Date: Nov 04, 2011

PREPARED AND PROACTIVE: LAWS, POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN YOUTH VIOLENCE AND GANG PREVENTION

School of Education, Health and Human Services Hosts the Regional Conference on Thursday, November 17, 2011

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY – Hofstra’s School of Education, Health and Human Services will host the 14th annual “Prepared and Proactive: Laws, Policies and Practices in Youth Violence and Gang Prevention”  on Thursday, November 17, 2011 from 8 a.m.-2:45 p.m. in the Multi-purpose Room of the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center, North Campus.

This conference, co-sponsored by the Safe and Supportive Schools and Community Consortium, is aimed at raising awareness about gangs and youth violence in Long Island  present national, state and local perspectives on the problem and provide communities and schools with prevention tools and strategies.

Conference speakers will include professionals in the fields of law, psychology, probation, education and human services.   Workshop topics include:  The Role of Juvenile Justice in Youth Violence Prevention;  Family-Focused Practice; After-School Programs: A Key Strategy for Safety and Youth Development;  Herstory: Empowering People, Building Community, Making Change; Youth Courts:  Engaging Youth in the Judicial Process;  Second Step – Evidence-Based Practice in Violence Prevention; Strengthening Families – An Evidence-Based Practice; REACH OUT – Reducing Violence by Fostering Respect; Best Practices in Detention Reform; and the Communities and Schools Together Program.

• The Plenary Session will include a distinguished panel and focus on:
   What’s on the Federal Horizon … Laws, Policies, Programs and Resources
  Nancy Gannon Hornberger, Executive Director, Coalition for Juvenile Justice
• A New York State Perspective on Juvenile Justice Reform ─ Laws, Policies, Practices and Implications Related to Schools, Families and Communities
  Jacquelyn Greene, Esq., Director of Juvenile Justice Policy, New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
• The Dignity Act ─ An Overview of the Guidelines, Effective Models and the Impact in Schools, Homes and in Communities
  Mary Grenz Jalloh, Executive Director, New York State Center for School Safety
• Detention and Placement Reform in Juvenile Justice ─ The Fundamentals of Systems Change and Family-focused Practice
  Vidhya Ananthakrishnan, Senior Program Associate, Center on Youth Justice, Vera Institute of Justice; Ryan Shanahan, Senior Program Associate, Family Justice Program, Vera Institute of Justice

The conference fee is $50 for the general public and $20 for Hofstra faculty, staff, administration and students.  For a complete conference schedule, please visit hofstra.edu/educationworkshops.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from more than 145 undergraduate and 160 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business; engineering; communication; education, health and human services; and honors studies, as well as a School of Law and the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. With a student-faculty ratio of 14-to-1, our professors teach small classes averaging 22 students that emphasize interaction, critical thinking and analysis. Hofstra offers a faculty whose highest priority is teaching excellence.

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