Former Federal Juvenile Justice Administrators to Gather in Washington on Nov. 10, 2009

Former Federal Juvenile Justice Administrators to Gather in Washington on Nov.
10, 2009

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Six of the seven living former
administrators of the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention (OJJDP) will participate in an unprecedented forum on Nov. 10 to
discuss how the agency has carried out its mission over three decades and
where it should go in the future.

The forum, OJJDP @ 35: A Juvenile Justice Conversation, will be held at the
historic Sumner School located at 1201 17th St. NW in Washington, D.C., from 1
p.m. to 5 p.m. Youth Today, the Newspaper and News Service on Youth Work, is
host of the event.

OJJDP was established 35 years ago by a federal law to protect and
rehabilitate justice-involved youth. The Juvenile Justice Act is up for
reauthorization and OJJDP is awaiting the appointment of an administrator by
the Obama administration. The forum will feature panel discussions with former
administrators, who are meeting for the first time to reflect on their tenures
at the agency:

-- John Rector, President Jimmy Carter's appointee (1977 to 1979)
-- Ira M. Schwartz, President Carter's appointee (1979 to 1981)
-- Alfred S. Regnery, President Ronald Reagan's appointee (1983 to 1987)
-- Verne L. Speirs, President Reagan's appointee (1987 to 1989)
-- Robert W. Sweet Jr., President George H.W. Bush's appointee (1990 to
1992)

-- Shay Bilchik, President Bill Clinton's appointee (1994 to 2000)

"I've been impressed by the eagerness of the former administrators to talk
openly about their tenures - both their successes and their struggles," said
Patrick Boyle, editor of Youth Today. "Their hope is that the juvenile
justice field can learn from the past in order to move forward."

The administrators will make presentations and take part in a moderated
question-and-answer session. About 150 juvenile justice experts, congressional
staffers and others in the audience will be invited to join in the forthright
examination of OJJDP's history and the future of the juvenile justice field.

"We expect there will be a lot to talk about given OJJDP's somewhat rocky
history, as well as its accomplishments," said Bill Treanor, publisher of
Youth Today, who in the 1980s served on the Senate committee that was charged
with the oversight of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. "We
expect a frank and honest discussion."

The forum was organized with support from the John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Youth Today has set up an event website with biographies of the former
administrators, the agenda, registration information, and articles and
historical documents. For more information, go online to
www.youthtodayexchange.org.

With a national distribution and readership of more than 60,000, Youth Today
covers the business of starting, operating and evaluating programs in areas
such as juvenile justice, foster care, mentoring, substance abuse, child
welfare, behavioral health, after school, youth employment and youth
development. Youth Today and Youth Today Online (www.youthtoday.org) are also
resources for the latest grant and funding updates and best practice tips for
effectively running youth work organizations. For nearly 18 years, our mission
has been to provide quality, independent journalism devoted entirely to policy
issues and programs affecting children and youth.

Erin Young
Circulation & Marketing Manager of Youth Today
202-785-0764, ext. 108
e-mail, eyoung@youthtoday.org

SOURCE Youth Today

Erin Young, Circulation & Marketing Manager of Youth Today, +1-202-785-0764,
ext. 108; eyoung@youthtoday.org