Printer-Friendly Version (January/February 2006)

More than 2,000 people attended the first national conference sponsored by the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, held January 9–13, 2006, in Washington, DC. Supported by OJJDP, "Building on Success: Providing Today's Youth With Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow" provided a framework for action to address the many issues that face our nation's youth.

First Lady Laura Bush was the featured speaker during the conference's opening ceremony. Other speakers included Attorney General Alberto Gonzales; Claude A. Allen, Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy; Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; David Eisner, Chief Executive Officer, Corporation for National and Community Service; and Regina Schofield, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs. J. Robert Flores, OJJDP Administrator and Vice Chair of the Coordinating Council, provided closing remarks on the conference's final day.

The conference agenda reflected issues identified in the final report of the White House Task Force on Disadvantaged Youth. President Bush created the Task Force in December 2002 to develop a comprehensive federal response to the problems of youth failure, with a focus on enhanced agency accountability and effectiveness.

Each day of the conference was devoted to a specific theme. The theme for the first day was "Setting the Stage: Research Trends and Emerging Issues ." The second day focused on "The Big Picture: What's Happening in the Field ." Thursday's workshops and plenary sessions highlighted "What Works: Moving Research Into Practice and Holding Ourselves Accountable ." The conference ended on Friday with a ceremony marking AMBER Alert Awareness Day. Preconference workshops held on Monday, January 9, addressed a number of juvenile justice and youth-related issues, including community assessment and planning, truancy, disproportionate minority contact, and juvenile female offenders.

The 3½-day conference featured more than 130 hours of workshops, addressing topics ranging from the educational needs of youth in the juvenile justice system to research on the possible links between childhood maltreatment and later delinquency. One of the conference's most popular workshops featured representatives from more than a dozen federal agencies—including the U.S. Departments of Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor, and Transportation; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the Corporation for National and Community Service; the Office of National Drug Control Policy; and the USA Freedom Corps—who provided information about accessing federal resources that can be used to support state and local efforts to assist youth and families.

Other workshops focused on innovative and effective strategies to:

• Keep children safe.
• Keep youth out of trouble.
• Promote positive youth development.
• Strengthen and support families.

Participants learned how communities can generate solutions and how individuals and groups can make a difference in their own neighborhoods. The conference provided important information about federal resources—training, technical assistance, grants, research, evaluation, etc.—that can support these local efforts.

In addition to the many workshops, the conference also featured several special events:

• Tribal Youth Program Presentations and Cultural Event. This entertaining and educational event took place on Tuesday evening and featured presentations of traditional American Indian dancing, drumming, and singing. Grantees from OJJDP's Tribal Youth Program showcased innovative and culturally relevant approaches to delinquency prevention that have been successful in their communities.

• "Building Resiliency: Alternatives to Gangs" Town Hall Meeting. This Wednesday evening meeting featured remarks by Acting Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty. The meeting provided up-to-date information on the U.S. Department of Justice's response to gangs and offered participants an opportunity to question experts from federal agencies and national and local organizations. Panelists included OJJDP Administrator Flores, Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance Domingo S. Herraiz, and Harry Wilson, Associate Commissioner of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Family and Youth Services Bureau.

• AMBER Alert Awareness Day Ceremony. The conference closed with a ceremony commemorating AMBER Alert Awareness Day, which was designated as January 13, 2006, in recognition of the 10th anniversary of the abduction and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman. National AMBER Alert Coordinator and Assistant Attorney General Regina Schofield presided over the ceremony, which included remarks by Attorney General Gonzales. Three individuals were recognized for their work on behalf of abducted children: Donna Norris, Amber Hagerman's mother; Ernie Allen of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children; and Steve Largent of the Wireless Foundation. The ceremony also included the unveiling of a new AMBER Alert stamp by Deputy Postmaster General Patrick Donohue.

For a detailed summary of each day's events, see the Special Features in this issue.

Conference Highlights From Tuesday, January 10

The first day of the conference, which focused on "Setting the Stage: Research Trends and Emerging Issues," was highlighted by an opening ceremony featuring remarks by First Lady Laura Bush. A midday plenary session, "Identifying Youth With the Greatest Need and Strengthening Families To Develop Our Nation's Youth," included speeches by Claude A. Allen, Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, and Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales introduced the First Lady, and Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs, Regina Schofield, served as moderator for the two events. Tuesday's events ended on an entertaining and informative note with a Tribal Youth Program Cultural Event in the evening.

In his welcoming comments to Mrs. Bush on Tuesday morning, Attorney General Gonzales said "We are all gathered here today in order to remove obstacles that keep children from realizing their dreams. I'm concerned that young people feel safer on the streets than they do in their homes." He cited Helping America's Youth, the initiative headed by the First Lady, as an effective strategy for improving the lives of children.

The First Lady began by thanking conference participants "for everything you do to help children and teenagers. Whether you work in social service or education, or law enforcement, your work is vital to helping young people stay on the right path so they can set great goals for themselves, and so they can develop the confidence to achieve those goals."

"Young people need positive influences in their lives," continued Mrs. Bush. "And with the Helping America's Youth initiative, we can make sure that happens. We want every child to be surrounded by caring adults who provide love, advice, and encouragement, and who can serve as good role models. We're taking action in the most important parts of a child's life—family, school, and community."

She closed with a call to conference participants: "I'm asking you personally, when you go back home, to contact people in your community who want to make an extra effort to help America's youth; work together to form a community coalition." She added that the federal government can help make community coalitions effective and cited the Community Guide to Helping America's Youth, which can be found on the Helping America's Youth Web site (HelpingAmericasYouth.gov), as an effective resource to assist with this effort.

In the luncheon plenary session, Mr. Allen noted that supporting our nation's youth is a hallmark of the current Administration and talked about the Helping America's Youth initiative's efforts to connect at-risk youth with the support of families, schools, and communities. "The family has the first obligation to improve a child's life," Mr. Allen said, "but where the family can't step in, communities must." Mr. Allen emphasized the importance of building a model that makes the community a major resource for families when children are in crisis. He also stressed the importance of designing programs based on proven scientific research.

Secretary Jackson noted the importance of mentors and role models in helping youth make positive choices. He then related his own experience as the youngest of 12 children: "My father worked three jobs, and my mother stayed at home but was also a nurse midwife. But my parents were great role models and they were there for me. When I thought my friends knew better, they were there for me. Even sometimes when I didn't want them to be there, they were there. There is no question that I stand before you today as Secretary of HUD because I had a very strong support system that kept me from going on a very destructive path." Secretary Jackson concluded by saying "If we save our at-risk children, we are also saving our country. I want you to challenge yourselves to change the lives of kids and make America better."

In addition to the plenary sessions and workshops, the first day's events included a Tribal Youth Program Cultural Event on Tuesday evening. Representatives from OJJDP's Tribal Youth Program showcased their approaches with table displays and presentations that included an exhibition of traditional American Indian pow-wow dancing, drumming, and singing.

   Workshops: Tuesday January 10

Setting the Stage: Research Trends and Emerging Issues

• Adverse Childhood Experiences: What We Are Learning
• Assessing Juvenile Justice Program Performance
• Best Practices in Juvenile Sex Offender Management
• Connecting Truth to Power: Philadelphia-Camden Area Youth Speak Out on Their Communities, Their Lives, Their Challenges
• Current Research and Best Practices for Promoting Internet Safety for Children and Families
• Deviant Peer Contagion
• Educational Needs of Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
• The Future of Balanced and Restorative Justice: Solving Systemic Problems Through Restorative Policy, Practice, and Performance Measures
• Juvenile Transfers to Adult Court: The Intersection of Research and Policy
• Juveniles in Correctional Facilities
• Lessons Learned: Collaborating To Support Long-Term Recovery Following Crisis in a School Setting—The Role of Federal, Local, and Other Partners
• Mental Health and Juvenile Justice: Building a Model for Effective Service Delivery
• Methamphetamine: A Growing Concern
• Missing Children's Resources
• Municipal Leadership in Collaborations for Juvenile Justice
• Programmatic Approaches and Research: Early Childhood Maltreatment and Later Delinquency
• Screening and Assessment of Mental Health Disorders and Suicide Risk
• Sexual Exploitation of Teens: Framing the Issues and Examining the Latest Data
• Welcome to the Adolescent Brain
• What Youth Need To Flourish

"The Big Picture: What's Happening in the Field"

Conference Highlights From Wednesday, January 11

Wednesday featured a full day of workshops, presented in three concurrent sessions. The theme of the day was "The Big Picture: What's Happening in the Field."

Two brown bag luncheon programs featured presentations from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS):

• Youth and Marijuana: Community Action for Prevention, the ONDCP presentation, described the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign and highlighted the latest developments in its ongoing effort to reach youth with marijuana prevention messages. The Media Campaign's Marijuana Initiative has established a track record of success in reaching parents and getting them to seek information, support, and tools to engage in conversation with their children about the risks of marijuana.

• Engaging Youth in Decisionmaking: A Tool for Delinquency Prevention, the CNCS presentation, examined the key factors for successful youth-led community service and service-learning programs. It highlighted methods to increase youth "voice and choice" and offered effective models for the prevention of juvenile delinquency.

Wednesday's activities ended with an evening Town Hall Meeting "Building Resiliency: Alternatives to Gangs." The meeting, which was moderated by OJJDP Chief of Staff Michael Costigan, featured remarks by Acting Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty.

Mr. McNulty said that gangs compete with families, schools, and other organizations for the loyalty of youth and try to create fear in the community. The community's response must be comprehensive—a partnership, and the Department of Justice is committed to working with all the "forces of good in the community" to address gangs.

Mr. McNulty summarized Attorney General Gonzales' three-part antigang strategy: coordinating antigang activities within the Department of Justice, establishing an antigang coordinator in each U.S. Attorney's Office, and developing district-specific antigang strategies for each U.S. Attorney's Office. An effective antigang strategy requires both enforcement and prevention, and "success" must be "measured in the change in people's lives."

The Town Hall Meeting closed with a brief question-and-answer session with a panel that included J. Robert Flores, Administrator, OJJDP; Domingo S. Herraiz, Director, Bureau of Justice Assistance; Errika Fearby Jones, Coordinator, Pittsburgh Gang-Free Schools and Communities Project; Robert J. Kipper, Newport News (VA) Police Department (retired); Harry Wilson, Associate Commissioner, Family and Youth Services Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and Terence P. Thornberry, Professor of Sociology and Director, Research Program on Problem Behavior, Institute for Behavioral Science, University of Colorado at Boulder.

   Workshops: Wednesday, January 11

The Big Picture: What's Happening in the Field

• Breaking Down the "Service Wall" When Working With Young Offenders
• Challenges and Solutions for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care
• Character and Civic Education: The Role of Youth Development and Leadership Within School and Community Prevention Efforts
• Collaboration and Sustainability: Challenges for Comprehensive Communitywide Initiatives
• Communities in Schools: Strategies To Help Kids Stay in School and Prepare for Life
• Creating a Safe and Secure Learning Environment: A Blueprint for School Improvement
• Cultural Sensitivity/Historical Trauma
• Detention Reform 101
• Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws
• Engaging Youth in Decisionmaking: A Tool for Delinquency Prevention
• Hidden Disability: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Among Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
• The Intersection of Runaway and Homeless Youth and Domestic Violence
• Interstate Compact for Juveniles
• Juvenile Defender Programs
• Juvenile Drug Court Panel Discussion: What's Working
• Managing Juvenile Services: Building Leadership Capacity and Organizational Competency
• Mentoring: Resources, Resources, and More Resources
• Mentoring: Three Federal Government Initiatives Making a Difference
• Moral Kombat: Character Education Intervention for At-Risk Youth
• Native American Youth Gangs: Resizing the Native Youth Gang Issue
• Pipeline Analysis: Determining Program Effectiveness on a Real-Time Basis
• Positive Youth Development/Promotion Strategies
• Prosecutor Programs: The Role of the Prosecutor in Delinquency and Dependency Cases
• Reaching and Serving Teen Victims
• Reclaiming the Futures of Youth in the Juvenile Justice System
• Reentry Strategies
• Statutory Rape: To Report or Not To Report
• Strengthening Families To Prevent Violence
• Targeted Outreach Initiative
• Too Dear at Any Cost: Preventing the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Youth and Working With Youth at Risk
• Tribal Youth and Mental Health
• Understanding Delinquency Among Girls: Trends, Patterns, and Pathways
• Utilizing Risk and Needs Assessments: Making the Best Use of Valuable Juvenile Justice Resources
• Youth and Marijuana: Community Action for Prevention
• Youth Court: America's Youth Justice System

Conference Highlights From Thursday, January 12

The morning plenary session began with presentations recognizing one program that exemplifies "what works." OJJDP Administrator, J. Robert Flores, presented plaques to representatives from the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex for their dedication to vocational educational programming and for their unique role in the conference (portfolios embroidered with the conference logo were produced at the Complex and given to each conference participant). Don Jordan, Acting Commissioner, Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority, and Michael Dempsey, Superintendent, Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex, were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the positive development of juveniles in Kansas. The third recipient, Joshua May, a former inmate at the Complex, developed the portfolio idea while participating in the facility's textiles program and is now a student at Wichita State University, majoring in aeronautical engineering.

Following the award presentations, Dr. Robert Ballard spoke about his work in developing learning and adventure programs to reach at-risk youth. Probably best known for discovering the wreck of the Titanic, Dr. Ballard highlighted his involvement in the program "Immersion Presents." A partnership among the Office of Justice Programs, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Immersion Presents is developing adventure programs to reach at-risk youth across the nation.

Dr. Edward Latessa of the University of Cincinnati was the session's final speaker. A well-known expert on the use of evidence-based practices in criminal and juvenile justice programs, Dr. Latessa discussed the principles of effective juvenile justice programming and the importance of using research-driven strategies and practices.

Thursday's luncheon program was a celebration of mentors and mentoring. Bill Ripken, a 12-year major league baseball veteran, welcomed the group by saying, "We're here to recognize and celebrate you people. You are the real heroes for our youth." Mr. Ripken described the work being done by the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing baseball and softball programs to underprivileged children, with the goal of inspiring them to be the best they can be and to reach for their dreams. The Foundation partners with Boys & Girls Clubs and schools to reach children through the game of baseball.

Mary Dandy spoke about her work as a mentor for the Foster Grandparents Program. Ms. Dandy, who mentors at a special needs school, said she had doubts about volunteering as a mentor, but one of her daughters said, "Mama, if you could put up with us, you can volunteer at this program." Ms. Dandy closed with, "We all can do mentoring!" The audience gave her a standing ovation.

Reverend Wilson Goode, former mayor of Philadelphia, said that "those who have been mentored will land in fertile soil." He described Amachi, a partnership of secular and faith-based organizations working together to provide mentoring to children of incarcerated parents. Reverend Goode said, "Every given day in America, there are 7.1 million children with one or both parents in jail, and they need our help. If we don't do mentoring, 70 percent of these children will end up in jail themselves."

The program closed with remarks by David Eisner, Chief Executive Officer, Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). Mr. Eisner mentioned a landmark study by Public/Private Ventures, which found that at-risk youth with mentors were 46 percent less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 53 percent less likely to skip school, and 33 percent less likely to engage in physical fights. The study also found that young people with mentors were more likely to report positive attitudes about themselves and their families, and about their prospects for the future. Mr. Eisner said, "We (at CNCS) have found that mentoring, perhaps more than any other single act of volunteering, can bring great satisfaction and rewards to both the recipient and provider of service and to whole communities." He added that the demand for good mentors always exceeds the supply.

   Workshops: Thursday, January 12

What Works: Moving Research Into Practice and Holding Ourselves Accountable

• Connecting Youth to Power: San Francisco Bay Area Youth Speak Out on Their Communities, Their Lives, Their Challenges
• The Gang Reduction Program: Community Planning and Implementation
• Geographic Information Systems for Strategic Planning
• High-Growth Job Training and the U.S. Department of Labor
• Interagency Approach to Sex Offender Management
• Juvenile Integrated Information Sharing: A Framework for Improving Cross-Agency Collaboration
• New Juvenile Delinquency Guidelines Released by OJJDP and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges To Improve the Juvenile Justice System in America
• Performance-Based Standards for Youth Correction and Detention Facilities
• Project Safe Neighborhoods
• Promoting a Coordinated and Integrated Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice System: A Framework for Successful Outcomes Across Multiple Systems
• Resources and More Resources: Federal Agencies Each Share Resources From Their Agency
• The Role and Impact of Community Service on Outcomes for Disadvantaged Youth
• Safe Start for Children Exposed to Family Violence: National Perspective
• Safe, Supportive, and Successful Schools
• Stop Bullying Now
• Strategies for Employing Juvenile Offenders: Promising Approaches to Workforce Development
• Technology-Facilitated Child Sexual Exploitation and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program
• Understanding and Applying for Federal Funding
• Weed and Seed Youth Programs

"AMBER Alert Awareness Day"

Conference Highlights From Friday, January 13

Assistant Attorney General and National AMBER Alert Coordinator Regina Schofield then took the stage to begin the AMBER Alert Awareness Day ceremony, which featured remarks by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the abduction and murder in Arlington, TX, of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, Friday, January 13, 2006, was designated AMBER Alert Awareness Day. Across the nation, state and regional AMBER Alert coordinators held press conferences and other events to increase public awareness of the AMBER Alert program and to encourage public participation in safely recovering missing children.

In her introduction to Mr. Gonzales, Ms. Schofield called the AMBER Alert program "a cornerstone of our efforts to protect children" and "one of the most effective crime prevention tools." The Attorney General, recalling the events that spurred the creation of the AMBER Alert plan in his home state of Texas, noted that "Amber's tragic story inspired a national urgency to protect children." He declared that "our nation is committed to protecting children" and upholding "the promise and potential of every young life."

The new AMBER Alert stamp, unveiled on the closing day of the conference, will be available in May 2006.

The Attorney General recognized three individuals for their work on behalf of abducted children, presenting plaques to Donna Norris, Amber Hagerman's mother; Ernie Allen of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children; and Steve Largent of the Wireless Foundation.

The ceremony concluded with the unveiling by Deputy Postmaster General Patrick Donohue of a new AMBER Alert stamp. Calling it an "opportunity to educate the American public," Mr. Donohue said the stamp would "help to heighten public awareness" of the AMBER Alert program and noted that the Postal Service has a tradition of drawing attention to important social causes. The 39-cent stamp, which features an illustration of a reunited mother and child, will be available nationwide in May 2006. Mr. Donohue also presented a framed reproduction of the stamp to Donna Norris.

New Publications

All OJJDP publications may be viewed and downloaded at ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications. Print publications may also be ordered from the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (order online at puborder.ncjrs.gov or call 800-851-3420).

Now Available

Also Available Through OJJDP . . .

Statistical Report on America's Children

America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2005, published by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, is available through the publications page of OJJDP's Web site. A limited number of printed copies are available free of charge from OJJDP's Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (request NCJ 210533).

In this biennial report to the nation, 9 contextual measures describe the changing population, family, and environmental conditions in which children live, and 25 indicators depict children's well-being in the areas of economic security, health, behavior and social environment, and education. The 2005 report also includes special features on children with asthma, childhood exposure to lead, and parental reports of emotional and behavioral difficulties in children, and a special section on family structure and the well-being of children.

OJJDP is one of 20 federal agencies collaborating to produce this report, which offers a comprehensive portrait of the nation's children in a nontechnical, user-friendly format. The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics updates indicator data annually at childstats.gov; the detailed report alternates with an "in brief" edition.

The following is a brief summary of OJJDP's recent funding activities. Be sure to check the Current Funding section of the OJJDP Web site for the latest news on OJJDP funding opportunities. To receive e-mail notification of new funding opportunities, subscribe to JUVJUST.

Current Solicitations

OJJDP is currently seeking applications for a number of programs, including the following:

FY 2006 Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Southern Texas (Due Date: March 15, 2006). The ICAC Task Force program helps state and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies develop an effective response to online enticement and child pornography cases. This solicitation is limited to agencies in Southern Texas.

FY 2006 Tribal Youth Program (Due Date: March 15, 2006). This program supports and enhances tribal efforts to prevent and control delinquency and improve the juvenile justice system for American Indian/Alaska Native youth. Federally recognized tribes and tribal partnerships are encouraged to apply.

Building Community Capacity To Reduce the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Youth (Due Date: March 21, 2006). This program provides training and technical assistance to expand community capacity to address the commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth in the United States. Public agencies and private organizations may apply for this grant.

Research on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Youth (Due Date: March 21, 2006). This program supports research into the effectiveness of intervention and prevention efforts that target youth who have been sexually exploited for commercial purposes in the United States and elsewhere. OJJDP invites applications from public agencies and private organizations to conduct research on topics related to the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

FY 2006 Formula Grants Program (Due Date: March 30, 2006). This program supports state and local delinquency prevention and intervention efforts and juvenile justice system improvements. Only the agency designated by the chief executive (i.e., the governor) of each state is eligible to apply for these funds.

FY 2006 Tribal Juvenile Accountability Discretionary Grants Program (Due Date: April 4, 2006). This program supports and enhances tribal efforts to implement accountability-based programming and to strengthen their juvenile justice systems. Federally recognized tribes and tribal partnerships are encouraged to apply.

Training and Technical Assistance for Mentoring Initiative for System Involved Youth (Due Date: April 17, 2006). This program provides training and technical assistance for OJJDP's Mentoring Initiative for System Involved Youth. Public agencies and private organizations may apply.

Upcoming Solicitations

The following solicitations will soon be open for applications. Please check the Current Funding page of OJJDP's Web site for more information as it becomes available.

Evaluation of Mentoring Initiative for System Involved Youth. This program supports a program evaluation that will assess the process and effect of mentoring programs for youth involved in the juvenile justice system, reentry, and foster care. Public agencies and private organizations may apply.

Field-Initiated Research and Evaluation Program. This program supports research and evaluation studies to inform the disciplines of juvenile justice and delinquency prevention. Public agencies and private organizations may apply.

Mentoring Initiative for System Involved Youth. This program supports the development and enhancement of mentoring programs for youth involved in the juvenile justice system, reentry, and foster care. Public agencies and private organizations may apply.

News From the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

The Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is an independent body within the executive branch of the federal government. 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.

As highlighted elsewhere in this issue, the Coordinating Council held its first national conference, "Building on Success: Providing Today's Youth With Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow," on January 9-13, 2006, in Washington, DC. Council member Bray Barnes served as master of ceremonies for the conference. Appointed by President Bush to serve as one of the Council's practitioner members, Mr. Barnes is an attorney and consultant with more than 20 years experience in the legal profession. A former police officer, Mr. Barnes graduated from the New Jersey State Police Academy as class president and serves as an associate member of the National Troopers Coalition and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association.

The next Council meeting is scheduled for March 3, 2006, and will be hosted by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. For meeting summaries, information about the Council's mission, and links to related resources, visit the Council's Web site at juvenilecouncil.gov.

OJJDP Staff News

Michael Costigan was recently named Chief of Staff for OJJDP. Mr. Costigan previously served as Director of the Office of the Police Corps and Law Enforcement Education, also within the Office of Justice Programs. He is the former Executive Director of the Virginia Exile-Project Safe Neighborhoods Foundation based in Richmond, VA, a position he assumed in 2002, and also served as Director of Virginia's Project Exile in the Administration of Governor James S. Gilmore, III. (Project Exile is the precursor of President Bush's Project Safe Neighborhoods, which seeks to reduce gun crime in communities across America.) In his role as OJJDP Chief of Staff, Mr. Costigan will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Office.

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