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The Blueprints for Violence Prevention initiative will hold its annual conference March 17–19, 2008, in Denver, CO. Nancy Ayers, OJJDP's Deputy Administrator for Policy, will offer opening remarks on March 18. (March 17 is a preconference day.)

The Blueprints initiative is headquartered at the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CPSV) at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The initiative began in 1996 with funding from Colorado and Pennsylvania State agencies and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. OJJDP became an active supporter of the project shortly after it started and has provided funding to sponsor program replications in sites across the United States. As a result, Blueprints has become a significant prevention initiative that reviews programs, designates model programs and promising programs, and provides training and technical assistance in selecting and implementing these programs. To date, more than 700 programs have been reviewed and the initiative continues to look for programs that meet selection criteria.

In addition to the opening remarks of Deputy Administrator Ayers, attendees at the 2008 conference will hear from five keynote speakers:

• Delbert Elliott, Director of CSPV, speaking on the future of violence prevention research and practice.
• Economist Steve Aos of the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, discussing the cost-benefit incentives of evidence-based prevention and juvenile justice programs.
• Mark T. Greenberg of Penn State University, whose presentation is called "It's Not a Sprint, It's a Marathon: Sustaining Quality Prevention Programming in Communities."
• Karen J. Mathis, current president of the American Bar Association, addressing youth at risk.
• Clay Yeager, former director of Pennsylvania's Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention, whose presentation is called "The Power of Prevention—The Power of People."

The conference is intended to:

• Disseminate science-based information on youth violence, delinquency, and drug prevention programs.
• Motivate the prevention field to adopt evidence-based programs.
• Provide support, guidance, and tools to help practitioners implement these programs successfully in their own communities.

Seven programs will hold individual preconferences on March 17, five of which are open to all conference registrants. These are:

• Girls Study Group
• Life Skills Training
• Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care
• National Center for School Engagement
• Nurse-Family Partnership

Visit the Blueprints Conference 2008 Web site to learn more about the conference, to register, and to read the full conference brochure.