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The Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is an independent body within the executive branch of the Federal Government. The Council's primary functions are to coordinate Federal juvenile delinquency prevention programs, Federal programs and activities that detain or care for unaccompanied juveniles, and Federal programs relating to missing and exploited children.

The Council met most recently on March 2, 2007, at the U.S. Department of Education. At that meeting, it approved Council pursuit of two recommended efforts: (1) a pilot project to assess the value of coordinating Federal efforts to support communities relative to at-risk youth, and (2) an inventory of comprehensive community initiatives and the associated technical assistance. The meeting also featured a panel discussion of New Orleans juvenile justice and education systems in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (see special report below). Following this discussion, the Council heard a presentation by Martha Snyder, Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of Education, on the Administration's proposal for reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act.

The next Council meeting is scheduled for June 8, 2007, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For meeting summaries, information about the Council's mission, and links to related resources, visit the Council's Web site at juvenilecouncil.gov.

Special Report: New Orleans Juvenile Justice and Education Systems
in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

In their presentation at the March 2, 2007, meeting of the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, David Bell, Chief Judge of Orleans Parish Juvenile Court, and Monique Preau, Recovery School District, described "Recovery in the Gulf Coast—Nexus of Juvenile Justice and Education," providing to the Council's member agencies a first-hand account of some of the pending local challenges in addressing the needs of the juvenile justice system that are due to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

In particular, Judge Bell said that 80 percent of the city is "unoccupiable," and 80 percent of businesses have not reopened since Hurricane Katrina. In the wake of Katrina, 70 percent of the city's juvenile justice employees were laid off. Five juvenile detention centers were destroyed. He said an unknown number of children and youth are homeless, and that many are living in situations unsupervised by adults. According to Judge Bell, there is an enormous shortage of beds in juvenile detention centers and emergency shelters. He said that youth, many of whom are not going to school, are suffering from posttraumatic stress syndrome, and substance abuse among this population is on the rise.

In addition, Monique Preau said that the school system in New Orleans had a number of schools up and running by fall 2006, but it continues to face enormous challenges, including the need to open another 20–25 schools in the next year. Ms. Preau described some of the challenges, noting that many school buildings had been open for months before inspections were conducted, and the damage was far greater than anticipated. She said that people were living in the schools, and drug and alcohol abuse was rife. She also said mushrooms were growing between the tiles of abandoned schools, termites had destroyed whole floors and window frames, and faulty wiring was a fire hazard. During their efforts to rebuild, contractors were victims of theft, vandalism, looting, and attacks.

Both Ms. Preau and Judge Bell expressed concern about what will happen this summer when schools close. Currently, school is the only structure in many of these children's lives, and according to Ms. Preau, "we need to try and find every way, shape, or form to get children into schools and keep them there." "One of the most difficult problems we face," she said, "is the destruction of school records. Our population is shifting constantly, and trying to keep up with it is anybody's guess. Children are scattered across the country, often living with relatives and neighbors, leaving no paper trail of ages, grades in school, academic records, or medical or mental health needs."

To date, the Bush Administration has provided to the State of Louisiana more than $110 billion toward the recovery effort in New Orleans. At the Council meeting, member agencies discussed possible ways to offer other types of assistance to local officials in New Orleans in addressing the city's immediate juvenile justice needs. Specifically, OJJDP has offered to provide training and technical assistance to the Louisiana State Advisory Group (SAG), which is charged with recommending to the Governor how to use formula and block grant dollars administered by OJJDP. Additionally, OJJDP has provided experts on the construction and development of juvenile detention centers.