UAA Justice Center holds community forum to discuss minorities in the juvenile justice system

By: Staff Jul 1, 2008

Key players join together to discuss possible solutions

ANCHORAGE, AK – Data from a study done by UAA’s Justice Center clearly shows that minorities are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system in Anchorage. We know there is a problem, but what are the solutions? This question will be at the center of a Second Forum on Minority Overrepresentation in The Juvenile Justice System: Realizing Just Solutions. The forum will be held July 10-11 at the BP Energy Center in Anchorage.

Data from a forum held in June 2006 clearly demonstrated that minorities are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system at the point of arrest and at the point where a juvenile is either diverted to a community-based option or a petition is filed with the Court.

Next week, local experts and community members will join together for a second forum to share information on the problem and their vision for solutions. Data on arrests has led to focused discussions of programs for delinquency prevention and early intervention. It is critical to support community-based alternatives to the formal juvenile justice system that hold youth accountable while helping them learn and grow to be successful, law-abiding adults.

Thursday, July 10, 2008, 5-8 p.m.
Reception, dinner and keynote addresses

Friday, July 11, 2008, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Presentations and panel discussions on current data and research; solutions inside the juvenile justice system; a luncheon on Youth Violence and Gang Prevention; community perspectives; and suggested solutions from within the community

The forum, sponsored by UAA’s Justice Center, is being organized in conjunction with the Anchorage Disproportionate Minority Contact Initiative in cooperation with the Alaska Department of Health & Social Services, Division of Juvenile Justice, the Alaska Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee, the Alaska Native Justice Center, the Anchorage Police Department, the Anchorage School District and the Municipality of Anchorage.

Also included in the forum are two distinguished guests, Dr. Esbensen and Dr. Weitekamp. Dr. Esbensen is the lead national evaluator for the Gang Related Education and Training (GREAT) program and is a professor at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Dr. Weitekamp is a leading scholar in the areas of juvenile delinquency and restorative justice. He is a senior research associate at the University of Tuebingen, Germany.

The BP Energy Center is located at 1014 Energy Court in Anchorage. This event is open to the public. Seating is limited. If you plan to attend, please R.S.V.P. to afabr@uaa.alaska.edu.

For more information about the forum or the UAA Justice Center, contact Dr. André Rosay at (907) 786-1821 or afabr@uaa.alaska.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jessica D. Hamlin, (907) 786-1288, anjmh6@uaa.alaska.edu