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National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention: Working Session

Monday, October 31  Tuesday, November 1, 2011

810 7th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.

AGENDA

Moderator: Theron Pride, Policy Advisor, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

Day 1

8:30 AM Welcome 

The Honorable Laurie O. Robinson, Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. 

Department of Justice

The Honorable Eric H. Holder, Jr., Attorney General of the United States, U.S. Department of 

Justice

8:45 AM Locality Leads Present Implementation Updates/Challenges (15 minutes each)

Representatives from the six Forum cities report on the progress made toward implementing 

their comprehensive youth violence prevention plans.

Moderator: Thomas Abt, Chief of Staff, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

10:15 AM Break

10:30 AM Federal Coordination Team - Agency Implementation Updates 

Panelists from the six federal agencies comprising the Forum’s Federal Coordination Team (FCT) 

provide updates on their implementation of the Federal Strategic and Action plans, as well as 

discuss feedback they have received from the Forum city site visits. This session will include 

moderated discussion and a question and answer period.

Moderator: Edna Primrose, National Director, Office of Job Corps, ETA, U.S. Department of Labor

Presenters: Norris Dickard, Director, Healthy Students Group, Office of Safe and Healthy Students,

U.S. Department of Education; Sarah Oberlander, Social Science Analyst, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Maria 

Queen, HUD Liaison, Federal Interagency Youth Initiatives, U.S. Department of Housing and 

Urban Development; Eugene Schneeberg, Director, Faith Based & Neighborhood Partnerships, 

U.S. Department of Justice
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11:15 AM Preventing Youth Violence BEFORE It Starts: Youth, Families, and Faith-Based Partners

The panelists will discuss how prevention differs from responses to youth violence, identify 

evidence-based prevention strategies, and outline the diverse ways youth, families, and the 

faith-based community can support prevention success. The panel includes representatives 

from the public health sector, community-based organizations, and faith-based community. This 

session will include a moderated discussion and a question and answer period.

Moderator: Corinne Ferdon, Behavioral Scientist, Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Presenters: Howard Spivak, Director, Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Joseph Jones, Jr., President and 

CEO, Center for Urban Families, Baltimore, MD; Keith Norman, Pastor, First Baptist Church 

Broad, Memphis, TN; Wendy Wheeler, President, Innovation Center for Community and Youth 

Development, Takoma Park, MD

12:45 PM Adjourn for lunch on your own 

1:45 PM Reducing Violence Using Intervention and Enforcement: Three Approaches 

Panelists from Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles will discuss different models these cities 

are using to reduce youth violence and gang crime. The approaches to be discussed include 

replications and adaptations of nationally recognized models including: (1) Operation Ceasefire 

– a focused deterrence approach; (2) Ceasefire Chicago – a public health approach; and (3) the 

OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model – a multi-strategy framework. This session will include 

moderated discussion and a question and answer period. 

Moderator: Phelan Wyrick, Senior Advisor, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

Presenters: S. Gregory Baker, Former Executive Director CIRV, Cincinnati Police Department (Retired); Lori 

Toscano, Acting Director, Safe Streets, Baltimore City Health Department; The Honorable 

Guillermo Cespedes, Deputy Mayor, Gang Reduction and Youth Development, City of Los 

Angeles

Brief remarks provided by Michael Strautmanis, Deputy Assistant to the President and Counselor 

for Strategic Engagement from the White House Office of Public Engagement 

3:15PM Break

3:30 PM Film Presentation: The Interrupters and Q&A with Dr. Gary Slutkin*

The Interrupters is a film by Steven James and Alex Kotlowitz that covers the stories of three 

“violence interrupters” in Chicago over the course of one year. Based on the Ceasefire model 

developed by Dr. Gary Slutkin, the film follows these interrupters as they do their best to stem 

the tide of violence in Chicago, by reaching out to and connecting with the young people most at 

risk of becoming violent or impacted by violence. In all, it is a powerful and moving film that

shows the very harsh realities often confronted by those trying to stop the cycle of violence in 

their communities. Q&A will follow immediately after the film. *Permission to show the film 

provided by Zak Piper of Kartemquin Films and co-producer of The Interrupters. 
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6:45 PM Adjourn for the day

Day 2

8:30 AM Welcome 

Jeff Slowikowski, Acting Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 

U.S. Department of Justice

8:45 AM The Importance of Multi-Disciplinary Partnerships for Success

Panelists will address the challenges of implementing and funding comprehensive strategies in 

tough economic times. Selected funders and local leaders will offer guidance on approaches, 

how to find and apply for grants, requisite capacity, and ways to make the most cogent case (s) 

for support. Initial moderator questions will be followed by questions and comments from 

attendees.

Moderator: John A. "Jack" Calhoun, Senior Consultant, National League of Cities, Institute for Youth, 

Education and Families, Senior Consultant, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of 

Justice

Presenters: Jennifer Maconochie, Director, Strategic Initiatives and Policies, Office of the Police 

Commissioner, Boston, MA; The Honorable Dennis Donohue, Mayor, Salinas, CA; Dennis 

Mondoro, Strategic Community Development Officer, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice; Tonya Allen, Vice President, The Skillman Foundation, 

Detroit, MI; Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy, Director, Philanthropic Research & Initiatives, Office for 

International and Philanthropic Innovation, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban 

Development

10:15 AM Break

10:30 AM Brief remarks provided by Bryan Samuels, Commissioner for the Administration on Children, 

Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services

Data Driven Strategies: Opportunities and Challenges for Multi-Disciplinary Partnerships

Panelists will present successful strategies for data-integration and how these can be used 

effectively to promote evidenced-based practice and policy formulation. Topics include prudent 

and ethical approaches to using and integrating agency-generated data to assess risks and 

vulnerabilities related to youth violence. The panel also will provide an overview of data-sharing 

regulations related to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health 

Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The panel will assist Forum sites in 

determining how they can best share data and perform interdisciplinary case reviews while 

remaining in conformance with these acts. A question and answer period will follow. 

Moderator: John Markovic, Senior Social Science Analyst, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 

(COPS), U.S. Department of Justice
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Presenters: Dennis Culhane, Dana and Andrew Stone Chair in Social Policy, University of Pennsylvania; 

Edmund McGarrell, Director, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University; Iliana L. 

Peters, Health Information Privacy Specialist, Office for Civil Rights, Department of Health and 

Human Services

12:00 PM Adjourn for lunch on your own 

1:15 PM Finding Answers on the Web: How FindYouthInfo.gov and 

CrimeSolutions.gov Can Work for You

The presenters will demonstrate how FindYouthInfo.gov and CrimeSolutions.gov can assist 

Forum sites with finding critical resources and information that can help with implementing 

their comprehensive plans.

Presenters: Sarah Oberlander, Social Science Analyst, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and 

Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Phelan Wyrick, Senior Advisor, 

Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

2:00 PM What the Surveys Say: Status Report on the Forum Assessment

The assessors of the Forum will discuss the status of the assessment, the response rate to the 

baseline survey, and highlight some of the successes and challenges facing the sites, based on 

survey responses.

Presenters: Jeffrey Butts, Director, Research and Evaluation Center, John Jay College of Criminal Justice; 

Caterina Roman, Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, Temple University

2:30 PM Understanding Reentry as More Than a Public Safety Issue

Because reentry intersects with issues such as health and housing, education and employment, 

family and faith, and community well-being, it is important that many diverse agencies focus on 

the reentry population with initiatives that aim to improve outcomes in each of these areas. 

Recognizing that an effective response to reentry challenges must be multifaceted and involve 

multiple service delivery systems working together, Attorney General Eric Holder founded and 

chairs the Cabinet-level Federal Reentry Council. Panelists will discuss the Administration’s 

efforts to improve the outcomes for individuals returning from incarceration and how the 

National Reentry Resource Center can provide assistance to the Forum sites.

Presenters: Marlene Beckman, Counselor, Office of the Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice 

Programs, U.S. Department of Justice; Le’Ann Duran, Director, National Reentry Resource 

Center; Tom Murphy, State Representative, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice

3:30 PM Closing Remarks 

Bernard Melekian, Director, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of 

Justice

3:45 PM Adjourn