Contact: Mike Greife
WARRENSBURG - 06/12/2006 - The delivery of justice services to Missouri's children and their families is the focus of "Putting the Pieces Together: Connecting Evidence-based Practices and Collaborative Community Initiatives," a juvenile justice conference planned for Wednesday, June 28, in the Elliott Union ballroom at University of Central Missouri.

Recognized Experts Contribute

Co-sponsored by the UCM Department of Criminal Justice, the Missouri Department of Public Safety, the 17th Judicial District Juvenile Division, and the judges of  Missouri's 17th Judicial District,  the one-day symposium is designed to provide up-to-date and practical information from nationally recognized experts in the field of juvenile justice.

Program Examines Use of Evidence-based Practices

• Following opening remarks by Justice Mary Rhodes Russell of the Missouri Supreme Court at 8:30 a.m., Edward LaTessa, professor and chair of the Division of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati, will speak at 8:50 a.m. on "What Works and What Doesn't in Juvenile Justice Programs – the Importance of Evidence-Based Practices."
• At 11 a.m., Dodd White, of the Juvenile Justice Division of the Child Welfare League of America, will speak on "Promoting a Coordinated and Integrated Child Welfare Juvenile Justice System."
• At 1:15 p.m., Jennie Shufelt, division manager of the Juvenile Justice Division of Policy Research Associates, and Patsy Carter, clinical director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health, will conduct a session on "Mental Health and Juvenile Justice: Prevalence, Problems and New Directions."
• Kurt Bumby, senior manager of the Center for Effective Public Policy, will speak on "Best Practices in Juvenile Sex Offender Management" at 2:55 p.m.

Registration Open to Juvenile Justice Professionals

Conference registration is open to all judges, guardians ad litem, attorney, law enforcement, personnel, juvenile justice personnel, aftercare workers, victims services advocates, educators and private services providers.
The deadline for registration is June 16.

For More Information

To register or obtain further information, contact Bev Newman, chief deputy juvenile officer, Johnson County Juvenile Justice Center, at 660-422-7418 or by email at Bev.Newman@courts.mo.gov.