Congressmen to Co-Host Bipartisan Forum on Youth Violence and Intervention Strategies: Advancing Effective Crime Policy in 2008

March 7, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, (D-VA-3), Congressman John Larson, (D-CT-1), Congressman Fred Upton, (R-MI-6), and Congressman Michael Castle (R-DE-At Large) will co-host a bipartisan Forum entitled "Youth Violence and Intervention Strategies: Advancing Effective Crime Policy for 2008" on Tuesday March 11, 2008. The event will be held in Room 2237 in the Rayburn House Office Building at 8:30 am and is open to the media, members of Congress and their staff.

Tuesday's event will provide information on the underlying prevention and intervention policies that work effectively to reduce crime. Studies show that crime reduction can be best accomplished by investing in prevention and intervention-based strategies. These strategies are not only cost-effective, but can help to end the criminal justice cycle by reaching the next generation of at-risk youth before they become involved in serious gang or other criminal activity. Experts at the Forum will discuss the effectiveness of these strategies compared to traditional approaches.

Presenters at the event will include:

•Dr. Susan K. Urahn, Managing Director of State Policy Initiatives, Pew Center on the States;

•Dr. Isaac Prilleltensky, Dean of the University of Miami School of Education;

•Dr. Howard Pinderhughes, Chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco School of Nursing;

•Robert "Bobby" Kipper, former Director, Commonwealth of Virginia's Gang Reduction and Intervention Program; and

•Angela Arboleda, Director for Civil Rights and Criminal Justice Policy, National Council of La Raza.

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