A Transformative Moment for Youth Justice Perception, Practice and Responses to Guns

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Jeff Asher is a nationally recognized crime data analyst and co-founder of the data analytics firm AH Datalytics. Jeff is the creator of the Crime Index, a collection of current crime data from more than 700 agencies nationwide and historic crime data back to 1930 for thousands of agencies. Before launching AH Datalytics, Jeff served as a crime analyst for the City of New Orleans and Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and prior to that he worked as an analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency and Department of Defense. Jeff’s analyses have appeared nationally on data journalism website FiveThirtyEight, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and more. Jeff holds a MA from George Washington University and a BA from the University of Texas.

Eddie Bocanegra is a nationally recognized expert in community violence intervention, criminal justice reform, and healing-centered approaches to public safety. His career has been shaped by a deep commitment to creating intentional pathways for people who are formerly incarcerated, elevating community leadership while building public safety. Most recently, Eddie supported and led the Noah’s Arc Foundation through a major organizational transition. He recently also served as the CVI Action Plan Coordinating Manager and helping strengthen its strategic direction. Prior to this role, he was appointed by the Biden Administration as the Senior Advisor for Community Violence Intervention in the Office of the Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice. In this capacity, he provided counsel and leadership on the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative, a cornerstone of the Administration’s public safety strategy.

Kathryn Bocanegra is an Assistant Professor at Jane Addams College of Social Work at University of Illinois Chicago. She is a licensed clinical social worker and also serves as Senior Advisor to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul on crime victim and violence prevention issues. Bocanegra has over 15 years of community-based mental health and violence prevention experience and specializes in working with survivors of violent crime. She has published book chapters and articles examining the intersection of the criminal justice system with urban neighborhoods. Bocanegra has been appointed to several criminal justice commissions, including the Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council, the Mayor’s Public Safety Research Advisory Committee, and the Governor’s Commission on Criminal Justice Sentencing and Reform. Her current research projects focus on street intervention and trauma exposure as well as homicide investigation processes.

Rey Chavis is a nationally recognized leader in community-based public safety and violence intervention, serving as the Executive Director of the Newark Community Street Team (NCST), Newark’s flagship community violence intervention organization. With a deep understanding of the streets of Newark and the systems that have long impacted them, Rey draws on both his personal and professional experiences to create transformative change. His work is rooted in a commitment to healing, accountability, and equity—and to building a safer Newark from the ground up.

Jabari Hashim Ellis is a North Lawndale native whose life and work are rooted in faith, family, service, and the belief that transformation is possible. Raised in a two-parent household alongside three older siblings, he learned the value of faith, family, and hard work while spending summers at his father's newspaper stand in the West Side community of Fifth City. Today, he is a proud father of three and grandfather of two, and his family continues to inspire his commitment to leading with purpose and integrity.

Barbara Hankey started her career in criminal justice in 1988 with Oakland County as a pretrial investigator. Today she is the Director of Oakland County Public Services which oversees Community Corrections, Children’s Village, Animal Control and the Medical Examiner’s Office. Ms. Hankey’s experience includes the development, design, and implementation of programs which serve as sentencing options in lieu of incarceration. She has expertise in pretrial services, evidenced based practices and drug testing. She is a member of the National Institute of Corrections Pretrial Executive Network, the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies (NAPSA) and the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA). She has served as faculty for the NIC Pretrial Executives Orientation, is the Past-President of the Michigan Association of Treatment Court Professionals (MATCP) and current President of the Michigan Association of Community Corrections Advisory Boards (MACCAB). She was recently appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to the Michigan Jail Reform Advisory Council. Ms. Hankey earned both her Bachelor of Arts Degree and her Master’s in Administration from Central Michigan University.

Brooklynn Hitchens, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland. She is a sociologist who critically investigates how street-identified and justice-involved Black populations navigate 1) participation in crime, 2) risks for victimization, and 3) involvement with police. Hitchens often examines the experiences of Black women in urban and street contexts, offering a much- needed expansion of scholarship that traditionally centers men. Her work problematizes our understandings of urban violence, and explores how experiences of victimization and violent loss affect individuals' cultural behaviors, attitudes, and worldviews.

Jesse Jannetta is a senior policy fellow and director of the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute, where he leads projects on gun violence reduction initiatives, prison and jail reentry, local justice reform, and community supervision. He coleads the Just Home project, the Expanding Evidence-Based Jail Reentry in Tennessee project, and the Justice Visualization Collaborative. He co-led the Community Violence Intervention Research and Evaluation Training and Technical Assistance Center, directed the Safety and Justice Challenge Innovation Fund, served as co–principal investigator for the Evaluation of Oakland’s Measure Z Services, was principal investigator for the Developing a Research-Based Practice Guide to Prevent Youth Gun and Gang Violence project, led the Transition from Jail to Community initiative, served as process and fidelity assessment lead for the evaluation of the National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice, and was co–principal investigator for evaluations of the Los Angeles Gang Reduction and Youth Development strategy and the Chicago Violence Reduction Strategy. He applies mixed-methods approaches to process and impact evaluations and provides technical assistance to state and local jurisdictions.

Travis Johnson, is a Program Associate of Grants and Research with the American Probation and Parole Association. In his role, he assists with work on the association’s various grant-funded projects involving training, technical assistance, and research/evaluation in the community corrections field. Travis is currently working on several projects. He currently works on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Impaired Driving Assessment and Probation Fellow project and helped pioneer the 10 Core Principles of Juvenile Probation alongside the Annie E. Casey Foundation. His interest lean towards supervision through technology and supervision of radicalized domestic terrorists. He received his Master’s in Safety, Security and Emergency Management from Eastern Kentucky University.

Dr. Rod Martinez manages investments in science related to youth justice and community safety at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Previously, he was at the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute. His professional experience revolves around reentry after incarceration, credible messenger mentoring, community engagement, and boys and men. Outside of his role at the Foundation, he teaches at Howard University, where he received a 2026 Excellence in Teaching Award. Dr. Martinez earned his doctoral degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a proud first-generation white-collar professional.

Del McFadden is a respected community organizer and violence prevention professional with more than two decades of experience implementing evidence-based public safety and youth development initiatives in Washington, DC. During his tenure with Collaborative Solutions for Communities, he coordinated major intervention programs including Weed and Seed, Project Safe Neighborhoods, and the Citywide Coordinating Council on Youth Violence Prevention. His work focused on reducing violence, supporting underserved youth, and building strong partnerships among government agencies, community organizations, and residents.

Olusola (Sola) Ogunranti serves as the Executive Director of Safety Services (YESS), where he oversees statewide Community Detention, Reporting Centers, Shelter Care, Police Liaison Unit, and the Thrive Academy program. Before serving as Executive Director, Sola served as the Regional Director of Baltimore City DJS Community Services and the Director of Community Detention Operations, where he supported the implementation of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative and the operation of the Community Detention and GPS Program for each region. He has served in various other capacities at the Department, including Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative Coordinator and Case Management Specialist Supervisor.

Nii Kwatei Quartey-Papafio is a recent graduate of Johns Hopkins University with a degree in Public Health Studies and a minor in Africana Studies. He was recently admitted to the Bloomberg School of Public Health Master of Science in Public Health program, where he plans to concentrate in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control. Nii has been a research assistant for the Washtenaw County Health Department and the Wilmer Eye Institute, as well as a community health worker for the Bayview Comprehensive Care Practice. In terms of public health, Nii has main interests that include infectious diseases like malaria and COVID-19, community health improvement programs, the social determinants of health, and being a part of cutting-edge, community-facing public health interventions that improve health equity.

Opal West is a senior program associate with the Annie E. Casey Foundation dedicated to transforming juvenile probation nationally. West began her career as a juvenile probation and parole officer in Louisiana. Working for state government there, she led statewide expansion efforts for the JDAI® approach to building a better and more equitable youth justice system and served on a task force to develop standards of care for state-run secure facilities and local detention centers.