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Shay Bilchik to Chair Newly-Appointed State Advisory Board to the Department of Juvenile Justice
Newly-Appointed State Advisory Board Holds First Meeting and Sets Agenda for Advancing DJJ Reform
For more information, contact
Joyce Johnson
Phone: 804/492-4519
Cell: 703/980-7641
E-mail: jjohnson@cwla.org
January 11, 2001, Annapolis, MD --
 Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend welcomed the newly appointed State Advisory Board to the Department of Juvenile Justice today. The new board is chaired by Shay Bilchik, the current Executive Director of the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) and former Administrator for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in the U.S. Department of Justice.
"Heightened legislative and public interest in juvenile justice over the past year has provided an invaluable opportunity to begin long-term, fundamental changes in Maryland's juvenile justice system. The Department of Juvenile Justice will greatly benefit from the vast experience represented by this new Advisory Board," said Lt. Governor Townsend. "We are very pleased that Mr. Bilchik will lead these efforts in this critical time. Mr. Bilchik is one of the best thinkers in the country on juvenile justice. He will be a tremendous asset to ensure that DJJ reform stays on track and represents the best practices from around the country."
"We know that there is an intricate connection between the juvenile justice and child welfare systems," said Mr. Bilchik. "Children who are victims of maltreatment are significantly more likely to end up in the juvenile justice system than those who do not experience abuse or neglect. At the same time, many youth in the juvenile justice system can benefit from community based programs that agencies in the child welfare system operate. It is imperative, therefore that these two systems work collaboratively in order to effectively support vulnerable children, youth and families. What Maryland is doing with this Advisory Board is on the cutting-edge. It provides other states with a model for how to improve juvenile justice policies and programs through a multi-systems approach. I am delighted to be a part of what promises to be an invigorating reform effort."
"The Department looks forward to working with the Advisory Board," said Secretary Bishop Robinson, Department of Juvenile Justice. "We have already laid the groundwork for reform in Maryland, and the range of expertise that the new board members bring with them will assist us in realizing that reform."
"We are delighted that Mr. Bilchik has agreed to work with Maryland on juvenile justice reform," said Jann Jackson, Executive Director of Advocates for Children and Youth. "We are thrilled that the State Advisory board will be looking at the links between child welfare and juvenile justice because we know the tremendous overlap of these two populations."
At the Child Welfare League of America, Mr. Bilchik leads the nation's oldest and largest association of agencies that directly help abused, neglected, abandoned and otherwise vulnerable children and their families. Since coming to the League in February 2000, Mr. Bilchik has developed a multi-year strategic plan aimed at making the well-being and safety of children a priority for our nation. During his tenure at OJJDP, Mr. Bilchik focused on developing policies and a range of programs that support efforts to reduce juvenile offending and victimization. These include community-based programs aimed at reducing child abuse, and special initiatives related to children exposed to violence, health care, nurse home visitation, truancy reduction, after school activities, mentoring, and community assessment centers.
The State Advisory Board will have responsibility for ensuring a high coordination among agencies and programs as the State continues to implement its balanced and restorative justice mission. The Board will also address how to best coordinate, and when appropriate, align juvenile justice and child welfare policy and practice in Maryland.
The new board has four subcommittees:
- The Juvenile Justice Advisory Council. This Council is chaired by Rev. Jim Kirk, Pastor of Harundale Presbyterian Church. This Council is required by federal statute and will report to the State Advisory Board. The work of the council focuses on: administration of federal funds to Maryland under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, addressing disproportionate representation of minority youth in the juvenile justice system, and monitoring the requirements of federal and State law regarding the removal of juveniles from adult jails and police lockups, the deinstitutionalization of status offenders, and the separation of juveniles from adults while in policy custody.
- Community Supervision and Independent Living Committee. Bart Lubow with The Annie E. Casey Foundation chairs this committee. This committee will identify effective strategies that support youth under supervision or transitioning out of juvenile justice or child welfare settings.
- Disproportionate Representation Committee. This Committee is chaired by Calvin Street, Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Human Resources. This committee will identify the causes and strategies for overcoming the overrepresentation of minorities in the juvenile justice system and other systems of care including child welfare.
- Community-Based Prevention, Early Intervention, and Family Support Committee. Bonnie Kirkland, Special Secretary for the Office of Children, Youth, and Families chairs this committee. This committee will focus on linking other critical systems of care including mental health, substance abuse, and education to juvenile justice and child welfare practice and policy.
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