJ member rate, $200 non-member rate
CJJ Call for Summit Presentations

Please review and circulate the CJJ “Call for Presentations” for JJDPA Today, CJJ’s Summit on Reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). Ideas for workshop/session topics include:
For the full “Call for Presentations,” visit [3] www.juvjustice.org and click on “CJJ ‘Call for Presentations’” in the announcements section on the right. You may also contact Kitty McCarthy, Communications and Program Associate: [4] mccarthy@juvjustice.org and (202) 467-0864, ext. 110. Deadline for submission is 5:00 p.m. EST, April 1, 2007.

CJJ Northeast Region Conference

The Northeast Region Coalition of CJJ invites Northeast region members to a one-day conference on April 20, 2007, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Flushing Library in Queens, New York:
The conference opens with a light breakfast and lunch will be provided. Attendance is available on a first come, first served basis and is limited to Northeast region members (Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C.).

Hotel accommodations may be made at the Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel in Flushing, New York. For hotel reservations, contact Silvia Ponce at (718) 670-7420 or [5] sponce@sheratonlaguardia.com.

Please inform your state Juvenile Justice Specialist of your interest in attending. We ask that Specialists in each state then provide attendees’ names to the New York State Specialist, Anne Cadwallader: (518) 457-3670 or [6] anne.cadwallader@dcjs.state.ny.us.

CJJ Leadership News

Message from Robin Jenkins, CJJ 2007 National Chair

Unbelievably, it’s March already! The great news is that the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) is moving forward in some very exciting ways as the time unfolds. In returning to the theme I broached in an earlier column, I see this year as a transformative one for CJJ. Decisions regarding leadership, membership, finances and strategies are all on our agenda. This is a good thing! Organizations are not supposed to stagnate. By evaluating and re-considering goals, objectives, strategies and vision, organizations create opportunities for improvement.

Donna Mertens of Gallaudet University describes the “transformative paradigm” in the American Journal of Evaluation (March 2007) as, “providing the framework of belief systems that directly engages members of culturally diverse groups with a focus on social justice” (p. 86-87). This paradigm includes principles and ethics that suggest that reality is socially constructed – that is, reality in our view is built from the social and interactive relationships that we engage in as we develop and relate to our world. What’s true to me is that in juvenile justice, the social reality appears to include several disturbing trends that CJJ, its members and allies can reverse and positively change:
To be sure, our nation faces serious fiscal obligations and demands. Many priorities compete with juvenile justice for limited resources. Nonetheless, we cannot arrest our way out of juvenile crime, we cannot build enough prisons, and we cannot program our way out of many of the problems we see.

If you do this work long enough, you absolutely go home every night convinced of the role of prevention. Family strengthening, youth development and competency building are clearly where we need to be investing time, expertise and funding. Sound prevention programming saves lives and dollars. Yet, declining juvenile justice funds and the annual stripping away of allocations and research that could help us build stronger families send a very dangerous and disturbing message—a message that CJJ and its friends and allies must challenge and change.

Please call us – myself, Nancy, the staff in Washington, or any of the National Steering Committee leaders – to voice your thoughts and to volunteer. States must not be left out of the national juvenile justice picture. We have an active role in how we construct our reality – don’t you want it to be one that includes the core protections afforded by sensible and ethical government?

In that vein, the National Steering Committee and I have had a fantastic response to our call to SAG chairs and specialists for the March 24-25 Board of Directors’ Meeting in Minneapolis, MN. This meeting will convene the CJJ Board to consider the future, on its own, with independent funding. I cannot thank the State Advisory Group leaders, Juvenile Justice Specialists, National Steering Committee members and Committee Chairs enough for giving their “free” time to this special, important meeting. I’m looking forward to a great discussion and all of us making seminal, forward-thinking decisions regarding CJJ’s future together. I look forward to reporting the results of the meeting to you in next month’s CJJ e-Monitor.

I wish you great success in your own work each day and into the future. I know that you are doing all you can to help youth offenders, victims of crime and your own communities.

Robin Jenkins, Ph.D.

Message from Nancy Gannon Hornberger, CJJ Executive Director

The old adage when one door closes another door opens could never be truer than today at CJJ. While there has been a divestment of OJJDP support for CJJ, we have received a growing commitment from private philanthropists as well as the majority of State Advisory Groups (SAGs) across the nation. CJJ is honored, too, by the helping hands extended by many national partners.

Doors are opening in the field as well. Although federal policy setting in juvenile justice has been unduly punitive in recent years, with the new dynamics in Congress we can expect new opportunities to lift our voices to call for changes. Support is also growing for state innovation in programming and policy—as evidenced in this newsletter—and we are seeing the beginnings of reversals to the highly punitive, costly and ineffective policy trends. It is heartening, as well, to see a broader range of individuals and institutions addressing racial and economic injustice and working for parity and inclusion—across all public systems, including juvenile justice.

CJJ has rich opportunities ahead. CJJ has for more than two decades served as the national association of governor-appointed SAGs charged to fulfill the mandates, as well as the spirit, of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). And, 2007 brings CJJ members a fresh opportunity to revisit the JJDPA—in place since 1974 and repeatedly reauthorized with bipartisan support. It is time to strengthen and bring up-to-date the JJDPA, in keeping with today’s understandings and needs. 2007 is also a year when CJJ will amplify its leadership initiatives—building from a fruitful multi-year partnership with the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, we intend to learn and share more about the ways in which SAGs are leading and contributing to system reforms and juvenile justice improvements.

On another note: With both hearty congratulations for her success and sadness for us, I wish to inform you that Eve Munson has resigned from CJJ. Eve has a great new career and leadership opportunity with the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education where she will serve as Education Program Specialist beginning April 2, 2007. Eve’s final day at CJJ will be March 20, 2007. Eve came to CJJ as our Office Manager in 1999. Due to her exceptional work ethic, ability to tackle wide-ranging circumstances and relationships, and mastery of new skills and content, she progressed through promotions to serve CJJ as Manager of Conferences and Training, and as Project Director for the organization’s very first privately-funded system-change initiative on detention reform. Eve has contributed a tremendous amount of talent and energy to CJJ and to the field of juvenile justice. I know that you join me in wishing Eve all the best – and with hope of staying in touch – as she takes off in yet another aspect of serving and supporting children, youth, families and communities. Please feel free to contact her with well wishes: [7] munson@juvjustice.org.

As always, the ears, phone lines and e-mail boxes of the CJJ staff are open. We are always eager to hear your thoughts, ideas and concerns, and to serve our members’ interests. Please be in touch at any time: [8] nancy@juvjustice.org or 202-467-0864, ext. 111.

CJJ Government Relations Alert

Restore the Federal Juvenile Justice Budget!

Timing is perfect to voice your concerns about federal juvenile justice appropriations, as the Senate and the House consider the fiscal year 2008 (FY2008) Science, State, Justice and Commerce appropriations bills.

Overall, juvenile justice funds have been slashed by nearly 60% in recent years—and the President’s FY2008 budget proposes to zero them out completely and replaces them at a lower level with a discretionary, competitive grant program for states and local jurisdictions, the “Child Safety and Juvenile Justice Program,” scheduled at $254 million (down 25% from $338.7 million under the continuing resolution for FY07). It remains unclear what the parameters and requirements will be for the new funding stream—and it seems that it may be steered entirely away from core support for the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, federal core requirements, State Advisory Groups and State Plans.

ASAP, it is critical for you to work with your State Advisory Group and state contacts to:
  1. Reject the juvenile justice funding proposal in the President’s Budget that creates a new funding mechanism which will direct resources away from core Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act needs;
  2. Urge the congressional appropriators to restore funding for all critical juvenile justice and delinquency prevention funding streams that support the work of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) in the states: Title II State Formula Funds, Title V Local Delinquency Prevention Grants, Juvenile Accountability Block Grants (JABG) and Delinquency Prevention Block Grants (DPBG).
KEY STREAMS OF FEDERAL JJ FUNDING AS APPROPRIATED (in millions):
FY03 FY04 FY05 FY06 FY07
CR		 President's
FY08
proposed		 CJJ
REQUEST
for FY08
Title II
Formula
Funds		 $83.3 $83.2 $83.3 $79.2 $79.2 --0-- $88.8
Title V
Local Delinq.
Prevention		 $46.1 $79.2 $79.4 $64.4 $64.4 --0-- $95

JABG		 $188.8 $59.4 $54.6 $49.5 $49.5 --0-- $250

DPBG

 $126.4
via diff.
vehicles		 --0-- --0-- --0-- --0-- --0-- $126.4

Take action:

Let’s produce a flood of calls and letters from the states going to the Appropriators in Congress and carrying forward our messages!
  1. See the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (CJJ) Web site for lists of Senate and House Appropriations Committees charged with reshaping juvenile justice funding support: [9] www.juvjustice.org, click on Government Relations and scroll down to “Appropriations.”
  2. On your State Advisory Group (SAG) letterhead, write to the Chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, as well as the Subcommittees charged creating recommendations for juvenile justice appropriations. Template letters are linked to the CJJ Web site: [10] www.juvjustice.org –under “Announcements.”
  3. If you are IN a State/District of a Senator and/or Members on the Appropriations Committees, contact them to voice your concerns and to seek budget restorations (see above); see if you can organize a visit for the April 3-13 recess; demonstrate with clear examples how the cuts will jeopardize the delinquency prevention programs and services in the member’s district.
  4. If you are NOT IN a State/District of a Congressional Appropriator, contact your Senators and Representatives and ask them to communicate your concerns and requests to their colleagues on the Appropriations Committees.
CJJ Contributes to Hill Briefings on Appropriations

On March 13, 2007, two briefings for congressional staff in the House and Senate were held on Capitol Hill with the theme of “Preventing School, Gang and Youth Violence: Community Solutions that Work.” The briefings focused on restoring and increasing juvenile justice appropriations and were sponsored by Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Chair of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, Committee on Education and Labor, as well as the Ranking Member of the Committee, Representative Todd Platts (R-CT), along with Senate hosts, Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Arlen Specter (R-PA), the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The briefings and speakers were organized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Coalition and National Collaboration for Youth—consortiums representing more than 100 national organizations, in which CJJ is a leading participant.

Special thanks go to Jim Antal, Juvenile Justice Specialist for the state of Maryland, who assisted in linking us with Dr. Judy Kinsella, Program Manager for the Baltimore County (MD) Multi-systemic Therapy (MST) Program funded significantly with Juvenile Accountability Block Grant (JABG) monies, as well as to Mark Ferrante, Juvenile Justice Specialist for the state of New Jersey, for recommending Barbara Adolphe of the Center for Prevention and Counseling in Newton, New Jersey, who uses Title II Formula Funds and Title V Local Delinquency Prevention monies for highly effective gang resistance and abatement programs. Judy and Barbara gave truly compelling testimony, amplified in value because they are also constituents of key appropriations committee leaders. In addition, Judy reminded the audience that the Washington State Public Policy Group analyzed the cost effectiveness of juvenile justice treatment programs and found that every dollar spent on MST produces nearly $29 savings in juvenile and criminal justice costs. Further, the programs presented by Judy and Barbara have produced substantial outcomes that clearly demonstrate that at-risk and adjudicated youth are being helped to remain at home, in school and out of trouble—thanks to the support provided by critical juvenile justice monies from the federal government.

Questions? Please feel free to contact:

Linda Hayes, Chair, CJJ Government Relations Committee: 910-892-4469 and [11] lhayes@harnettlaw.com
Nancy Gannon Hornberger, CJJ Executive Director: 202-467-0864, ext. 111 and [12] nancy@juvjustice.org

Earmarking of Juvenile Justice Monies

In his article, “Washington’s No-Pork Diet” in Youth Today, John Kelly analyzes the controversial practice of earmarking. He reports that “perhaps the most egregious case is the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), where competitive grants have just about disappeared in recent years as earmarks consumed all of the money.” A chart to demonstrate this drop-off in non-earmarked juvenile justice funds is included. See [13] www.youthtoday.org/youthtoday/Feb07/YT_Feb2007.pdf.

National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) News

Virginia Amends “Once an Adult, Always an Adult” Law

The Virginia Coalition for Juvenile Justice, an NJJN member, has succeeded in improving a Virginia law that transfers youth into the adult system. The Virginia legislature recently passed a bill by Delegate Dave Marsden (D-Fairfax) that amends Virginia's "once an adult, always an adult" law so that it is applied more fairly to youth. Previously, merely transferring a youth to adult court was enough to trigger the "once an adult, always an adult" law. This meant that youth transferred to the adult system were treated as an adult offender in all future proceedings, no matter how minor the charge, even if they were acquitted or had their case dismissed. Delegate Marsden's bill, HB 3007, requires that youth must be convicted of an offense when they are transferred to adult court in order to be tried in adult court for any and all future offenses. It has been passed by both houses of the legislature. View the text of the bill at [14] http://legis.state.va.us/.

North Carolina Commission Recommends Increasing the Age of Juvenile Court Jurisdiction

The work of Action for Children North Carolina, an NJJN member, in changing the state’s age of jurisdiction laws, moved one step closer with the recent submission of a state commission’s report on the issue. In 2005, the North Carolina Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission was asked by Representative Alice Bordsen to study issues related to the conviction and sentencing of juvenile offenders. The Commission has just submitted its report to the North Carolina Assembly recommending that the state raise the age at which children can be automatically referred to adult court from age 16 to age 18. Traffic offenses committed by 16 and 17 year olds would remain within the jurisdiction of the adult court. The Commission recommended that the current criteria and process for transfer from juvenile to adult court should not be changed. The implementation of the change in juvenile jurisdiction would be delayed for two years after passage of the act to allow for analysis of the legal and organizational changes required. The full report of the Commission is available on their web page at [15] http://www.nccourts.org/Courts/CRS/Councils/
[16] spac/Documents/yo_%20finalreporttolegislature.pdf.

Connecticut General Assembly’s Juvenile Justice Planning and Implementation Committee Recommends Increasing the Age of Juvenile Court Jurisdiction

The Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance, an NJJN member, saw years of hard work come to fruition with a report from the General Assembly’s Juvenile Justice Planning and Implementation Committee that recommends raising the age of juvenile court jurisdiction. The date of implementation for the change would be July 1, 2009, to allow ample time for affected courts and state agencies to build their capacity to accommodate the expected influx of 16 and 17 year olds without diluting the quality or quantity of services available to younger children in the system. The Committee’s other recommendations include improvements to court diversion and pre-trial detention practices and establishing regional youth courts. The two-year delay in implementation would allow time for the appropriation of funds necessary to accomplish these changes. The full report is available on the Juvenile Justice Planning and Implementation Committee’s Web site: [17] http://www.cga.ct.gov/hdo/jjpic/
[18] 070212_JJPIC_report_revised.pdf.

Delaware Girls Initiative Underway

The Delaware Girls Initiative (DGI) will create a gender-responsive continuum of services for girls at-risk or involved in the juvenile justice system in Delaware. The project, which began in early 2005, put together a Leadership Group of over 50 individuals and organizations under the leadership of The Honorable Chandlee Kuhn, Chief Judge of Delaware's Family Court. The group included the Delaware Collaboration for Youth, an NJJN member. With the assistance of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency’s research on national and state profiles of girls in the juvenile justice system, the group published a "Blueprint for Systemic Change" in May 2006. The Initiative will have its first staff on board this month. The Blueprint is available on the website of the Delaware Center for Justice: [19] www.dcjustice.org.

Resources and Information of Note

National Prison Rape Elimination Commission Discusses Abuse in Texas Youth Commission Institutions

The National Prison Rape Elimination Commission will hold a public hearing March 26-27 in Austin, Texas, which will focus on lock-up facilities and Native American detention facilities generally, as well as specific aspects of the Texas prison system.

In light of the recent revelations of sexual abuse in juvenile facilities under the supervision of the Texas Youth Commission, the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission has added a panel to discuss the unfolding situation with the hope of learning more about the “critical issues of reporting and prevention, oversight, and the particular vulnerability of young people.”

If you would like additional details regarding the upcoming hearing, or information about submitting a written statement to be read at the hearing, contact Haley Griffin (Commission staff person) at [20] hgriffin@rabengroup.com or (202) 466-3044.

Congress passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act in 2003. Among other things, the Act created the Commission and charged it with analyzing the cause and consequences of prison rape and with studying federal, state and local government policies and practices for its prevention, detection and punishment. At the conclusion of the Commission’s term, they will report their findings and recommendations to the President and to Congress, including recommended national standards for enhancing the detection, prevention, reduction and punishment of prison sexual assault.

Public Comment re: Adam Walsh Act

The U.S. Attorney General has made an interim ruling that the “Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act or SORNA” portion of the 2006 Adam Walsh Act will be applied retroactively, which means that sex offenders whose convictions predate the enactment of SORNA will also be subject to registration and notification under the provisions.

The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act ([21] Pub.L. 109-248) was signed into law in July 2006. The legislation organizes sex offenders into three tiers, and mandates that Tier 3 offenders update their whereabouts every three months. It makes failure to register and update one’s information a felony. Each state and territory is required to apply identical criteria for posting offender data on the Internet (i.e., offender’s name, address, date of birth, place of employment, photograph, etc.).

The law also expands registry requirements to persons as young as age 14 in certain offense categories. For juveniles, the Walsh Act defines “conviction” for purposes of registration and public notification to include juvenile adjudications if the juvenile offender is at least 14 years of age at the time of the offense and the offense is comparable to or more severe than the federal offense of aggravated sexual abuse.

You can view an electronic version of this interim rule on line at [22] www.regulations.gov. Because this is an interim rule it is open to public comment until April 30.

Search for the “keyword or ID” DOJ-2007-0032-0001. SORNA information begins at the end of the first page of the PDF document.

Comment by mail to:
David J. Karp, Senior Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Policy, Room 4509, Main Justice Building, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20530. To ensure proper handling, please reference OAG Docket No. 117 on your correspondence.

Comment via Internet:
Email to U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Policy (OLP) at [23] olpregs@usdoj.gov.
Or go to [24] www.regulations.gov and complete the electronic comment form for this regulation. Please remember when submitting comments electronically that you must also include OAG Docket No. 117 in the subject box.

New Report on Youth Prosecuted in Adult Criminal Court

On March 21, 2007, the Campaign for Youth Justice will announce its national campaign to end the practice of trying, sentencing and incarcerating children under 18 in the adult criminal justice system. A cornerstone of the campaign is the release of a report entitled The Consequences Aren’t Minor: The Impact of Prosecuting Youth as Adults and Strategies for Reform. The report profiles seven states – California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, Virginia, and Wisconsin – and is designed to inform policy makers about juvenile and criminal matters.

The report builds on findings revealed in “Childhood on Trial,” CJJ’s report on the same topic issued in 2005, and highlights the following: 1) most youth who are tried as adults are charged with nonviolent offenses; 2) placement of youth in adult jails is increasing – 208 percent since 1990 – jeopardizing the safety of more young people; 3) state laws often contradict core federal protections meant to prohibit juveniles from being confined with adult inmates.

The report makes policy recommendations specific to the states it profiles, including: 1) increasing the age of juvenile court jurisdiction to 18 years old; 2) banning the placement of youth in adult detention facilities; 3) redirecting resources to expand developmentally appropriate treatment and services for youth in the juvenile justice system as an alternative to the adult criminal justice system; and 4) investing in quality and effective legal counsel for youth.

The report is available as of March 21 at [25] www.campaign4youth.org.

FSU Study Shows Strong Support for Juvenile Justice System

A new study by researchers at Florida State University (FSU) finds that the public strongly supports retaining the juvenile justice system and emphasizing rehabilitation. In the spring of 2006, FSU’s College of Criminology and Criminal Justice conducted a telephone survey of 1,308 adults in Florida, seeking opinions about respondents’ political leanings and general attitudes toward juvenile justice and both violent and non-violent offenders. The survey found that:
An article by Libby Fairhurst on the FSU Web site quotes FSU Associate Professor Daniel P. Mears, the lead author of the study:
"We found that factors such as age, race/ethnicity, education, income, conservative Protestantism, victimization and employment in the criminal justice system are largely unrelated to views one way or the other about eliminating the juvenile justice system," Mears said. "This finding in turn reinforces the idea that support for a child-centered juvenile justice system cuts equally across many segments of the Florida adult population."
Noting that Florida is the fourth largest state and that the survey sample is demographically similar to the Unites States as a whole, Mears contends that the study offers nationally relevant insights. Learn more about the study at [26] http://www.fsu.edu/news/2007/02/19/juvenile.justice/.

Spirit of Youth Award Winner Profiled in San Francisco Chronicle

Derrick Bedford, who won the Coalition for Juvenile Justice’s Spirit of Youth Award in 1999, was profiled on March 12 in the San Francisco Chronicle. The article details his transformation from a teenage drug dealer in Oakland, CA to a juvenile institutional officer for the Alameda County Probation Department today. A father of two daughters, Bedford credits his turn-around to Superior Court Judge Larry Goodman who acted on a “gut feeling” to give the young man another chance.

Bedford was awarded the Spirit of Youth Award in 1999 at a CJJ conference in Salt Lake City, UT. The award recognized and honored his personal triumphs, professional achievements and extraordinary service to others.

To read a profile of Bedford on the CJJ Web site, visit [27] http://www.juvjustice.org/award_detail_17.html.

To read the San Francisco Chronicle article on Bedford, visit [28] http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi
[29] ?file=/c/a/2007/03/12/DDGLAOI6HD1.DTL.

Chapin Hall and National Conference of State Legislators Web Conference Series

Beginning on March 27, the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago and the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) will host a series of Web conferences exploring research on child and family issues, as well as policy and practice implications. The three-part series will cover the following topics:
Register for the Web conference series at [30] http://www.about.chapinhall.org/conferences/conferences.html.

Temple Law Review Focuses on Law and Adolescence

The Temple Law Review has published a special March edition featuring 11 articles on law and adolescence. Coupled with a symposium on the same topic, the publication features keynote presentations by leading researchers and practitioners who presented findings and case studies about the transition to adulthood, government responsibility for adolescents in government care, and ways in which the law can promote better outcomes for youth in government care. For more information on the symposium, visit [31] http://jlc.org/news.php/8. To order bound copies of the special edition, contact the Temple Law Review at [32] tlawrev@temple.edu or (215) 204-7868. Single issues are $10.00 per copy.

Justice Policy Institute Gang Fact Sheet

With increased focus and attention being given to gang violence, the Justice Policy Institute has posted a fact sheet on its Web site entitled “Gang crime in context: What’s the real crisis, and what are real solutions?”

The fact sheet discusses crime statistics and the relationship between crime change and reported gang activity. It also addresses research suggesting that increased imprisonment negatively impacts youth who might otherwise “age out” of delinquent behavior, and aggravates public safety goals. In contrast, education serves as a protective factor against juvenile delinquency and recidivism. The fact sheet highlights proven programs that work with seriously violent and at risk youth, while noting that cuts in federal funding make it difficult to continue addressing juvenile crime and delinquency. View the fact sheet at [33] http://www.justicepolicy.org/
[34] reports_jl/3-8-07_gangs_factsheet/facts_gangs_2007.html.

Recent OJJDP Publications

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) recently released three publications:
OJJDP publications are available for download at [35] http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/index.html.

Youth Crime Prevention Conference and International Forum

Youth Crime Watch of America (YCWA) hosts the 18th National Youth Crime Prevention Conference and International Forum March 21-24, 2007 in Denver, CO. Speakers include Paul Rusesabagina of Hotel Rwanda and Marshawn Evans from The Apprentice. The conference aims to provide youth and their adult allies with inspiration, valuable skills, prevention knowledge and national resources in the fight against crime, violence and drugs. For more information and to register, visit [36] http://www.ycwa.org/youthcon/index.html.

National Forum for Juvenile Justice Educators and Trainers

The Council for Educators of At-Risk and Delinquent Youth and the Juvenile Justice Trainers Association will host a National Forum for Juvenile Justice Educators and Trainers March 19-21, 2007, at Hot Springs National Park, AR. The forum features keynote speaker Dr. Bernice McCarthy and opportunities to discuss critical issues, participate in skill-building workshops and learn about best practices and approaches. For more information, visit [37] http://www.npjs.org/Documents/07_Forum.pdf.

The CJJ e-Monitor is brought to you by staff and volunteer leaders of CJJ, and supported by membership fees paid by CJJ’s State Advisory Group members, Members at Large and Allies. We are grateful to all for their ongoing support.

The CJJ e-Monitor is distributed in the first week of every month. To submit items for publication, e-mail Kitty McCarthy at [38] mccarthy@juvjustice.org. Items must be submitted two weeks prior to the first of the month for consideration. Inclusion and editing of submissions are subject to CJJ editorial guidelines.

To electronically subscribe or unsubscribe to the CJJ e-Monitor, please send a request with your name and contact information to[39] info@juvjustice.org.

— Robin Jenkins, 2007 CJJ National Chair
— Kitty McCarthy, Editor

[1]: http://www.washingtonplazahotel.com
[2]: http://www.Cvent.com
[3]: http://www.juvjustice.org
[4]: mailto:mccarthy@juvjustice.org
[5]: mailto:sponce@sheratonlaguardia.com
[6]: mailto:anne.cadwallader@dcjs.state.ny.us
[7]: mailto:munson@juvjustice.org
[8]: mailto:nancy@juvjustice.org
[9]: http://www.juvjustice.org
[10]: http://www.juvjustice.org
[11]: mailto:lhayes@harnettlaw.com
[12]: mailto:nancy@juvjustice.org
[13]: http://www.youthtoday.org/youthtoday/Feb07/YT_Feb2007.pdf
[14]: http://legis.state.va.us/
[15]: http://www.nccourts.org/Courts/CRS/Councils/spac/Documents/yo_%20finalreporttolegislature.pdf
[16]: http://www.nccourts.org/Courts/CRS/Councils/spac/Documents/yo_%20finalreporttolegislature.pdf
[17]: http://www.cga.ct.gov/hdo/jjpic/070212_JJPIC_report_revised.pdf
[18]: http://www.cga.ct.gov/hdo/jjpic/070212_JJPIC_report_revised.pdf
[19]: http://www.dcjustice.org
[20]: mailto:hgriffin@rabengroup.com
[21]: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=109_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ248.109
[22]: http://www.regulations.gov
[23]: mailto:olpregs@usdoj.gov
[24]: http://www.regulations.gov
[25]: http://www.campaign4youth.org
[26]: http://www.fsu.edu/news/2007/02/19/juvenile.justice/
[27]: http://www.juvjustice.org/award_detail_17.html
[28]: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/03/12/DDGLAOI6HD1.DTL
[29]: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/03/12/DDGLAOI6HD1.DTL
[30]: http://www.about.chapinhall.org/conferences/conferences.html
[31]: http://jlc.org/news.php/8
[32]: mailto:tlawrev@temple.edu
[33]: http://www.justicepolicy.org/reports_jl/3-8-07_gangs_factsheet/facts_gangs_2007.html
[34]: http://www.justicepolicy.org/reports_jl/3-8-07_gangs_factsheet/facts_gangs_2007.html
[35]: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/index.html
[36]: http://www.ycwa.org/youthcon/index.html
[37]: http://www.npjs.org/Documents/07_Forum.pdf
[38]: mailto:mccarthy@juvjustice.org
[39]: mailto:info@juvjustice.org

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