Congressional Briefing: Crime Prevention & Youth Development – September 17, 2014

CJJ invites you to to attend a briefing to discuss prevention science and its application to juvenile justice, hosted by the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives. Speakers will discuss how communities can reduce crime through intervention and prevention programs.

You are Invited to a Congressional Briefing 

Crime Prevention and Youth Development

Wednesday, September 17th

2:00-5:00
210 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC

On September 17, 2-5 PM, the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives will host a briefing with nationally recognized experts on reducing crime and promoting positive youth development. The briefing covers topics of concern to the newly formed congressionalCrime Prevention and Youth Development Caucus. Representative Tony Cárdenas (D-CA-29), Caucus Co-Chair, will make opening remarks.

The NPSC’s initial Congressional briefing  promoted governmental adoption of evidence-based prevention programs in many policy areas (e.g., reducing substance abuse) in order to reduce budget deficits and further benefit society (prevention policy paper). Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) spoke.

Their second briefing  focused on ways to scale up well-established prevention programs and emphasized what policymakers need to know to successfully support and monitor the rigorous implementation of such programs. Representatives Tony Cárdenas (D-CA-29) and Robert Pittenger (R-NC-09) spoke.

The September 17th briefing will cover the application of prevention science to juvenile justice. Officials and staff at all levels of government (federal/state/local), as well as researchers, evaluators, educators, practitioners, advocates, and funders are welcome.

The briefing will feature: 

 Welcome by moderator Diana Fishbein, Ph.D.; Professor and Director of C-TRANS, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Director of the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives.

Opening remarks from Representative Tony Cárdenas (D-CA-29).

Panel One:

  • Robert Schwartz, Esq. (Executive Director, Juvenile Law Center).Promoting a Juvenile Justice System that is Fair, Effective, Developmentally Appropriate, and Used Only When Necessary.
  • Dr. Richard Catalano (Director, Social Development Research Group, University of Washington). Building Prevention Infrastructure to Reduce Delinquency, Violence and Substance Use: Communities that Care.
  • Dr. John Roman (Senior Fellow, Justice Policy Center, Urban Institute).Promoting productive relationships between researchers, practitioners, youth advocates and governmental offices (transfer of knowledge from science to practice to policy).


Panel Two:

  • Dr. Jesse Russell (Director of Research, National Council on Crime and Delinquency). Targeting interventions and allocating resources: the value of understanding a youth’s risk of future offending.
  • Dr. Robin Jenkins (Independent Consultant and former Chief Deputy Secretary, within the NC Department of Juvenile Justice/Delinquency Prevention and Deputy Director of the NC Dept. of Public Safety, Division of Juvenile Justice).  The JJDPA As Context for Broadening Evidenced Based Prevention Implementation: Translating Science to Practice through Federal Juvenile Justice Policy.
  • Dr. Kristin Anderson Moore (Senior Scholar, Child Trends). Making the Grade: Assessing the Evidence for Integrated Student Supports.


Overview, Questions and Comments

  • Crime Prevention and Youth Development Caucus
  • Reauthorization of the JJ Prevention Act
  • National Prevention Science Coalition (NPSC) overview


For more information, 
contact: