"The
State of Oregon is committed to ensuring equal and fair treatment for
all children and youth in our state. The fact that youth of color are
overrepresented in the juvenile justice system in Oregon and
nationwide remains troubling, and this summit is designed to create a
forum to understand and eliminate those disparities.
Additionally,
the downstream effect on youth that enter the juvenile justice system
is unacceptable: dropping out of high school, being placed in the
child welfare system, inability to form healthy families, lack of job
skills or recidivating, which creates more victims. The focus of this
year’s summit is on ways to reduce these negative outcomes.
Workshops on best practices nationwide will provide you an opportunity
to promote strategies to reduce and eliminate overrepresentation of
minority youth in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems while
improving school attendance and academic success for minority
students."
