CFCC 2024 SYMPOSIUM
Keeping Youth in Community:
Policies, Practices, and Programs to Promote Youth Justice
Oct. 1, 2024
9am - 3:30pm
Byron L. Warnken Moot Courtroom
The University of Baltimore School of Law
John and Frances Angelos Law Center
1401 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
NATE BALIS KEYNOTE
SPEAKER FOR
CFCC 2024 SYMPOSIUM
CFCC SYMPOSIUM 2024
Keeping Youth in Community:
Policies, Practices, and Programs to Promote Youth Justice
Please join us on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 for this important day-long symposium Keeping Youth in Community: Policies, Practices, and Programs to Promote Youth Justice, presented by the Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC) at the University of Baltimore School of Law.
Maryland's latest legislative session ended with the enactment of laws that will criminalize and surveil more youth. Prior advances for youth justice gave way to the narrative that accountability requires punishment and isolation from community. The CFCC 2024 Symposium will include keynote presentation and, panel discussion to help attendees understand how investments in non-punitive, community-based programming are the keys to unlock better outcomes for youth, families, and communities. Community providers, youth, family members of impacted youth, and state leaders will leave the CFCC 2024 Symposium with a plan to take steps towards creating, supporting, and enhancing efficacious youth and family-serving community-based programs that are restorative, inclusive, evidenced-based, anti-racist, developmentally-appropriate, and culturally competent.
Oct. 1, 2024
9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Byron L. Warnken Moot Courtroom
U. Baltimore School of Law
“Youth Need a Voice“
Don’t Miss the Art and Poetry Showcase
Mon., September 30, 2024
6pm - 7:30pm EDT
12th Floor
The University of Baltimore School of Law
John and Frances Angelos Law Center
1401 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
The Art and Poetry Showcase will allow attendees to learn what programs and policies youth desire to see in a system that promotes justice and accountability. Led by local youth, the Art and Poetry Showcase will kick off the CFCC 2024 Symposium and present artwork and poetry created by youth, some of whom have experience with the legal system. Through their creative expression, impacted youth will impart their perspectives on justice, community and accountability.
Keynote Speaker Nate Balis
Nate Balis is the director of the Juvenile Justice Strategy Group at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Under his leadership, the Foundation has launched several youth justice initiatives, including the fundamental transformation of juvenile probation. Balis has expanded Casey’s reform efforts beyond juvenile detention and JDAI® to deep-end reform, ending the youth prison model and expanding diversion from formal justice system involvement, as well as making much greater investments in youth leadership and community engagement.
Balis and his team produced an unparalleled look at the pandemic’s effects on youth justice and a call for action to reverse the large and widening gaps in youth detention by race and place in the years that have followed. Applying more than two decades of experience in youth justice, public policy and research, Balis frequently presents and testifies about youth justice reform and has written guest essays in publications such as The Hill, Maryland Matters, and The Imprint.
Throughout his career Balis has consistently directed greater investments toward youth leadership and community engagement. In 2019, Maryland’s governor appointed Balis to the state’s Juvenile Justice Reform Council for a two-year term. In 2023, Balis was appointed by Maryland’s Attorney General and Public Defender to the Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative, for which he co-chairs the juvenile justice reform committee. A native of Maryland, he earned a Master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University and a Bachelor’s degree from Franklin & Marshall College.
Nate Balis, Director for the Juvenile Justice Strategy Group at the Anne E. Casey Foundation
Program Schedule
8:00 - 9:00 a.m. | Registration/Coffee & Mingle: book sales will continue at the registration table throughout the event |
9:00 - 9:30 a.m. | Welcoming Remarks by Dean Lavonda Reed and Aubrey Edwards-Luce, CFCC Executive Director |
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. | Keynote by Nate Balis |
10:25 a.m. - 11:25 a.m. | Panel One: The Community is the Key to Preventing Youth Legal System Involvement Youth legal system involvement carries heavy burdens for children, families, and communities. The governmental costs are weighty as well. The Justice Policy Institute reported that the average state spent $214,620 to incarcerate one young person in 2020- a 44% increase from just six years earlier. Fuelled by evidence, various efforts have successfully culminated in a steady 20-year decline in youth arrest, adjudications, detentions and commitments - reducing the number of youth who experience the trauma of system involvement and saving taxpayers and the government significant amounts of money. Despite this progress, youth with disabilities and youth of color continue to be disproportionately pushed into the court system. How do we keep up the trend of shrinking the youth legal system’s footprint in the face of bias, misinformation and fear? How do we transform our efforts so that Black, Hispanic, and Native American children and children with disabilities are not disproportionately punished by the legal system? Panel 1 will highlight the programs, policies, and practices that can help to prevent children–especially children of color and those with disabilities– from being pulled into the legal system. Speakers will share how grantmaking, legislative advocacy, and community-based programs can support youth in their communities while still enhancing public safety. Meet the Panelists: Moderator: Kimberly Martin, Policy Specialist, Crime and Justice Institute
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11:25 a.m. -11:40 p.m. | Reflection and Evaluations |
11:45 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch on your own |
1:00- 2:00 p.m. | Panel Two: Promoting Community Bonds During Legal Proceedings Kids don’t stop being kids when they are involved with the court system. Youth in the legal system need healthy and supportive connections to their families and communities during legal proceedings. Isolation from their communities can lead to deterioration of their mental and physical well-being which can lead to numerous consequences. Since the early 2000’s, many courts that serve youth have piloted diversion programs and community-based accountability programs to foster community connection during legal proceedings. Panel 2 will explore some of these alternative court models, identify the policies and practices that hinder more community connections, and identify the gaps in community-based program offerings that need to be filled. Meet the Panelists: Moderator: Alice Wilkerson, Executive Director, Advance Maryland
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2:00 p.m. - 2:10 p.m. | Reflection and Evaluations |
2:10 - 2:20 p.m. | Break |
2:20 - 3:20 p.m. | Panel Three: Fostering Youth Connection to Community During Re-Entry Re-entry is a crucial time for ensuring that youth are connected to their communities. Our society’s pathologization of adolescence leads us to believe that the majority of youth returning from court ordered placements need intensive support in isolation from their communities. However, evidence indicates that returning youth need access to community-based mentorship, academic supports, health care, and employment opportunities in order to reach their fullest social, academic, and behavioral potential. The final panel will explore the practices, policies, and programs that can help communities address the real needs of youth upon reentry. Meet the Panelists: Moderator: Eduardo Ferrer, Associate Professor of Law; Policy Director of the Juvenile Justice Initiative, Georgetown Law
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3:20 -3:30 p.m. | Reflection and Evaluations |
3:30 - 3:45 p.m. | Closing Remarks by Shanta Trivedi, CFCC Faculty Director |
2024 Symposium Speakers
Robert Bizzell
The Honorable Judge
Charles Blomquist
Robin Campbell
James Dold
Eduardo Ferrer
Michelle Kim
Lisa Garry
Kimberly Martin
Aubrey Edwards-Luce
Marcy Mistrett
Elyzah Johnson
Kelly Quinn
Josh Rovner
Jennifer Rallo
Dean Lavonda Reed
Shanta Trivedi
Heather Warnken
Alice Wilkerson
Parking and Transportation (Campus Map)
There is street parking available in the area of the law school at regular parking rates.
The Fitzgerald Garage
(between Maryland and Mt. Royal Avenues)
Mass Transit Options:
- Light Rail: The light rail runs north-south between Hunt Valley and Glen Burnie. The University of Baltimore/Mount Royal Station is very close to the Fitzgerald Parking Garage - just a minute's walk from campus. A free shuttle service is available.
- Bus: The University is located on major metropolitan bus routes.
- Subway: The Baltimore Metro runs from Owings Mills to Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Maryland State Office Building Metro Station is four blocks from the UB campus.
- Train: The University is one block south of Pennsylvania Station (Amtrak and MARC) on Charles Street.
Driving Directions:
From the North (Northern Baltimore County/York, Pa.)
Take I-83 (Harrisburg Expressway) to I-695 toward Pikesville. Follow signs to I-83 South (Jones Falls Expressway). From I-83 take Exit 6, Mt. Royal Ave./North Ave. At end of ramp is a traffic light; go straight and follow as the road bends to the left. To access UB's Maryland Avenue Garage, turn right onto Maryland Avenue, proceed three blocks and make a right into the garage. To access the Fitzgerald Garage, turn left onto Oliver Street just past the light rail tracks. Look for the Barnes & Noble (UB's bookstore) on the left, and the garage entrance immediately to the right of the store.
From the West (Frederick, Md. and beyond)
Take I-70 to I-695 toward Towson. Follow I-695 to Exit 23 for I-83 (Baltimore). From I-83 take Exit 6, Mt. Royal Ave./North Ave. At end of ramp is a traffic light; go straight and follow as the road bends to the left. To access UB's Maryland Avenue Garage, turn right onto Maryland Avenue, proceed three blocks and make a right into the garage. To access the Fitzgerald Garage, turn left onto Oliver Street just past the light rail tracks. Look for the Barnes & Noble (UB's bookstore) on the left, and the garage entrance immediately to the right of the store.
From the South (Anne Arundel County and Southern Md.)
Take Rte. 3 to I-695 toward Towson. Follow I-695 to Exit 7 for Rte. 295 (Baltimore). Rte. 295 will become Russell Street. Make a right onto Pratt Street and then a left onto Charles Street. To access UB's Maryland Avenue Garage, proceed on North Charles Street and make a left onto Preston Street. From Preston Street make a left onto Maryland Avenue and a right into the garage. To access the Fitzgerald Garage, follow Charles Street then turn left onto Mt. Royal Avenue. Follow West Mt. Royal Avenue past the Lyric Opera House and turn right onto Oliver Street. Look for the Barnes & Noble (UB's bookstore) on the left, and the garage entrance immediately to the right of the store.
From the Southwest (Howard, Montgomery and Prince George's counties/Washington, D.C.)
Take I-95 into Baltimore. Exit I-95 at Exit 53 I-395 (Downtown Baltimore). Bear left for the Inner Harbor. Make a right onto Pratt Street and then a left onto Charles Street. To access UB's Maryland Avenue Garage, proceed on North Charles Street and make a left onto Preston Street. From Preston Street make a left onto Maryland Avenue and a right into the garage. To access the Fitzgerald Garage, follow Charles Street then turn left onto Mt. Royal Avenue. Follow West Mt. Royal Avenue past the Lyric Opera House and turn right onto Oliver Street. Look for the Barnes & Noble (UB's bookstore) on the left, and the garage entrance immediately to the right of the store.
From the Southeast (Eastern Shore)
Take Rte. 50 to Rte. 97 toward Baltimore. Rte. 97 will become Rte. 3/Rte. 97. Follow Rte. 3 to I-695 toward Towson. From I-695 take Exit 7 Rte. 295 (Baltimore). Rte. 295 will become Russell Street. Make a right onto Pratt Street and a left onto Charles Street. To access UB's Maryland Avenue Garage, proceed on North Charles Street and make a left onto Preston Street. From Preston Street make a left onto Maryland Avenue and a right into the garage. To access the Fitzgerald Garage, follow Charles Street then turn left onto Mt. Royal Avenue. Follow West Mt. Royal Avenue past the Lyric Opera House and turn right onto Oliver Street. Look for the Barnes & Noble (UB's bookstore) on the left, and the garage entrance immediately to the right of the store.
Lunch Options Around UB
Lunch will be on your own we have prepared a list of local restaurants options within walking distance of the law school.
Please consider supporting
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About Us
We envision communities where children and families thrive without unnecessary involvement in the legal system. Our mission is to promote child and family well-being while inspiring the next generation of attorneys to prioritize the power, voice, and needs of families. We engage communities in all that we do and work tirelessly to transform systems that create barriers to family well-being.