As Incidents Involving Children and Violence Escalate, State Attorney General, Local Leaders Convene to Seek Solutions for Central Valley.

News & Lifestyle Editors

FRESNO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 19, 2000

Fresno Hosts First of Nine Regional "Safe From the Start" Forums,

Aimed at Reducing Children's Exposure to Violence

More than 175 Central Valley community leaders, policy makers, children's service providers and law-enforcement representatives gathered today at the first of nine regional forums to be held across the state to address the issue of children and violence.

Called "Safe From the Start," the Central Valley forum is part of an unprecedented statewide effort begun in May 2000 by the California attorney general's office, with the support of the U.S. Department of Justice, the California Children and Families Commission and other key organizations, to respond to growing evidence that exposure to violence significantly increases a child's risk for developmental and behavioral problems later in life.

The forum, designed to promote development of local strategies to help children victimized or exposed to violent situations, drew speakers and participants including California Attorney General Bill Lockyer; Robin Karr-Morse, co-author, "Ghosts From the Nursery: Tracking the Roots of Violence"; Ed Winchester, Fresno police chief; Richard Pierce, sheriff of Fresno County; Henry Perea, Fresno City Council member and president of the Fresno County Board of Education; and Kathleen McIntyre, commissioner, Fresno County Children and Families Commission, the local entity implementing Proposition 10, the 50-cent-per-pack tax on tobacco earmarked largely for early-childhood development programs.

"`Safe From the Start' is designed to break the cycle of violence and protect our kids from its often-devastating effects," said California Attorney General Bill Lockyer. "Children who are abused or neglected are far more likely to become criminals themselves and are 50 percent more likely to be arrested as juveniles. In order to prevent a future generation of violent offenders, we must act now."

State officials, local policy makers and community leaders utilized the daylong forum to begin identifying existing community resources for prevention and intervention and to review model programs that could be implemented in the Central Valley to help reduce the number of children exposed to violence.

As a result of the forum, representatives from local law enforcement, health and social services and education, among others in attendance, will provide their collaborative findings to the California attorney general for inclusion in a formal policy report on the issue.

"Intervention for children exposed or victimized by violence must start early to prevent permanent damage to the child's emotional and intellectual development," said Kathleen McIntyre, a commissioner with the California Children and Families Commission of Fresno County, a co-sponsor of the event.

"With nearly 52,000 Fresno County women and children estimated to be at risk for violence in their homes, and thousands of incidences of school violence each year in the Central Valley, establishing a solid and coordinated system of prevention as well as support for families and children exposed to violence is critically needed."

Other sponsors of the forum include the California Health and Human Services Agency, Court TV, CCS Partnership and the California Department of Social Services. Eight additional "Safe From the Start" regional forums will be held in select California cities through December 2000. For more information about upcoming regional forums, contact www.safefromthestart.org.