Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Plenary Session
8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Grand Ballroom
Judge Andrew Valdez, author of No One Makes It Alone, delivers an inspiring message about the impact that adults can have on the lives of children. Valdez, who grew up poor and fatherless in the inner city, was mentored by Jack Keller, who provided him with guidance, support, and a way into college. It was Keller’s love and caring—and the game of tennis—that taught Valdez about honesty, competition, honor, and fair play. Tennis opened the door to a new world of possibilities—and Valdez was able to earn a law degree and become a captain in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps of the Army and a respected attorney and juvenile court judge. His story and message will inspire and energize.
Presenter: The Honorable Andrew A. Valdez, Third District Juvenile Court, Salt Lake City, UT
Break
10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Breakout Sessions
10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
-
Mara Salvatrucha
Grand Salon B -
One of the nation’s most notorious and fast-growing gangs, Mara Salvatrucha is an international street gang that is heavily involved in gang violence around the western hemisphere. This sessions will provide an overview of the history and activities of Mara Salvatrucha in the United States. (Also offered on Tuesday, June 24, at 1:30 p.m.)
Presenters: Al Valdez, University of California, Irvine, CA; Investigator Hector Alicea, New York State Police, Buffalo, NY
-
Crips and Bloods on the East and West Coasts
Grand Salon C -
This workshop will examine the current crime trends and activities of Crip- and Blood-affiliated gangs from coast to coast. Topics will include Crip and Blood identifiers—such as tattoos, clothing, and beads—and current crime trends. (Also offered on Tuesday, June 24, at 10:15 a.m.)
Presenters: Detective Wayne Caffey, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles, CA; Detective Stephanie Treadwell, Newark Police Department, Newark, NJ
-
Gangs in the Southeast
Grand Salon D -
This workshop will provide a snapshot of gangs in the southeastern United States, including major gang affiliations, their identifiers, criminal activities, and current trends.
Presenter: Detective Ernest Cuthbertson, Greensboro Police Department, Greensboro, SC
-
Starting Prevention and Intervention Programs
Walton -
Healthy communities feature a good balance of prevention and intervention services for at-risk youth. A sound community collaborative is often necessary to starting these types of programs. This session will identify best practices in this area, as well as the “nuts and bolts” of starting, implementing, and sustaining these services. Participants will learn how to assess community gaps in services and access resources to sustain the services.
Presenters: David Reid, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Atlanta, GA; Les Nichols, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Atlanta, GA; Joe Vignati, Governor’s Office for Children and Families, Decatur, GA
-
Making the Media Work for You
Cherokee -
Media coverage of gang activities, incidents, and program strategies can be a double-edged sword for agencies and programs. This workshop will feature a presentation and discussion on how to involve the media proactively and positively in addressing local gang problems without inflaming an already volatile situation.
Presenter: Mitch Leff, Leff and Associates, Decatur, GA
-
The Importance of Culturally Competent Programs
Henry -
America is more diverse now than ever before. Competent and diverse programs can increase the bottom line in regard to membership, staff/volunteer base, and funding. Such programs will increase an organization’s visibility and importance in the community. This session will identify best practices in this area and will explain how culturally competent programs can transform an organization and have an enormous impact on efforts with high-risk and gang-involved youth.
Presenters: Enrique Estrada, Neighborhood House, Newport, MN; John Torres, Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families, San Francisco, CA
-
Responding to the Influences of Gangs on Urban and Rural Latino Youth
Forsythe -
This workshop will share programming and outcomes from a public-private partnership that addresses the reinforcement of protective factors, such as providing opportunities for involvement in prosocial activities that reduce the influences of neighborhood gangs, reducing feelings of alienation, improving attitudes about school, and improving parent/child relationships. Identity Incorporated’s research on Montgomery County, Maryland, Latino youth helped identify areas of vulnerability within the local community, as well as potential buffers for preventing gang involvement among Latino youth.
Presenter: Candice Kattar, Identity Incorporated, Gaithersburg, MD
-
Juvenile Justice Partnerships
Fayette/Newton -
Juvenile courts around the United States are learning that in order to deal with gang-involved offenders, a wider range of partners is needed to impact neighborhoods, families, and the youths themselves. This workshop will overview some unique and replicable partnerships, along with lessons learned in the process of creating these relationships.
Presenters: Commissioner Martin Horn, New York City Departments of Corrections and Probation, New York, NY; The Honorable Andrew A. Valdez, Third District Juvenile Court, Salt Lake City, UT
-
Gangs in Public Housing
Rockdale -
Gangs and violence in public and affordable housing are not new problems. This session will explore challenges and approaches to supporting residents in low-income communities, developing community partnerships, navigating the landscape of public housing, law enforcement partnerships, and building on the assets that exist in every neighborhood. There are no easy answers, but this session will offer some best practices and provide a foundation for exploring solutions.
Presenters: David Mauroff, McCormack Baron Ragan, San Francisco, CA; Diane Rowe, Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo, NY; Kelly Drummond, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley, Knoxville, TN; Heather Denman, Boys & Girls Clubs of Harrisonburg & Rockingham County, Harrisonburg, VA
-
Local Gang Injunctions
Clayton -
California cities have been using civil processes for the past decade to reduce intimidation and crime in heavily impacted gang neighborhoods. This workshop will overview the process of creating and filing local gang injunctions, along with the results of these injunctions.
Presenter: Jim McDougal, Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, Los Angeles, CA
-
Team-Based School Gang Crisis Response
Gwinnett/DeKalb -
In any school that is impacted by gang activity, school staff and administrators need to be prepared to respond in the event of a crisis in the community and/or school. This workshop will overview how schools can enlist partners, build a team of professionals who can respond appropriately to a crisis, and how this advance planning can protect students and preserve school safety.
Presenter: Errika Fearbry Jones, Pittsburgh Public Schools, Pittsburgh, PA
-
Creating Evaluation and Outcome Measures
Douglas/Paulding -
Successful, long-term programs need to create programming with the end results in mind. This workshop will overview an approach to programming that can help to provide the foundation for sustainability.
Presenters: Duane Bourdeaux, Colors of Success, Salt Lake City, UT; Karen MacDonald, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Atlanta, GA
-
Recent Findings From Longitudinal Studies of Gang Members
Cobb -
Recent longitudinal studies have examined the impact of gang membership on delinquent and criminal behavior and on later life-course development. The results of these studies have provided new insights into such topics as risk factors for gang membership, the contribution of gang members to the overall volume of crime, and how gang membership facilitates involvement in violent and criminal behavior. These studies have also demonstrated the lasting impact that gang membership has on outcomes such as educational attainment and adult employment. This session summarizes key findings from these longitudinal studies and discusses their policy implications.
Presenter: Terence P. Thornberry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
Luncheon
Noon – 1:15 p.m.
Grand Ballroom
Luncheon Remarks:
Cal Ripken, Jr. (invited)
Cal Ripken is baseball’s all-time Iron Man. He retired from baseball in October 2001, after 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. His name appears in the record books repeatedly, most notably as one of only eight players in history to achieve 400 home runs and 3,000 hits.
Ripken’s name has become synonymous with strength, character, endurance, and integrity. His philosophy of working hard, playing with passion, and enjoying the game has made a tremendous impact on the sport and on fans everywhere. In 1999, Babe Ruth League, Inc., changed the name of its largest division (5- to 12-year-olds) from Bambino to Cal Ripken Baseball. Presently, more than 700,000 youths play Cal Ripken Baseball worldwide.
Ripken has always placed a strong focus on giving back to the community. In 2001, he and his family established the Cal Ripken, Sr., Foundation, in memory of the family’s patriarch. The foundation helps teach life lessons through baseball to disadvantaged youth from all over the country and gives them a life-changing experience. The foundation has refurbished fields throughout Maryland, donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Boys & Girls Clubs across the country, and helped thousands of kids enjoy baseball experiences that they would otherwise never encounter. Additionally, the foundation has teamed up with NikeGo, the nonprofit arm of Nike, to donate more than $1 million of baseball and softball equipment to school systems across the country.
Among Ripken’s many on-field accolades are American League Rookie of the Year (’82), two-time American League Most Valuable Player (’83, ’91), two-time Gold Glove recipient (’91, ’92), two-time All-Star Most Valuable Player (’91, ’01), a world-record 2,632 consecutive games, and 19 All-Star Game selections. In 2001, Ripken was honored when fans named his 2,131st consecutive game Major League Baseball’s “Most Memorable Moment” in history through a program run by MLB.
Break
1:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Breakout Sessions
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
-
Community-Based Gang Prevention, Intervention, Suppression, and Reentry
Fayette/Newton -
This workshop will highlight the Gang Reduction and Intervention Program (GRIP) in Richmond, Virginia, which works with federal, state, local, community, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations in a collaborative effort to reduce gang activity in targeted neighborhoods through a mix of programs focusing on prevention, intervention, reentry, and suppression. The original GRIP site was launched in 2003 and has been successful in building partnerships, leveraging resources to reduce gang activity and violence, and providing youth with healthy alternatives.
Presenters: Esther Welch Anderson, Office of the Attorney General, Richmond, VA; Marla Decker, Office of the Attorney General, Richmond, VA; Bonita Archer, Office of the Attorney General, Richmond, VA; Harvey Powers, Richmond Police Department, Richmond, VA; Joel Moody, GRIP One-Stop Office, Richmond, VA; Albert Stokes, Richmond Police Department, Richmond, VA
-
Nation Gangs in the Midwest and East
Grand Salon C -
The Folk and People Nation gangs of Chicago have spread nationwide, manifesting differently on the East Coast than in the Midwest. This presentation will highlight major Chicago street gangs—such as the Gangster Disciples, Vice Lords, and Latin Kings—and contrast these gangs with their counterparts on the East Coast. The violence perpetrated by these gangs will be discussed, as well as their organizational structure, symbols, and trends in criminal activity. (Also offered on Tuesday, June 24, at 1:30 p.m.)
Presenters: Sergeant Joseph Del Pilar, Chicago Police Department, Chicago, IL; Officer Moses Robinson, Rochester Police Department, Rochester, NY
-
Southeast Asian Gangs
Grand Salon D -
Obtain information on Southeast Asian gangs—including Cambodian, Laotian, Vietnamese, and Hmong gangs—as well as their impact throughout the United States. The session will include a brief overview of several different Asian gang cultures, Asian gang identifiers, and current criminal activities such as home invasion robbery, alien smuggling, and gang rape.
Presenters: Detective James Kang, Elk Grove Police Department, Elk Grove, CA; Officer Richard Straka, St. Paul Police Department, St. Paul, MN
-
Gangs in Indian Country
Douglas/Paulding -
Over the past decade, crime in Indian Country has increased significantly. While not all of the increase in crime can be attributed to gangs, gang-related violence is certainly part of the equation. This workshop will discuss Native American gang activity around the United States, including current trends and activities.
Presenter: Captain Christopher Grant (retired), Rapid City Police Department, Rapid City, SD
-
How to Work With Local Elected Officials
Gwinnett/DeKalb -
The success of a program, strategy, or approach depends on who you can get to the table. This workshop will overview the groundwork needed to build and sustain relationships with local government officials while meeting the needs of high-risk youth in the community.
Presenter: Duane Bourdeaux, Colors of Success, Salt Lake City, UT
-
Mentoring Programs for Gang Prevention and Intervention
Walton -
Mentoring is one of the most effective prevention programs that can be offered, since it is built upon the foundation of a relationship between a child and a responsible adult. Those attending this workshop will learn how to create a mentoring program that works effectively with youth at risk for gangs in the community, including enlisting partners and support and administration of these programs.
Presenters: Errika Fearbry Jones, Pittsburgh Public Schools, Pittsburgh, PA; Roger Jarjoura, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN
-
Street SMART
Rockdale -
Today’s youth are confronted with many social challenges that can impede their social development. Street SMART focuses on teaching at-risk youth gang awareness and resistance skills, conflict-resolution skills, skills to become positive peers, and respect and tolerance for diversity and differences. Participants will receive a thorough overview of the curriculum as well as learn how to review, prepare, and conduct a lesson. Best practices will be shared, and participants will learn how clubs have expanded and/or sustained the program.
Presenter: Zale Hoddenbach, Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, Chicago, IL
-
Intervening With Girls in Gangs: Part I
Grand Salon B -
The workshop will discuss female gang involvement in depth, including a comparison of the characteristics and behavior of female gang members; gender-related factors unique to female gang members, such as level of involvement and having children; and strategies for interventions that take into consideration the unique motivations and needs of gang-involved girls. (Part II continued at 3:30 p.m.)
Presenters: Pauline Jimenez, Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office, Houston, TX; Dana Peterson, University at Albany, Albany, NY
-
Restorative Justice Approaches to Gang Intervention: Part I
Cherokee -
Restorative justice can take on many different forms, with the goal of addressing harm and promoting rebuilding at its core. This workshop will present how restorative justice, conflict resolution, and youth development techniques in working with gang-involved youth are being effectively utilized in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Lessons learned from community engagement and skill and relationship building through the circle process will be reviewed. (Part II continued at 3:30 p.m.)
Presenters: Gordon Bazemore, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL; Molly Baldwin, Roca Inc., Chelsea, MA
-
Collaborative Gang Prosecution
Forsythe -
This workshop will overview two partnerships involving prosecution of gang offenders: the Los Angeles County CLEAR initiative and Orange County’s TARGET program. There will be an overview of the components of each of these models, along with lessons learned and pointers for replication.
Presenters: John Anderson, Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Santa Ana, CA; Gary Hearnsberger, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Los Angeles, CA
-
Reentry Strategies for Gang Members: Part I
Clayton -
Gang members often spend a great deal of time in and out of correctional programs and facilities. This three-hour workshop will provide insights and guidance to help agencies address the needs of incarcerated youth and adults when they are released from custody. Prerelease planning, case management, services overview, and community-based support will all be discussed. (Part II continued at 3:30 p.m.)
Presenters: Leticia Medina, Colors of Success, Salt Lake City, UT; Timothy Bynum, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI; Regina Sobieski, Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative, Dallas, TX
-
School Policies to Address Gangs
Henry -
This interactive session will examine the impact of gangs on the school campus. School-based strategies to prevent, intervene, or suppress gang activities and involvement will be discussed. In addition, a five-step process of assessment; policy and procedure formulation; training and education; action planning; and evaluation will be described.
Presenter: Wayne Sakamoto, Murrieta School District, Riverside, CA
-
Be an Expert Grant Writer
Cobb -
The strained economy has created fierce competition among organizations seeking to secure public and private funds. To be successful, grant writers must be knowledgeable of new social areas that can attract funding as well as innovative techniques to help make their proposal a winner. This session will offer participants “tips and secrets” in developing a successful proposal.
Presenters: Valerie Boykin, Washington, DC; Kelly Jones, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Atlanta, GA
Break
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Breakout Sessions
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
-
Gangster Rap
Grand Salon D -
This workshop will explore the history of hip hop and gangster rap. Participants will learn and discuss the development of rap music, hip hop culture, its entrance into popular culture, and the commercialization of rap music. This workshop is a must for professionals dealing with gang-involved youth and will create a greater understanding of this genre of music and its impact on youth culture. (Also offered on Tuesday, June 24, at 3:30 p.m.)
Presenter: Detective Ernest Cuthbertson, Greensboro Police Department, Greensboro, NC
-
Hispanic Gangs From Coast to Coast
Grand Salon C -
This workshop will cover the evolution, identifiers, and activities of large Hispanic gangs—such as the Sureños, Norteños, and 18th Street—as they have spread across the United States from the West to the East. (Also offered on Tuesday, June 24, at 3:30 p.m.)
Presenters: Investigator Hector Alicea, New York State Police, Buffalo, NY; Al Valdez, University of California, Irvine, CA
-
Gangs on the Internet
Fayette/Newton -
This workshop will provide law enforcement officers, youth-serving professionals, and educators with an inside look at how social networking Web sites have changed youth dynamics and how gang members use these sites to communicate. (Also offered on Tuesday, June 24, at 10:15 a.m.)
Presenter: Detective Bruce Ferrell (retired), Omaha Police Department, Omaha, NE
-
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Strategic Planning
Rockdale -
This workshop will highlight the capabilities of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Socioeconomic Mapping and Resource Topography system. The purpose of this program is to develop the capacity to display crime problem areas, as well as community and government resources that can be used to control crime and delinquency. This mapping tool will also incorporate local crime and delinquency and demographic data to analyze the relationship of social and economic factors to crime trends.
Presenters: Tammy Holt, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Washington, DC; John Markovich, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Alexandria, VA
-
Starting a G.R.E.A.T. Program in Your Community
Walton -
Are you interested in starting a Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program in your community? This workshop will provide the tools needed to do so and will present the history of the program and its organizational structure, the curriculum that is available, the process required to implement the program, costs for implementation, how to obtain needed funding, and who to contact with questions. This workshop is a must for anyone new to the G.R.E.A.T. Program, as well as anyone who wants refresher training about G.R.E.A.T.
Presenter: Commander Russ Permaul, G.R.E.A.T. Regional Administrator, Orlando, FL
-
Making Places Safe
Henry -
Being proactive about safety and security can make a huge difference in limiting problems when serving high-risk youth. A secure environment is made up of many components that work together to increase safety. An effective security strategy might include a combination of changing appearances, access control, improved sightlines, using electronic surveillance, and/or technology-based solutions. Attendees will learn how to see their location with new eyes to help protect their staff and the youth they serve.
Presenter: Les Nichols, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Atlanta, GA
-
Intervening With Girls in Gangs: Part II
Grand Salon B -
(Continued from 1:30 p.m.)
-
Restorative Justice Approaches to Gang Intervention: Part II
Cherokee -
(Continued from 1:30 p.m.)
-
Gang Expert Witness Testimony
Douglas/Paulding -
Law enforcement officers play a key role in educating courts and juries about street gang culture and crime. This workshop will overview how officers can increase their effectiveness as expert witnesses and how prosecutors can best utilize these witnesses.
Presenter: Jared Moses, Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Los Angeles, CA
-
Reentry Strategies for Gang Members: Part II
Clayton -
(Continued from 1:30 p.m.)
-
School Safety Zone Partnerships
Forsythe -
How can the development of gangs in a community be substantively inhibited? Pittsburgh’s School Safety Zone Partnership relies on a comprehensive assessment of gang activity and risk factors in and around public schools, along with partnerships between key agencies, to change the climate of the community itself. This workshop will overview how this program was created and how your community can replicate it.
Presenter: Errika Fearbry Jones, Pittsburgh Public Schools, Pittsburgh, PA
-
Building Long-Term Sustainability for Your Program
Gwinnett/DeKalb -
This session will teach how to build long-term sustainability from the inception of the grant-funded project from the point of view of funders and grant recipients.
Presenters: Jan Epstein, Allstate Foundation; Diane Rowe, Boys & Girls Club of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY; Joe Vignati, Governor’s Office for Children and Families, Decatur, GA
-
Interim Outcomes From the Gang Reduction Program (GRP)
Cobb -
The Urban Institute will present its interim findings from the evaluation of the OJJDP Gang Reduction Program in North Miami Beach, FL; Los Angeles, CA; Milwaukee, WI; and Richmond, VA. Findings include the implementation of the program in each of these cities, how implementation varied, and the successes and obstacles encountered. Community-level outcomes and crime trends (including gang-related crimes) across the four sites will also be shared. The final evaluation findings will be forthcoming at the end of 2008.
Presenter: David Hayeslip, Urban Institute, Washington, DC