Florida programs and initiatives focused on helping at-risk teens will be among the many topics presented March 11-14, 2009 during the 36th National Conference on Juvenile Justice which will convene at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando. More than 700 juvenile justice professionals from Florida and around the country are expected to participate in this premier national conference, co-sponsored by the Reno, Nevada-based National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the National District Attorneys Association, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.

Judges, prosecutors, defense counsel, probation officers, detention and corrections workers, police, social workers, and others from around the country will attend the 2-1/2 day program which will focus on the challenging issues facing our juvenile and family courts, including juvenile delinquency, child abuse and neglect, and domestic violence, among many others.

Conference highlights will include:

*  Discussion of Florida's Blueprint Commission, created by Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice to address vital concerns including repeat juvenile offenders, the over-representation of minority youths and the alarming growth of girls in the juvenile justice population. Two members of the Commission, Judge Lester Langer of Miami and Judge Irene Sullivan of Clearwater, will discuss the Commissions recommendations. (Thursday, March 12, 3:15 pm)

*  Exploration of girls issues in the juvenile justice systemwith Dr. Lawanda Ravoira, Director of the new Center for Girls and Young Women in Jacksonville. Dr. Ravoira will discuss the research and what interventions and services work best in dealing with at-risk girls. (Friday, March 13, 10:30 am). On Friday afternoon, Dr. Ravoira will present with Roy Miller, President of Children's Campaign, Inc., of Tallahassee, on the Justice for Girls Initiative (March 13, 2:30 pm).

*  Plenary sessions will include: Keynote by Dr. Victor Garcia on "How Do We Stop the Violence?"(Thursday, March 12, 9:00 am); "Substances and the Adolescent Brain" by Dr. Melissa Piasecki, who will help participants understand the unique challenges presented when young people use alcohol and drugs (Friday, March 13, 8:30 am); the "Roadmap for Juvenile Justice Reform"by Bart Lubow, director of the Annie E. Casey Foundations Programs for High Risk Youth and Families, who will talk about both the challenges and possibilities for reform in the juvenile justice system (Friday, March 13, 1:00 pm); "Reducing Minority Youth Incarceration" by Dr. Christopher Mallett who will discuss the problem and the need for increased mental health services for jailed young people (Saturday, March 14, 8:35 am).

*  As many as 10 seminars will run concurrently during the program, focusing on topics including: cyberbullying; youth involved in the delinquency and child welfare systems; juvenile sex offenders; tribal courts; gangs; the effects of domestic violence on children; juvenile mental health; trauma and resiliency; and truancy.

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