Conference Highlights Successes in Models for Change States
Jan 8, 2010, LaWanda Johnson
Hundreds of Models for Change representatives from sixteen states were on hand to highlight reform progress in their states and share experiences with peers during the 4th annual Models for Change Working Conference in Washington, D.C. The representatives, comprised of judges, lawyers, state policy makers and juvenile justice system professionals, are part of the national Models for Change initiative that is working on a range of state and local juvenile justice reforms in four states (Washington, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Louisiana), and 12 other states participating in three action networks focused on disproportionate minority contact, mental health, and juvenile indigent defense.
The Models for Change initiative seeks to accelerate progress toward a more effective, fair, and developmentally sound juvenile justice system that holds young people accountable for their actions, provides for their rehabilitation, protects them from harm, increases their life chances, and manages the risk they pose to themselves and to the public. The annual Models for Change Working Conference serves as a way for juvenile justice advocates to share strategies and resources to move juvenile justice reform efforts forward.
Conference participants attended peer groups sessions and state delegation caucuses and participated in workshops which included topics such as community engagement, front end diversion, new research findings and sustainability of reform in a time of fiscal uncertainty.
Southwest Key Programs’ founder and CEO, Dr. Juan Sanchez, delivered the lunch keynote address which included a haunting account of what youth face in detention centers, and eye-opening information about the urgent need to reduce disproportionate minority contact (DMC) within the juvenile justice system.
U.S. Department of Justice Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mary Lou Leary, who co-presented with Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Administrator Pamela Hyde, during a panel on the Federal Perspectives and Progress in Juvenile Justice, acknowledged the need to be more responsive to juvenile justice issues, particularly when dealing with persistent racial disparities.
“Research [on DMC] is quite stunning on this,” said Leary. “You cannot explain this away. The rate in which you find African American youth in the system far exceeds that of other kids. This is just unacceptable and we have to address that. We are committed to doing something.”
During the conference, four juvenile justice leaders received the 2009 Champions of Change Award in recognition of their exceptional contributions to juvenile justice. The award, which was launched at last year’s national conference, recognizes one leader from each of the four core Models for Change states who has positively affected the lives of court-involved kids, their families and communities.
The nominations were initiated by Models for Change partners in the four core states. The nominations are then evaluated by the Models for Change Executive Committee who made the final selection.
The 2009 Champions include:
Louisiana District Court Justice Patricia Koch was pivotal in the development of the Rapides Parish Children and Youth Planning Board. She has trained and consulted across Louisiana, using her Models for Change work in Rapides Parish as a paradigm of justice reform.
Deputy Director of the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission Keith Snyder provided leadership for his state’s Mental Health and Juvenile Work Group, creating a bridge between the juvenile justice and mental health systems through his Models for Change efforts.
Ogle County (Illinois) State’s Attorney John Ben Roe was instrumental in ensuring that juveniles in his county undergo vitally-needed professional assessments in the early stage of their contact with the justice system.
And Anne Lee, executive director of TeamChild in Seattle, Washington successfully fought to retain needed services for youth-serving systems through her work with subcommittees of Uniting for Youth, a King County systems integration initiative.
Click here to watch video clips of the Champions for Change Award winners speaking at the conference!
For more information on the 2009 Working Conference:
2009 Champions for Change Award Winners
2009 Conference Agenda
2009 Conference Participants List
- Issues
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Aftercare
, Community-based alternatives
, Evidence-based practices
, Juvenile indigent defense
, Mental health
, Racial-ethnic fairness/DMC
, Right-sizing jurisdiction