CRISP, McSilver Institute Host Congressional Briefing Today At 2:30 PM EST

The Congressional Research Institute for Research and Poverty (CRISP) is partnering with the McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research to host a congressional briefing on Disrupting the Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline: Juvenile Justice, Race, and Poverty that will focus on Senate bill S. 1169—The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act of 2015.  The briefing will be held Wednesday, November 18 in the Judiciary Committee Room 2226 in the Rayburn House Office Building.  It will be livestreamed and available to social workers and social work schools throughout the country.   Registration for the livestream is free of charge.  You can also register to attend the event.  This is part of CRISP’s ongoing mission to have more social workers engaged with Congress and the federal government.

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act was first enacted in 1974 to create the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) that would support state and local efforts to reduce delinquency and improve the juvenile Justice systems.   The bill was last reauthorized in 2002.  Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced this latest iteration of the JJDPA in April 2015.  There are currently 14 bipartisan co-sponsors, including presidential aspirant Marco Rubio (R-FL).  Most recently it was passed out of the Judiciary Committee by voice vote in July and seems headed for a vote by the entire House.

Significant revisions were made by the Judiciary Committee including greater emphasis on the needs of girls in the system, strengthening core requirements to address racial and ethnic disparities, recognizing the importance of addressing trauma due to exposure to violence, and encouraging states to rely more on alternatives to detention and involve families in the design and delivery of treatment services.  It also provides for more screening, diversion, and treatment for mental health and substance abuse.  However, advocates remain concerned by the paucity of funding for these programs in recent years.

Panelists for the briefing are Lisette Burton, director of national advocacy for Boys Town; Dr. Robert L. Hawkins, associate professor in poverty studies and assistant dean and director of the undergraduate program at New York University Silver School of Social Work; Krista Larson, director of the Center on Youth Justice at the Vera Institute of Justice; and Lisa Pilnik, deputy executive director of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice.  Dr. McKay will be the moderator.  Panelists will discuss juvenile justice policy and its impact on youth of color and what to expect as the JJDPA moves through Congress.

The impetus for the briefing is the report, Facts Matter! Black Lives Matter! The Trauma of Racism released earlier this year by the McSilver Institute.  The report is an analysis of the cumulative negative impact racism has on the lives of people of color.  Housed in the Silver School of Social Work at New York University, McSilver Institute’s mission is to study the root causes of poverty, develop evidence-based interventions to address the consequences, and translate research findings into actionable projects.  Dr. Mary McKay is the director of the McSilver and Gary Parker is deputy director.  Dan Ferris, assistant director for policy and external affairs, is the lead organizer for the briefing.

This briefing is part of CRISP’s overall effort to facilitate more social work engagement with Congress and the federal government and is made possible through the assistance of the office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-13), chair of the Congressional Social Work Caucus founded by former Congressman Edolphus “Ed” Towns in 2010.  CRISP’s mission is to encourage more social workers to engage Congress, promote social work research in policy deliberations, and expand opportunities for social work students to do field placements in congressional offices.  CRISP and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) are planning the second annual Social Work Day on the Hill for March 1^st and 2^nd.  Stay tuned for more information about how you can be involved.

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Written By Charles E. Lewis Jr., Ph.D

CRISP, McSilver Institute Host Congressional Briefing was originally published @ Congressional Research Institute for Social Work and Policy » Charles Lewis and has been syndicated with permission.