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Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

2:45-5:00 p.m. ET

United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)

810 Seventh Street, NW, Third Floor, Washington, DC 20531

SUMMARY

The Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice (“Coordinating Council”) held a meeting on 

November 15, 2016. The meeting was hosted by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of 

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Council members participated in person 

and via phone, and members of the public observed.

Jeff Slowikowski, Designated Federal Official, provided staff support for the meeting, along 

with other staff members. Loretta E. Lynch, Attorney General, and Robert Listenbee, OJJDP 

Administrator and Vice-Chair of the Coordinating Council, led and moderated the meeting.

Administrator Listenbee acknowledged the service of outgoing Council members and announced 

the three new members nominated by President Obama.

Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason shared gains made over the course of the current 

administration and highlighted the Council’s efforts around trauma-informed care, rethinking 

school discipline, and reentry issues.

Presentations were made to the Council by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration (SAMHSA) around its national comprehensive public health approach to 

addressing trauma; by the U.S. Department of Education on its work related to rethinking school 

discipline; and by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on its efforts 

around reentry, including the Juvenile Reentry Assistance Program (JRAP). OJJDP provided 

information on DOJ’s Changing Minds campaign to raise public awareness about children’s 

exposure to violence and trauma, and its associated public service announcement (PSA).

Open Discussions were led by Attorney General Lynch and Administrator Listenbee, and 

member agencies provided updates on their individual and collaborative efforts on behalf of 

children.

Reflections were provided by Attorney General Lynch, Assistant Attorney General Mason, and 

Administrator Listenbee.
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WELCOME, ROLL CALL, AND OPENING REMARKS

Welcome

Jeff Slowikowski, Designated Federal Official (DFO), FACJJ and Senior Policy Advisor, Office 

of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), US Department of Justice (DOJ) 

Office of the Administrator Senior Advisor for Strategic and Community Engagement Jeff 

Slowikowski officially called the meeting to order at 2:45 p.m. and welcomed all attendees. He 

reviewed logistics and procedures for the meeting, and he noted that it would be webcast in real 

time as well as recorded and archived. Photos would be taken throughout the meeting. The 

archived webcast, along with meeting notes, presentation materials, and any comments received 

from the public, would be posted on the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and 

Delinquency Prevention (“Coordinating Council”) website – www.juvenilecouncil.gov – within 

90 days. This meeting would not be open for verbal comments from the general public; however, 

written comments could be submitted to Mr. Slowikowski at Jeff.Slowikowski@usdoj.gov. Inperson attendees were invited to submit written comments during the discussion portion of the 

meeting using the index cards provided to them.

Roll Call

Mr. Slowikowski asked that Coordinating Council members introduce themselves by providing 

name, office, and federal agency represented. Practitioners were asked to provide their name, 

city, state, and background profession. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

(OJJDP) Administrator Robert Listenbee led the roll call, with the following members 

introducing themselves:

In Person

Spike Bighorn – Associate Deputy Director, Office of Indian Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs 

(BIA), U.S. Department of the Interior

Jennifer Burnszynski – Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Services Policy, U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Monique Chism – Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, 

U.S. Department of Education

Jacob Horowitz – Director, Public Safety Performance Project, Pew Charitable Trusts

Mary Lou Leary – Deputy Director, Office of Policy, Research, and Budget, Office of National 

Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)

Robert Listenbee – Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention 

(OJJDP) 

Karen Morgan – Office of Family Readiness Policy, U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)

Richard Morris – Senior Advisor, Division of Youth Services, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)

Eric Ravenell – Enforcement Removal Operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

(ICE), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
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Tonya Robinson – General Counsel, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 

(HUD)

Pamela Rodriguez, Practitioner Member – President, Treatment Alternatives for Safe 

Communities (TASC), Illinois

Audrey Rowe – Administrator, Food and Nutrition Services Administration, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA)

Wendy Spencer – CEO, Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)

Jim St. Germain, Practitioner Member – Co-Founder and Chair, Preparing Leaders of Tomorrow 

(PLOT), Brooklyn, NY

Judge Trina Thompson, Practitioner Member – Alameda County Superior Court, Oakland, CA; 

University of California-Berkeley Adjunct Professor and Lecturer in Ethnic Studies and 

American Culture

Francisco Villarruel, Practitioner Member – Michigan State University Outreach and 

Engagement Senior Fellow and Professor

Sarah Wattenberg – Senior Advisor for Public Health and Public Safety Issues, White House 

Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)

Rebecca Zornick – Lead Public Health Analyst, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration (SAMHSA)

By Phone

Maura Corrigan, Practitioner Member – Justice (Ret.), Michigan Supreme Court; Director (Ret.), 

Michigan Department of Human Services

Opening Remarks from the Vice-Chair

Robert Listenbee, Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

(OJJDP)

Mr. Slowikowski introduced Robert Listenbee, OJJDP Administrator and Vice-Chair of the 

Coordinating Council. Administrator Listenbee thanked everyone in attendance and explained 

that Attorney General Lynch would join the meeting shortly.

Administrator Listenbee offered condolences to family and friends of the Honorable Judge 

Gordon Martin, Jr., Associate Justice (Ret.), Massachusetts Trial Court in Boston, MA, and one 

of the longest-standing members of the Council. A moment of silence was observed in Judge

Martin’s memory.

Acknowledgements

Administrator Listenbee next acknowledged outgoing Coordinating Council members Judge 

Trina Thompson, Laurie Garduque, and Reginald Betts, thanking them for their service and 

contributions to the Council on behalf of DOJ. Each would receive a certificate for service as a 
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follow-up to this meeting. Administrator Listenbee also acknowledged Alexis Stanley, Judge 

Thompson’s daughter, who was in attendance.

Administrator Listenbee announced three new Council members, as nominated by President 

Obama: 

● Jacob Horowitz, Policy Director for the Public Safety Performance Project at The Pew 

Charitable Trusts

● Jim St. Germain, Residential Care Advocate for New York City’s Administration for 

Children’s Services and Co-Founder and Chair of Preparing Leaders of Tomorrow, Inc. 

(PLOT)

● Dr. Francisco A. Villarruel, Associate Chair for Education and Outreach at Michigan 

State University

He noted the wealth of experience and expertise these new members bring to the Council, and he 

expressed anticipation to their contributions to its work.

Looking Back and Ahead

Administrator Listenbee noted that this was the final Coordinating Council meeting under the 

Obama Administration. This meeting would allow a review of the critical initiatives that the 

Council has supported during the past eight years and a discussion on how to continue this work 

in the years to come. He reviewed the planned presentations by representatives of the Substance 

Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Department of Education, 

and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) around trauma-informed care, 

leveraging research and inter-agency relationships, the Positive Behavioral Interventions and 

Supports initiative, and the Juvenile Reentry Assistance Program. There also was planned a 

presentation by OJJDP on DOJ’s Changing Minds campaign to raise public awareness about 

children’s exposure to violence and trauma. Administrator Listenbee shared his experiences in 

Massachusetts, Michigan, Florida, Texas, and California, noting strong interest in the campaign 

and requests for project components for use in local jurisdictions.

Administrator Listenbee recognized the congressional staff present, noting that the Coordinating 

Council is grateful for the support that Changing Minds has received in Congress and applauds 

the work of those members of Congress who are addressing children’s exposure to violence and 

trauma:

● Daniel Swanson, Judicial Counsel for Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), in person

● Staff of U.S. Representative Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), via webcast

Administrator Listenbee introduced Assistant Attorney General Karol V. Mason, who would 

frame the meeting’s discussions using the Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) perspective on 

interagency partnerships, trauma-informed care, rethinking school discipline, and reentry. He 

characterized Assistant Attorney General Mason as a true champion for our nation’s children and 
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unwavering in her support of the initiatives in which the Coordinating Council and OJJDP are 

engaged to improve opportunities and outcomes for our nation’s youth. He thanked Assistant 

Attorney General Mason for her support and encouragement of him as Administrator and of 

OJJDP.

FRAMING OF THE CONVERSATION BY THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Karol V. Mason, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs

Assistant Attorney General Mason expressed her gratitude for the leadership of Attorney General 

Loretta Lynch and Administrator Listenbee in strengthening the juvenile justice system, as well 

as for all Coordinating Council members’ continued commitment to a juvenile justice system 

that is developmentally informed and whose goal is to help youth achieve their full potential. She 

expressed confidence that this work will continue thanks to the efforts of the Council, noting the 

significant progress made in realizing common sense reform and in helping young people who 

come into contact with the system reclaim their place as contributing members of their 

communities. She publicly recognized the highly committed career staff from all of the Council’s 

partnering agencies, explaining that these people will continue this valuable work.

Assistant Attorney General Mason pointed to the excellent gains made over the course of the 

current administration in promoting trauma-informed care, rethinking school discipline, and 

supporting reentry for justice-involved youth.

The Defending Childhood Initiative (DCI) brought attention to one of the most troubling 

public safety concerns of our day: the prevalence of trauma in children’s lives. The most recent 

national survey of children’s exposure to violence found that almost 60% of children were 

exposed to violence, crime, or abuse in the previous year; this finding underscores the great need 

for trauma-informed care for youth. Assistant Attorney General Mason recognized key DCI staff 

members Phelan Wyrick, Katherine Pierce, and Anna Martinez. DCI has supported programs in 

eight communities, from Boston to the Chippewa Cree Tribe’s Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation 

in northcentral Montana, through a multi-agency partnership to curb violence and help youth 

overcome its negative effects. From the Attorney General’s National Task Force on Children 

Exposed to Violence report to the launch of the national public awareness campaign, Changing 

Minds, OJJDP has delivered on DCI.

Assistant Attorney General Mason noted another great example of a trauma-informed approach; 

is the Supporting Male Survivors of Violence Program, managed jointly by OJJDP and DOJ’s 

Office for Victims of Crime. The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) has devoted approximately 

$14.7 million to filling service gaps for boys and young men who have been exposed to violence. 

Assistant Attorney General Mason credited Joy Frost for reexamining how we think about 
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justice-involved boys and young men, realizing that many were victims prior to their 

involvement. In order to break the cycle of violence, the system must address these boy and 

young men as victims.

Projects supported by this program include:

● The Young Men’s Empowerment Collaborative in West Contra Costa County, CA 

provides trauma-informed services through the local school system.

● The Violence Intervention Advocacy Program at the Boston Medical Center offers job 

support and other assistance to young male victims of violence when they receive urgent 

medical care.

Assistant Attorney General Mason noted a common theme of breaking down silos, working 

collaboratively, and using a public health model in order to build safer communities and change 

the trajectory of young people’s lives. 

While OJP remains focused on delivering young people needed services when they are exposed 

to trauma, it must work especially hard to keep these people from becoming involved with the 

justice system. Schools play a critical role in keeping kids on a productive path; when policies 

and practices are well considered and aimed at promoting positive engagement, schools can be a 

bridge to success. However, when these policies take a punitive turn, they can place children on 

a path to disappointment and failure. Due to the work of the Council, there will be a supportive 

environment for all young people. Remaining aware of the challenges teachers and 

administrators face, we have a responsibility to make sure that they understand the serious 

consequences of disciplinary decisions. Suspension or expulsion may seem like a desirable 

option in the moment, but it can unwittingly be the first step toward justice system involvement. 

The OJP/Department of Education partnership in the Supportive School Discipline Initiative is 

guiding school districts through a reconsideration of zero tolerance disciplinary policy, providing 

guidance on reforming those policies so that youth remain in school and out of the justice 

system.

Assistant Attorney General Mason noted the importance of viewing children through a lens of 

support and the necessity of asking kids what has occurred and responding to their needs with the 

appropriate care and support.

Assistant Attorney General Mason explained the need to ensure that the kids who come into 

contact with the justice system have the tools they need to succeed. She noted that the system is 

based on the notion that youth are not adults and still are in their formative years. The system 

needs to provide the tools and skills they need, as well as the belief in themselves that they are 

capable of turning their lives around. Young people who enter the system often bring emotional 

and psychological baggage. They have been neglected or abused, and they have absorbed the 

message that they are not worthy of care and concern. However, if we hope to give these youth a 
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fair shot at success, we need them to leave the system believing in themselves and equipped to 

contribute.

Assistant Attorney General Mason added that she was proud of OJJDP’s work under the Second 

Chance Act to support juvenile reentry programs; these programs promote supportive services, 

community supervision, and evidence-based treatment designed to help justice-involved youth 

reintegrate. OJJDP’s partnership with HUD in the Justice Reentry Assistance Program 

(JRAP) is supporting the successful transition by reducing barriers to public housing, 

employment, and educational opportunities. Keeping the focus on reentry, supportive school 

discipline, and trauma-informed care will be vital to ensuring that the progress to date continues 

and lasts well beyond these past eight years.

This Council meeting was Assistant Attorney General Mason’s last in her current role, but she 

plans to attend as a member of the public and to continue to do what she can to promote the 

issues. She thanked all in attendance for their work, and she asked for Council members’ 

assurance that they will persist in the work at hand.

Administrator Listenbee welcomed Coordinating Council Chair Attorney General Lynch as she 

joined the meeting.

SUSTAINING A TRAUMA-INFORMED APPROACH

Rebecca Zornick, Lead Policy Analyst, SAMHSA

Ms. Zornick reported that SAMHSA proudly leads federal efforts to promote trauma-informed 

approaches and to address the impact of trauma through its grant funding, funding of technical 

assistance (TA) centers, original publications and webinars, collaborative partnerships with 

government and non-governmental entities, and special initiatives.

Comprehensive Public Health Approach to Addressing Trauma: A National Strategy

SAMHSA’s efforts over the past decade now are culminating as a national strategy to 

address individual and community trauma. The agency promotes a trauma-informed approach to 

behavioral health care and service delivery in other systems, including education, criminal and 

juvenile justice, and housing. This approach shifts away from a “What is wrong with this 

person?” view to a more holistic view of “What happened to this person?”; this becomes the 

foundation on which to begin a healing and recovery process. While symptoms may prompt a 

person to seek the assistance of a physician or counselor, employing the trauma-informed 

approach creates a space of safety and mutual respect in which a person’s entire history can be 

considered; this enables trauma survivors and providers to work together to find the best avenues 
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for healing and wellness. A trauma-informed program, organization, or system utilizes the “Four 

Rs”. It:

● Realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands the paths for recovery;

● Recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others 

involved in the system;

● Responds fully by integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and 

practices; and 

● Actively seeks to resist retraumatization.

Through its trauma and justice strategic initiative, SAMHSA has prioritized efforts to address 

behavioral health needs of people involved in or at risk of involvement in the justice systems, 

with a focus on the impact of trauma on mental health and substance use.

Overarching themes of this work are: 1) Getting youth the needed treatment for mental and 

substance use disorders and challenges; and 2) Diverting them from the juvenile justice system 

as early as possible.

The focus on trauma comes from knowing the impact of trauma and its effect on youths’ selfregulation, self-control, school attendance and concentration, and accessibility to learning. The 

combination of trauma histories and substance use often brings children into trouble with the 

law.

In addition to understanding and addressing trauma, promoting recovery and resilience for those 

who have experienced traumatic events involves developing and implementing supports that 

specifically consider the event of the trauma experience. It also means examining ways to reduce 

retraumatization. Consistent with SAMHSA’s working definition of recovery, trauma-informed 

services and supports build on consumer and family choice, empowerment, and collaboration.

Ms. Zornick displayed and described a diagram of SAMHSA’s work across the table, in 

communities through grantees, and through private and public partnerships. The diagram showed 

the various service sectors in which the agency has begun to work, as well as a sample of the 

efforts to date.

Ms. Zornick highlighted SAMHSA’s work through children’s systems, including child welfare; 

Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS); the Administration for Children, Youth, and 

Families (ACYF); early childhood; and education. The agency has reached out to states, assisting 

them in solving how to fund some of the trauma-informed services, and it has held community 

listening sessions to learn how communities are approaching trauma and to share practices with 

others around the country. SAMHSA has worked with criminal justice and juvenile justice, 

including with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), with the MacArthur 
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Foundation on juvenile justice policy academies, and with states on how to divert children from 

the juvenile justice system.

Ms. Zornick then focused on ways to sustain this work. SAMHSA is embarking on a strategy 

with a vision of a national, comprehensive public health approach to addressing individual and 

community trauma. Its mission is to set a strategic direction for behavioral health to address 

policy, training, practice, research, evaluation, and coordination across various service sectors to 

mobilize systems and communities to implement a trauma-informed approach.

SAMHSA envisions achieving its mission through:

1. Increasing efforts and opportunities that support a trauma-informed approach;

2. Supporting communities to implement trauma-informed approaches and initiatives;

3. Increasing knowledge and awareness of a trauma-informed approach through TA, 

training, peer-to-peer sharing, and resources (i.e. National Child Traumatic Stress 

Network); and

4. Building and fostering effective partnerships across the private and public sectors.

Ms. Zornick provided her contact information to the group, including her email address: 

Rebecca.Zornick@samhsa.hhs.gov

RETHINKING SCHOOL DISCIPLINE

Monique Chism, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, 

U.S. Department of Education

Dr. Chism began by acknowledging her colleagues at the Department of Education whose work 

she would be sharing at this meeting, specifically Norris Dickard, and Kristen Harper.

Dr. Chism reported on progress that has been affected through school discipline initiatives, 

beginning with some background information:

● Suspensions and expulsions can have a devastating effect on students.

● Each year, a significant number of students miss classes due to expulsions, suspensions, 

and even minor infractions.

● Students of color and students with disabilities are disproportionately impacted.

● Students are less likely to graduate on time and are more likely to repeat a grade or drop 

out of school; these are factors that could lead them to juvenile justice system 

involvement.
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Supportive School Discipline Initiative

In order to help address these issues, in July 2011, then-Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and 

then-Attorney General Eric Holder announced at a meeting of the Coordinating Council the 

launch of the Supportive School Discipline Initiative (SSDI), with the goal of improving safety 

and climate in schools to address the issue of disproportionate discipline across the country. The 

area of focus was on the school-to-prison pipeline, and the initiative brought together law 

enforcement, government, academia, and community leaders to work collectively to ensure that 

school discipline policies are enforced fairly and do not become obstacles to future growth, 

progress, and achievement.

The SSDI had four objectives:

1. Building of a consensus for action

2. Collaboration on research and data collection

3. Development of joint guidance supporting discipline practices and policies across the 

nation, with a focus on civil rights for students

4. Promotion of awareness, knowledge, and evidence-based promising practices and 

policies in states and juvenile centers across the nation

To help implement the initiative, the Department of Education coordinated with organizations, 

including nonprofits, to support the activities. Dr. Chism highlighted the following cornerstones 

of the work:

Departments of Education and Justice School Discipline Guidance Package

This package was unique due to its four primary elements to support a comprehensive, holistic 

approach to sharing information. The package included the following:

● A “Dear Colleague” letter from the heads of the agencies’ Offices of Civil Rights to 

school administrators focuses on the legal obligations of administering student discipline 

without discriminating on the basis of race, class, color, or national origin. It also clarifies 

the role of school resource officers and the schools’ responsibility for the officers’ 

conduct and behavior.

● A guiding principles document focuses on promoting positive school climate and 

equitable discipline practices to support voluntary actions schools could take unilaterally 

in the arenas of climate and prevention, clear and appropriate consistent expectations, and 

equity and continuous improvement.

● A directory of federal school climate and discipline resources provides information for 

practitioners.

● A compendium on discipline policies, practices, and procedures across the nation is 

available for school systems’ use in implementing similar policies.
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Early Learning Discipline Policy Statement

A policy statement addressing expulsion and suspension practices in early learning settings also 

was included. 

School-to-Prison Pipeline Recommendations

The Council of State Governments School Discipline Consensus Project produced an important 

report focusing on recommendations to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline through 

improved cross-agency collaboration.

Peer-to-Peer Collaborations

Supportive School Discipline Communities of Practice, coordinated by the initiative’s TA 

provider, focused on facilitating timely discussions and disseminating resources, fostering peerto-peer learning, and providing training and TA opportunities.

White House Convening: Rethinking Discipline and Public Awareness Campaign

In 2005, the Departments of Education and Justice held a day-long conference, at which teams of 

superintendents, principals, and teachers from across the country focused on rethinking 

discipline. The conference helped to create a focus on positive school climates that implement 

effective discipline practices, and to advance a national conversation about reducing the overuse 

of unnecessary out-of-school suspension.

Data Transparency

Much effort has been made to shine a light on where the preponderance of incidents occur, and 

data maps now are available for all states to understand better their out-of-school suspensions 

and to work with specific populations.

Initiative-Supporting Grants

In 2014, the Department of Education implemented two programs in support of the SSDI, 

making five-year grant awards to 93 schools across the nation.

● School Climate Transformation Grants focus heavily on positive behavior intervention 

systems.

● Project Prevent Grants focus on cultivating a healthy school climate.

Next Steps

It has become clear that, although a significant amount has been accomplished, much work 

remains. The data show that students of color, English learners, and students with disabilities are 

disciplined more often than their classmates. In fact, black preschoolers are 3.6 times more likely 

to be suspended than their white counterparts. Approximately 1.6 million students attend schools 

with a sworn law enforcement officer but no school counselor in place.
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While more resources are needed, some tools exist through the Every Student Succeeds Act of

2016 (ESSA) that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. One new program 

is entitled the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant; this funding helps to meet the 

goals of ESSA by focusing on providing well-rounded education, ensuring safe and healthy 

environments, and integrating technology. In particular, funds must be spent on providing 

opportunities for reducing exclusionary discipline practices and helping to identify best practices 

and evidence-based practices to support safe and healthy environments.

All of the above efforts are driving at creating health school climates, as students learn best in 

environments in which they feel safe, supported, challenged, and accepted. Strong, healthy 

school climates foster social, emotional, and academic well-being of all students. Research 

demonstrates that, when schools and districts focus effectively on improving a school climate, 

students are more likely to engage in curricula, achieve academically, and develop positive 

relationships. Within strong school climates, students also are less likely to exhibit problem 

behaviors that may lead to discipline actions and expulsions.

Dr. Chism expressed thanks on behalf of the Department of Education to all in attendance and all 

of its partners across the Federal Government and the private and public sectors for their 

collaborative efforts over the past few years.

OPEN DISCUSSION

Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Attorney General

Attorney General Lynch began by thanking Assistant Attorney General Mason for her 

presentation and for the work she has done with the Coordinating Council throughout the years. 

She noted the continuity of care, concern, and work of the Council, and she noted the awareness 

of the Council members that the policies developed in Washington, DC are carried out by people 

in communities. Therefore, the work of the Council goes beyond this room, building, city, and 

region; the Coordinating Council is a lever for change.

Attorney General Lynch thanked SAMHSA and the Department of Education for their 

presentations, noting the shared cross-cutting, collaborative theme of the remarks. She added her 

delight that the definition of trauma has expanded from physical abuse, a harm that could be 

seen, to include unseen wounds that are equally dangerous and painful. Children need safety and 

respect, and schools should be the safest place for children. The question is how to ensure places 

– whether they be homes, schools, or other – are safe spaces for children.

Attorney General Lynch expressed her appreciation and gratitude for the efforts of the Council 

members.
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CHANGING MINDS PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Georgina Mendoza McDowell, Senior Advisor, OJJDP

On October 12, 2012, the National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence – of which Ms. 

McDowell was a member – submitted a report to then-Attorney General Eric Holder and to the 

Coordinating Council. The report contained 56 concrete recommendations to address the national 

epidemic of the trauma and lifelong impacts that exposure to violence can exact on children.

The Task Force heard countless stories of children who were victims of violence and the 

resulting trauma that had scarred them and had changed the direction of their lives. Many 

children reported feeling ignored and not knowing to whom they could reach out. One of the 

report’s top recommendations was that federal, state, and regional initiatives should be designed, 

developed, and implemented to launch a national public awareness campaign to create 

fundamental changes in perspective in every organization, community, and household in the 

country.

One of DOJ’s priorities is to reduce the number of youth who enter the juvenile justice and 

criminal justice systems. OJJDP’s research has shown that nearly 60% of all youth have been 

exposed to some sort of violence, crime, or abuse in the year preceding the study; these children 

are more likely to have substance abuse disorders, post-traumatic disorders, and chronic disease; 

to suffer from anxiety and depression; and to have difficulty in or fail at school. They often can 

go on to victimize others later in life and frequently are at greater risk of entering the justice 

system.

The data show that proper intervention, including consistent support from caring adults, can 

work to counter these effects. The goal is to reach and educate the adults who work with children 

– including teachers, coaches, doctors, nurses, guidance counselors, and law enforcement –

calling upon them to be more caring and supportive figures to the children who are around them.

In October 2016, DOJ launched Changing Minds, a national education campaign to raise 

awareness of the urgency and prevalence of childhood trauma and exposure to violence. The 

campaign is intended to motivate adults who regularly interact with children and youth to take 

action and help. DOJ is excited for the potential of Changing Minds as a catalyst for a real shift 

in public understanding and norms, much as we have seen with drunk driving and seatbelt 

campaigns.

As part of the awareness campaign, OJJDP, with partners Futures Without Violence, the Ad 

Council, and the Wunderman advertising agency, developed a toolkit with videos and digital and 

print content to elevate the issues to the forefront of policy and program development. All of 

these materials can be found at the Changing Minds website. 
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Ms. McDowell provided the Council with a brief overview of the website, which includes five 

“Gestures That Can Heal”: Celebrate, Comfort, Collaborate, Listen, and Inspire. She then 

showed the Changing Minds PSA, which follows students, a teacher, and a school officer and 

includes themes of support and empowerment.

The hope is that Changing Minds will raise awareness, teach skills, and inspire the public to 

address children’s exposure to violence and trauma. Ms. McDowell encouraged everyone to 

learn more about the campaign by visiting the website. She further encouraged them to share the 

information with family members, friends, and colleagues.

OPEN DISCUSSION

Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Attorney General

Attorney General Lynch thanked Ms. McDowell and the entire team that worked on the 

Changing Minds presentation, PSA, and corresponding website materials. She reflected on the 

PSA’s message, noting specifically that the girl was helped by someone from who she might not 

have expected support – the school resource officer – and that she later paid it forward by 

connecting with and empowering children. Attorney General Lynch extrapolated that theme to 

the efforts of the Coordinating Council and the work in juvenile justice, and she asserted that part 

of the message in the field needs to be that one does not require a title, a degree, or a 

Washington, DC office to do the work of saving kids. Finally, she remarked that, when agencies 

combine efforts, resources, and areas of expertise and practice, the result is bigger than any one 

contributing agency.

Attorney General Lynch thanked all Council members and attendees for working on and caring 

about this issue, and she opened the floor for comments, including suggestions, ideas, and plans 

to pay the work forward. They follow here:

Wendy Spencer thanked Attorney General Lynch, calling her “a great leader and a great 

advocate for young people” and expressing confidence that she will continue to be such an 

advocate when her tenure is over. She then noted that President Obama had created the Task 

Force on Expanding National Service and asked that agencies on this Council and in other nonprofit and private sector entities expand opportunities to partner with AmeriCorps and Senior 

Corps, and for agencies to include the two programs as available partners in their funding 

opportunity announcements (FOAs).

Jim St. Germain expressed his gratitude, sharing that he has lived a lot of pain and now works 

in the trenches with young people. He remarked that he was humbled to be at the table with 
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Administrator Listenbee and Attorney General Lynch, and he planned to take the message to his 

kids that people are working on their behalf and want the best for them.

Judge Thompson thanked Attorney General Lynch, Assistant Attorney General Mason, 

Administrator Listenbee, Mr. Slowikowski, and OJJDP Associate Administrator Robin DelanyShabazz for their tireless work on behalf of trauma-affected youth. She asked that the new 

practitioner members follow areas in which they need to close service gaps and make 

connections so that young people do not lose their services and can become sustainable adults. 

She gave the example of juvenile courts in California finding that when youth moved between 

counties or cities or had changes in placement, their Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program) 

coverage would not fluidly follow them, creating gaps in service.

Mary Lou Leary noted that the Changing Minds PSA is about changing minds about both 

children and about law enforcement. She was pleased to see the school resource officer portrayed 

in a way that defied stereotypes, and saw that as fitting nicely with OJP’s and DOJ’s work to 

improve police-community relations. 

Assistant Attorney General Mason responded that DOJ is developing a toolkit to equip officers 

to help youth exposed to violence; the kit hopefully will be released by the IACP. She 

encouraged Council members to send the campaign to their listservs and stakeholder 

organizations, and she noted that the website includes additional tools and resources applicable 

to schools and law enforcement.

Dr. Chism was struck by a phrase used repeatedly in the video, “You can only do so much.” She 

found it encouraging to think that doing what one can has an impact. She mentioned that the 

Department of Education and SAMHSA have worked together on civil unrest, and she called 

attendees’ attention to the existence of important opportunities with newly awarded grants; for 

the Department of Education, substantial resources will be directed to promoting student 

resiliency in communities that have experienced civil unrest in the past 18 months, such as 

Baltimore, Chicago, and St. Louis, through a focus on trauma and support practices. Dr. Chism 

suggested that thinking collectively about how to support those communities would be an 

important step forward.

Attorney General Lynch remarked that President Obama says, “This is a marathon, and, in 

many ways, it is a relay race.” In many ways, you run your part and pass the baton. All the work 

that has been done has created progress from where things stood before the Council began, and 

so many children and community members have been helped along the way and are further along 

in their healing and functionality. She has no doubt that the forward momentum will continue. 

Attorney General Lynch has been honored to chair the Coordinating Council, and she noted that 

Council meetings are organic, creative, supportive, positive, collaborative, and focused on the 
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world outside of the room with an eye on the future. The group’s breadth of vision, diversity of 

thought, backgrounds, experience, connections, and institutions are a force multiplier, and she 

expressed tremendous pride in and appreciation of its work. She thanked the members for their 

support of the work and of the children, and for making the Council a masterpiece.

Administrator Listenbee responded that he has been honored to serve as her Vice-Chair of the 

Council. He thanked her for her tremendous support of the kids and of OJJDP’s work.

Attorney General Lynch excused herself at that point to attend another engagement.

Assistant Attorney General Mason noted that DOJ’s Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) had 

just awarded a $7 million grant to the IACP, the NAACP, and Yale Medical School using a 

trauma-informed approach with communities impacted by civil unrest. She planned to connect 

Dr. Chism with OVC to determine how to leverage resources pertinent to the agencies’ efforts.

Richard Morris suggested that Judge Martin would have encouraged the group members to 

invest in the lives of our nation’s youth, and that he would have reminded them, “It is our charge, 

and it is our time.”

HUD REENTRY PROGRAMS AND GUIDANCE

Tonya Robinson, General Counsel, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 

(HUD)

Ms. Robinson echoed praises of Administrator Listenbee, and she explained that HUD Secretary 

Julian Castro came to his post with similar reform intentions and had developed a departmental 

agenda of providing families and young people access to opportunities, resources, and services 

necessary to advance in life; this has included supporting returning citizens. She expressed her 

pride in both the leadership and vision of the Secretary and in the real investment of HUD’s 

career team, and she expressed confidence that this work would continue.

Ms. Robinson highlighted the DOJ/HUD Juvenile Reentry Assistance Program (JRAP) and other 

reentry work at HUD, and she acknowledged HUD Liaison for Federal Interagency Youth 

Initiatives and Community and Supportive Services Grant Manager Maria-Lana Queen, and Ron 

Ashford, Director of Supportive Services for HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing. 

HUD has worked with other agencies to leverage supportive services for the population it serves.
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Juvenile Reentry Assistance Program (JRAP)

JRAP is a HUD/OJJDP partnership designed to improve outcomes for young people seeking to 

reenter their communities after incarceration. HUD has received approximately $2 million from 

DOJ for this program, which awarded 21 grants in 2016 to public housing authorities (PHAs) 

that have partnered with nonprofit legal services organizations for a variety of activities, 

including juvenile or criminal records expungement, sealing, or correction; collateral 

consequences mitigation, such as reinstating a suspended driver’s license; and provision of 

counseling on legal rights when seeking employment.

This program been operational for just a few months, and already 18 grantees have completed 

their first quarter of grant-funded activity and roughly 100 people have received legal assistance. 

The grantees have steadily forged partnerships and other relationships with juvenile court judges,

juvenile probation offices, local service providers, and local pro-bono projects to deepen and 

expand implementation of JRAP. HUD is tremendously proud of this partnership with OJJDP 

and is looking forward to figuring out how to operationalize and expand the work.

HUD Guidance

In November 2015, HUD announced guidance that informs PHAs and owners of other federally 

assisted housing that prohibits arrest records from being the sole basis for denial of admission to 

housing, termination of assistance, or eviction.

In April 2016, HUD issued guidance that explains that a housing provider violates the Fair 

Housing Act if it intentionally treats individuals with comparable criminal history differently 

because of their race, national origin, or any other protected characteristic, or if its criminal 

history policy disproportionately excludes members of one or more protected classes without a 

legally sufficient justification.

The HUD Office of the General Council issued guidance on the application of Fair Housing Act 

standards to the use of criminal records by providers of housing and real estate-related 

transactions.

In June 2016, Mr. Ashford, Ms. Queen, and their colleagues published a toolkit for PHAs and 

other stakeholders, summarizing various reentry models implemented by PHAs across the 

country, outlining how PHAs could build a local reentry program, and describing the core 

elements of successful partnerships.

In November 2016, HUD established a department-wide reentry working group comprised of 

career staff to provide a formal structure within the department to support HUD’s commitments 

to the highly successful Federal Interagency Reentry Council, led by the Attorney General. The 

working group also was tasked with identifying additional barriers to returning citizens, 

including young people that the department may address through coordinated efforts.
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Focusing on sustainability of its reentry efforts, the HUD career team is continuing to collaborate 

within the department. Also, HUD continues to broker partnerships with other federal agencies 

and organizations to leverage resources and opportunities available for returning citizens. Ms. 

Robinson noted that HUD would welcome collaboration with any agency or non-governmental 

organization (NGO) represented in the meeting. She noted that, on the same day as the meeting, 

HUD was participating in a convening cosponsored by the Vera Institute of Justice that 

highlighted promising practices of PHAs implementing reentry programs. The department would 

be interested in participating in similar convenings.

Ms. Robinson noted some challenges that exist to implementing the juvenile reentry priorities 

that have been set by Secretary Castro. The challenges include securing of future federal funding 

to support JRAP programmatic work, the need to allocate the additional resources and full-time 

equivalents (FTEs) necessary to maximize the ability to provide support and TA, and the need to 

stay focused on improving metrics in order to measure impact and success.

Ms. Robinson pointed to the cross-agency work powered by career staff, including HUD’s 

involvement on the Coordinating Council and the Federal Interagency Reentry Council. She 

noted the administration’s leadership, including the expanded White House Legal Aid 

Interagency Roundtable, as well as the excellent advice HUD is receiving from those outside of 

government.

Finally, Ms. Robinson directed attendees to the HUD website for access to materials she 

mentioned here.

OPEN DISCUSSION

Robert Listenbee, Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

(OJJDP)

Administrator Listenbee thanked Ms. Robinson for her personal support of JRAP and for her 

efforts around collaboration, including with the Federal Interagency Reentry Council and the 

National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention. He opened the floor to comments and questions.

Pamela Rodriguez expressed her gratitude to HUD, asserting that access to safe, affordable, 

stable housing is critical to families and to children. She explained that TASC sees people who 

receive services, treatment, health insurance, and health care have no place to live. She asked for 

help in dispelling myths about housing and in supporting wraparound services and affordable 

housing strategies to help sustain progress gained through treatment services.
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Ms. Robinson noted that HUD’s mission is to enable strong, safe communities; at heart, it seeks 

to ensure that people have a safe place to live. Through the work of Public and Indian Housing 

and through the Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD is documenting that access to 

affordable housing yields other strongly positive outcomes, including education outcomes. 

Therefore, HUD is poised to roll out a partnership with the Department of Education, with the 

goal of leveraging the collective resources of the Federal Government on behalf of the 1 in 4 

poor children of color who lives in public housing or assisted housing.

Mr. St. Germain expressed his thanks and remarked that many young people with whom he 

works are in the foster care system and are dealing with housing issues without parents in their 

lives. They are trying to stay on the right track, including with work and school, and housing 

makes a tremendous difference. In New York City, housing is very difficult to acquire, even for 

an adult with a decent salary. Many young people are engaging in certain activities, such as 

providing sexual favors with older individuals, just to have a place to sleep. He encouraged the 

continuation of the housing efforts and noted that many young people look forward to the 

decisions by HUD.

Administrator Listenbee added that, when he was practicing as a public defender, an article 

from AARP focused on a grandparent who had been removed from public housing because the 

juvenile grandchild had been arrested and had a record. He was very excited to hear about 

HUD’s guidance and policy changes that make it possible for such a record to be not the only 

decisive factor in housing determinations.

AGENCY UPDATE REPORTS

Robert Listenbee, Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

(OJJDP)

USDA

Audrey Rowe expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to serve as a member of the 

Coordinating Council. She explained that a major focus of the USDA’s work is around hunger. 

As a result of talking about that work in a Council meeting about two years prior, the USDA now 

is engaged in numerous, successful collaborations, including with HUD; Public Assistance 

Housing now has sites where young people who live in that housing can receive meals after 

school and during the summer. Also based on connections it has made through the Council, the 

agency has worked with the Department of the Interior to ensure that youth on tribal lands have 

access to free meals, and it has enlisted Corporation for National and Community Service 

volunteers. The USDA has worked closely with the Department of Education on many programs, 

as well as with military families through the Department of Defense. Due to all of these 
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collaborations, 200 million meals were provided to children in the U.S. in the last year. Ms. 

Rowe thanked the agencies at the table and individuals in the room for those collaborations.

Pew Charitable Trusts

Jacob Horowitz recalled the work he does with state governments around the country to explain 

that the use of juvenile correctional facilities has lessened since the turn of the century; however, 

defying expectations, the number of referrals of youth to facilities has not declined. Generally, 

the trends are going in the right direction, with fewer kids being placed out of home and fewer 

kids entering the juvenile justice system, but there is still much work to be done. The guidance 

around school disciplinary policies has been very impactful, yet there is significant variation 

state to state. Pew Charitable Trusts looks forward to working with the Council to advance more 

progress.

Assistant Attorney General Mason pointed out the need to keep a focus on the still-significant 

disparity related to children of color, although the overall numbers are improving. Administrator 

Listenbee remembered the powerful Breaking School Rules report, which was presented to the 

Council in 2010 and focused on disparities involving children with disabilities and moved thenAttorney General Holder to work with the Department of Education.

Department of Education

Monique Chism noted that preschool-age children are being suspended – calling into question 

what behavior is being expected of three year olds – and she asserted that all of the issues raised 

here are significant and serious ones that need much more attention. She planned to share links to 

the data maps she had mentioned in her presentation.

Department of Health and Human Services

Jennifer Burnszynski announced that, in collaboration with OJJDP and SAMHSA, HHS will 

present on positive youth development and the positive youth research agenda at the Society for 

Child Research and Development Conference in spring 2017.

Ms. Burnszynski also discussed the vulnerable time when youth are aging out of foster care and 

noted that HHS is working to build state capacity in that area.

Department of Labor

Richard Morris reported that DOL, in collaboration with DOJ, currently is developing the 

National Clean Slate Clearinghouse, the intent of which is to provide online information and 

resources for the mitigation of criminal records. This is a contract intended to develop a portal, 

and it was competitively awarded to the Council for State Governments Justice Center. Four 

areas likely will be addressed over the next year: 1) Convening of a technical working group 

(this has already occurred) to provide guidance and advice; 2) Gathering content and launching a 

setup for hosting what will become a national website providing state-by-state information on 
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sealing, expungement, and other related legal services that will lessen the negative impact of 

having juvenile and criminal records; 3) Developing tools and providing technical assistance 

resources to reentry services providers; and 4) Creating additional services to assist legal 

services.

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior 

Spike Bighorn explained that the BIA Office of Indian Services has focused primarily with other 

agencies on the Council on child welfare and housing, and he thanked those around the table –

specifically HUD, SAMHSA, and DOJ – for their cooperative efforts. In one example, his office 

and HUD have worked to provide young families with housing opportunities. The Office of 

Indian Services also has been providing assistance and training to social workers to work with 

tribes on exploring opportunities vis á vis historical trauma.

Office of National Drug Control Policy

On behalf of Mary Lou Leary, Sarah Wattenburg expressed appreciation for all of the 

collaborations over the years. She will continue to work to move the work forward at ONDCP.

Practitioner Members

Francisco Villaruel offered his gratitude for the opportunity to be at the table, and he asserted 

that continuing to focus on what we can do as a system to build capacity for individuals, 

families, and communities can lead us to defend childhood for the future of our nation. 

Pam Rodriguez acknowledged the importance of the career staff in moving this work forward, 

and she thanked them and wished them luck. She was appreciative of the opportunity to reflect 

on the large amount of work that has been done to date.

WRAP-UP AND ADJOURNMENT

Assistant Attorney General Mason again thanked all Coordinating Council members for their 

past and future work.

Administrator Listenbee thanked all Council members, and he expressed his gratitude to 

Assistant Attorney General Mason for providing the framework for the discussions and to 

Attorney General Lynch for her attendance and feedback at the meeting.

Looking Back and Ahead

Over the past eight years, the Coordinating Council has advanced an ambitious agenda, focusing 

on critical issues facing juvenile justice; these have included trauma-informed care, rethinking 

school discipline, reentry, racial and ethnic disparities, youth and family engagement, and out-ofhome placement. There has been significant progress in each of those areas.
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The Council has spawned new partnerships, the richness of which was reflected in the meeting’s 

agency updates; such efforts have improved the lives of children across the nation. DOJ’s 

strengths include research, evaluations, building knowledge, and sharing with the field, and the 

staff believe progress can be made with knowledge based on rigorous, sound research. A 

limitation is a lack of funding. 

DOJ has embarked on comprehensive collaboratives, such as the National Forum on Youth 

Violence Prevention (NFYVP) and the Defending Childhood Initiative (DCI). It has worked in 

communities across the country (39 communities through the NFYVP and eight communities 

through the DCI). Administrator Listenbee described these endeavors as worthy of continued 

support, and he expressed hope that the new Coordinating Council will continue to advance this 

agenda and bring healing, opportunity, and justice for our children.

Preventing and Reducing Youth Violence and Promoting Well-Being Subcommittee

Congress charged the Council to serve as an independent body within the executive branch of the 

Federal Government to coordinate federal juvenile justice prevention programs, federal programs 

and activities or programs that detain or care for unaccompanied juveniles, and federal programs 

relating to missing or exploited children.

To that end, the Council has established the Preventing and Reducing Youth Violence and 

Promoting Well-Being Subcommittee, a standing subcommittee charged with helping the 

Council to: 1) Elevate the importance of trauma and healing for resolving youth violence; 2) 

Inform decisions on youth violence and well-being-related matters by the Council and member 

agencies; and 3) Facilitate collective action by federal agencies, including jointly funded 

programs and policy initiatives.

The subcommittee name captures the concepts underlying the ongoing work in the areas of 

justice, health and human services, and education. The subcommittee’s two existing working 

groups – the Form Coordination Team and the Defending Childhood Working Group – are asked 

to coordinate and to include representation of the practitioner members. 

The first steps will include identifying members and holding a meeting in December (preferred) 

or early January.

Acknowledgements and Reflections

Administrator Listenbee thanked the staff of OJJDP, a highly talented, committed, dedicated 

group of people. He then expressed his gratitude to Assistant Attorney General Mason and her 

team, including Chief of Staff Theron Pride and Senior Advisor Brent Cohen, for their help and 

support. Finally, he thanked Senior Policy Advisor Jeff Slowikowski, who coordinates the 

Council’s activities, for his leadership.
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Administrator Listenbee then shared his reflections on beginning as OJJDP Administrator. Prior 

to his tenure, the Task Force on Children’s Exposure to Violence (of which he was a member) 

had presented its report to then-Attorney General Holder, asking him to not allow it to go 

unused. When Administrator Listenbee arrived a few months later to begin his service, he 

learned that an action plan already existed. Work was also already being done on what he came 

to call the SSDI. He wanted to make a difference in the lives of kids through the work of OJJDP. 

Thanks to the support of Assistant Attorney General Mason and many other staff members, that 

has occurred.

Administrator Listenbee finished his comments with four things children have said to him that he 

felt really mattered:

1. “Tell people who work in juvenile justice to hire people who like kids.”

2. “Believe in me.”

3. “Never give up on me.”

4. (In response to the question of why they had succeeded) “I found somebody who would 

go above and beyond the call of duty for me.”

He was proud to say that DOJ works with children who have been marginalized, including kids 

with disabilities, American Indian/Alaska Native kids on reservations and in cities, Hispanic 

youth, and LGBTQ youth. It also is moving to work with youth in rural areas.

Administrator Listenbee described serving and working with the Coordinating Council as an 

honor. He adjourned the meeting at 4:46 pm ET.