HILL BRIEFING: Successful Gang and Violence Prevention Strategies

Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, Chair

Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security

U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary

Hosts a briefing on

“Innovative and Highly Successful Gang and

Violence Prevention Strategies”

Thursday, March 5, 2009

11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

2237 Rayburn HOB

Featured Panelists:

Father Greg Boyle

Founder and Executive Director

and several of the Homies (program participants and alumni)

Homeboy Industries

www.homeboy-industries.org

Homeboy Industries is a world-renowned program and business established by Fr. Boyle that employs more than 600 gang members and other misdirected youth, turning them into productive citizens contributing to their community and their own success.  Fr. Boyle is a widely acknowledged expert on gangs and successful intervention strategies. He is a highly sought-after speaker for national events where he talks about the importance of adult attention, guidance and unconditional love in preventing youth from joining gangs.  Fr. Boyle and several “Homies” were featured speakers at the White House Conference on Youth in 2005, at the personal invitation of First Lady Laura Bush who convened the Conference.  Last year marked the 20th Anniversary of the work Fr. Boyle began.   Homeboy Industries, now located in downtown Los Angeles, is recognized as the largest gang intervention program in the county, and has become a national model.  The program was featured on Good Morning America Weekend on February 22, 2009. 

Jorja Leap, Ph.D.

Adjunct Professor

UCLA School of Public Affairs

Along with her university endeavors, Dr. Leap currently serves as the senior policy advisor on Gangs and Youth Violence for Los Angeles County Sheriff, Lee Baca, and as an advisor for Los Angeles City Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the Los Angeles City Council Ad Hoc Committee on Gang Violence and Youth Development and the Los Angeles Unified School District Safety and Violence Prevention Executive Advisory Committee.  Dr. Leap has conducted numerous evaluations of anti-gang programs including the ABC Unified School District Safe Schools Healthy Students Violence Prevention Program, Communities in Schools Gang Intervention Program, the Aztec Fire Crew Gang Re-entry Program, the LAUSD Anti-Gang Youth Lead Program and the Unity Collaborative Gang Intervention Program.  In 2008, Dr. Leap and Dr. Todd Franke received funding from the John Randolph and Dora Haynes Foundation to complete a two-year longitudinal evaluation of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang intervention and re-entry program in the United States.   This evaluation will ultimately follow the Homeboy program for five years, the first longitudinal research study of anti-gang efforts ever completed.

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For more information, please feel free to contact Jesselyn McCurdy at 225-5727 or at jesselyn.mccurdy@mail.house.gov.