ACA and OJJDP host 17th Juvenile Corrections and Detention Forum. (Juvenile Justice News).

The American Correctional Association (ACA), in conjunction with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), recently hosted the 17th Annual National Juvenile Corrections and Detention Forum. More than 120 participants nationwide attended the four-day event, which was held in Charlotte, N.C., April 20-23.

One of the primary aims of ACA's James E. Gould Memorial for Training and Technical Assistance for Juvenile Corrections and Detention Grant is to host this forum. The annual forum provides an opportunity for national, state and local leaders of corrections and detention to obtain information, share issues and concerns, and network with other juvenile corrections professionals. The forum gives participants the chance to attend presentations by experts in critical current issues, and develop strategies for meeting present and anticipated challenges.

This year's theme was "Going Home," as participants explored topics related to the Going Home Serious and Violent Offender Re-Entry Initiative. The initiative was developed by the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs (OJP), in conjunction with the National Institute of Corrections and the U.S. departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Housing and Urban Development. This initiative will fund re-entry programs designed to prepare ex-offenders for successful return to the community.

Forum highlights included speeches made by keynote speakers J. Robert Flores, the new OJJDP administrator, and Cheri Nolan, deputy assistant attorney general of the United States. The forum's opening ceremony was held April 20, during which Michael Schweitzer, assistant secretary of the Youth Development Division of the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, welcomed participants to his home state. Jack Greene, director of ACA's Professional Development Department, moderated the event. Charles Kehoe, ACA president-elect, delivered ACA's welcome. And Donna Ray, OJJDP's acting director of the Training and Technical Assistance Division, introduced Flores, who spoke about how fortunate he was to be on the job only a few days and to have an opportunity to meet so many of the state administrators and top-level practitioners. He added that he was looking forward to leading OJJDP in its important upcoming work in the many program areas that it provides, including OJP's re-entry and faith-based programming initiatives.

On Monday, April 22, ACA Deputy Executive Director Jeff Washington welcomed participants to the luncheon. During her keynote speech, Nolan discussed how re-entry affects both incarcerated adult and juvenile inmates. In addition, she outlined key components of the re-entry solicitation and urged juvenile directors to partner with the adult agency in their states to develop their proposals.

Other guest speakers and their topics included:

* Dennis Maloney, OJJDP, sponsored fellow with the Balanced and Restorative Justice Project--Strategies for Successful Re-Entry of Juvenile Offenders Within a Balanced and Restorative Justice Policy Framework;

* David Altschuler, principal research scientist, Johns Hopkins University, Institute for Policy Studies--Intensive Aftercare Program Model;

* Leslie LeMaster, correctional program specialist, NIC--Six Stages of Successful Re- Entry! Aftercare Services Training;

* David Roush, director, Center for Research and Professional Development, Michigan State University, National Juvenile Detention Association (NJDA)--The Impact of Removal;

* Lonnie Jackson, director, Office of Minority Services Re-Entry Issues for Minority Youth Oregon Youth Authority--Oregon Youth Authority's Approach to Re-Entry Issues With Minority Youth;

* Bridgett E. Jones, deputy director, Regional Research Institute for Human Services, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Portland, Ore.--Reclaiming Futures: Building Community Solutions to Substance Abuse and Delinquency;

* Carol Shapiro, executive director of La Bodega de la Familia/Family Justice, New York--The Role of Family in Re-Entry;

* Anne Seymour, public safety consultant--Major Needs of Victims in Restorative Justice and ReEntry; Victim Impact Statements, Legal Notification Responsibilities and Restitution; and

* Dennis Barron, program manager, OJJDP, shared daily emcee duties with Ray and Greene. In addition, Earl Dunlap, executive director, NJDA; Dianne Gadow, superintendent, Ferris School for Boys; Jesse E. Williams, chief probation officer, City and County of San Francisco; and Gina E. Wood, director, South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice; acted as moderators! facilitators during group discussions.

At the forum's close, participants indicated strong satisfaction with this year's event, rating usefulness of the discussed topic as excellent. Many attendees commented that they were anxious to share new ideas on re-entry with their state agencies. Preliminary planning for next year's event is already under way.

Lisa J. Dupree is juvenile grant manager for the American Correctional Association.