OJJDP News @ a Glance - November/December 2016

News From the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Seal

On November 15, 2016, the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention convened its final meeting under the Obama Administration to discuss advances made in the areas of trauma-informed care, school discipline, and reentry; to discuss transition plans; and to discuss how to move the work forward. Administrator Listenbee facilitated the meeting, which took place at the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) in Washington, DC.

Photo of Coordinating Council meeting participants

Coordinating Council meeting participants included, from left to right: Jennifer Burnszynski, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Karol V. Mason, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs; U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch; OJJDP Administrator Robert L. Listenbee; and Jeff Slowikowski, OJJDP’s Senior Advisor for Strategic and Community Engagement.

Attendees included U.S. Attorney General and council chair Loretta E. Lynch; Karol V. Mason, Assistant Attorney General for OJP; and council members and designees from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy and the U.S. Departments of Education, Labor, Health and Human Services, Defense, the Interior, Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Homeland Security, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Also in attendance were participants from the Corporation for National and Community Service.

“This is a council that has truly changed lives,” said Attorney General Lynch. “The unseen wounds some of our children carry are just as dangerous as those we can see. The work you’re doing is changing the lives, hearts, and minds of our children.”

The council heard several presentations, including an update on the Changing Minds public awareness campaign from OJJDP Senior Policy Advisor Georgina Mendoza McDowell.

SAMHSA Lead Policy Analyst Rebecca Flatow Zornick spoke about her office’s national strategy to address trauma. “Addressing trauma requires a multipronged, multiagency public health approach inclusive of public education and awareness, prevention and early identification, and effective trauma-specific assessment and treatment,” said Ms. Zornick.

Monique Chism, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Education Department, spoke about the impact of the Justice and Education Departments’ Supportive School Discipline Initiative, highlighting components of the School Discipline Guidance Package—specifically, a Dear Colleague Letter that advises how public schools can discipline students without discrimination, a Directory of Federal School Climate and Discipline Resources, and a Compendium of School Discipline Laws and Regulations. She cautioned, however, that “There is still a tremendous amount of work left to do. . . . Students of color, English learners, and students with disabilities are disciplined more often than their classmates.”

Tonya Robinson, HUD General Counsel, reported significant gains from HUD’s partnership with OJJDP on the Juvenile Reentry Assistance Program (JRAP). In 2016, 21 JRAP grants were awarded to expunge, seal, or correct juvenile or criminal records; to mitigate the collateral consequences reentering youth experience; and to leverage the National Bar Association’s pledged 4,000 hours of pro bono legal services. First quarter reports from 18 grantees indicated that 99 youth received legal assistance.

Mr. Listenbee acknowledged Judge Trina Thompson, Dr. Lauire Garduque, and Reginald Betts, whose council terms have ended. Mr. Listenbee then welcomed three new practitioner members—Jacob Horowitz, policy director for the Public Safety Performance Project at The Pew Charitable Trusts; Jim S. Germain, residential care advocate for New York City’s Administration for Children Services and cofounder of Preparing Leaders of Tomorrow, Inc.; and Dr. Francisco A. Villarruel, associate chair for education and outreach at Michigan State University.

With 13 federal agency/ex officio and affiliate members transitioning off the council, Assistant Attorney General Mason assured attendees that the work will go on. “There’s little question in my mind that the momentum we’ve generated will continue,” she said. “Come January 20, the council’s work will carry on with an incredibly talented and committed career staff from all the partnering federal agencies,” she said.

“Each participating agency, organization, and individual seated at this table has a stake in the future success of our children,” Administrator Listenbee said. “We are at our best when we embrace a common vision and when we work together. Success requires perseverance and patience. Our children deserve no less.”

Resources:

Watch a webcast of the meeting.

Meetings of the council are open to the public. Visit the council’s website to read minutes from past meetings and access meeting handouts, register for the next meeting, and learn more about the council.

The Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is an independent body within the executive branch of the federal government operated under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The council's primary functions are to coordinate federal juvenile delinquency prevention programs, federal programs and activities that detain or care for unaccompanied juveniles, and federal programs relating to missing and exploited children. The council is made up of 23 members—13 ex officio and affiliate members and 10 practitioners. The ex officio members are: the Attorney General; the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development, and Labor; the Assistant Secretary of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy; and the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Affiliate members are the Secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Defense, and the Interior, and the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of HHS. The 10 juvenile justice practitioner members are appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Senate Majority Leader, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and the President of the United States.