government? government? >> my approach is completely different. this is not about what makes most of us happy or some measure of happiness. i certainly want to distance myself from the idea that the measure of successful government is high gdp. i just think that a successful government has that, but my view of the metric is individual freedom. if the job of government is the protection of individual rights, then the measure by which we measure if the government is succeeding or not is, is it protecting individual rights, or is it the biggest violator of individual rights? government violates our rights today. it infringes on our freedom, so the metric i would use is, to what extent are you free to plan not your life, to make the

choices you need to do the things you want to do in your life? i think on that matrix we are failing. we have been declining dramatically for the last 100 years. i believe government should not be engaged in, for example, the decision of whether i should be allowed to take viox or not. there is risk involved, but i should be able to decide. it is a decision i should be able to make with my doctor or my pharmacist.

every time the government makes a decision like that for us, we have less freedom, less ability to pursue happiness. and yes, i believe individuals are less happy as a consequence, although i do not think you can measure happiness, certainly not collective happiness. >> do you have a comparative analysis from your viewpoint? is there another government somewhere that you think we should be emulating? are you referring to the united states government or all governments? >> no government has ever been like the government i would like. no government has ever practice the kind of government i think the founding fathers imagined. even they did not practice it. but to the extent that governments have advocated for freedom, people have been successful, gdp has grown, happiness has grown, freedom has ground.

i am a huge lover of 19th century america. i know that david has a different perspective of pre- world war i america. i think that was the golden age of this country in which individuals were actually as free as we have been in america. if you compare china to hong kong. if you compare america to hong kong, we are sinking in economic index like a rock. i think there are better governments and worse governments, and i think the u.s. government, which started out as the best government in the world -- i am an immigrant. i came here because i believe this is the best government in the world. i think it has eroded over the last 100 years and is moving away from that freedom. even by simple indexes of freedom, dropping dramatically. >> the me turn to david to give us a comparative analysis.

>> i find yaron's dark picture of the last century rather puzzling. the last i checked, the last entry was pretty good. this was the time we created the first mass middle class in the history of the world. the 20th-century was a time when we became the freest, most dynamic society in history of the world. it was a phenomenal century when america became the richest country in the history of the world, and that period also coincided with the rise of a powerful government that was committed to making america number one in a lot of different areas, a government that was committed to building a modern middle-class through the gi bill, the interstate highway system that opened up the suburbs, public universities that made higher education affordable, scientific

investments that put us on the cutting edge of industry and technology. the government played a central role in creating the golden age. the golden age was not the 19th century when children were working in factories, people did not have the right to organize and robber barons ran america. the golden age was the 20th century, absolutely. and in terms of the international comparison, i think one of the best examples in the world right now is denmark, a country known for its economic freedom, a country that is a great place to do business, but also a country with a great social safety net and a lot of investment in human capital through its education system. we are in a major competition right now with other countries that have very strong governments that are trying to chart their role in this 21st

century. >> let me take this opportunity to invite the participants who are here with us in the great hall of seattle's town hall to join us at the microphone here to my left, to your right. we will have someone here to sort of moderate activity for us, but i ask you to begin thinking of your questions and to come forward. while we're doing that, i just want to make a comment about this last bit. maybe i am standing in the middle for a reason. i would say that from my standpoint i continue to believe that i live in the greatest country of the world, whether we look at it from our economic success an opportunity to the role that we play in terms of safeguarding the world's security. not to say that we're perfect.

i think americans, better than anybody else, expose the weaknesses for all to see, and that is a powerful thing. since there seems to be some agreement that this government may not be good for certain things and that our metrics may be skewed, let me just give a few. this is from "newsweek" magazine, who attempted to pull together some of the of the happiness indices from around the world, health, education, politics. in the quality of life index, the united states this 31st. in recent rankings of the world's most livable cities, economists ranks the american entry at 29. the quality of living survey, number 31. perhaps we have another form of agreement here. >> which countries are at the top of those lists? >> i could not say. i believe a number of them are scandinavian.

others believe that china, as the emerging power of the world, will head the list. >> i propose that we take the top of that list, scandinavian countries and others, and open the borders in both directions and see where people move. i'm willing to bet that the movement will be to this country. that is were smart entrepreneurs want to be. [applause] we would have to have a very different political environment to engage in experiments like that. >> we do want to involve our guests here at town hall, so we will take some questions now for our speakers. >> a question for yaron brook, i wonder where is the morality of allowing unhindered accumulation of wealth.

in a country where you have people working three jobs and having no health insurance, i wonder where the morality is coming in. also, a country that prides itself and christian values, christianity does not espouse that you have such a wealth disparities. >> let me just make it clear in case i have been understood. i'm a radical. i do not believe in christian morality. i think it is a corrupt morality. i think it is bad. i do not believe you are your brother's keeper. i do not believe you belong to anybody else. i believe in the morality of rational long-term self- interest. i think your own responsibility is to your own happiness, rationally pursue the of the long term. i do not believe and sacrifice. i do not believe your job is to take care of other people.

i believe one of our jobs is to take care of ourselves, make our lives flourish. i want to ask the opposite question. what is the morality that says that i cannot accumulate beyond a certain amount of wealth? what if i am selling products that you guys love so much that you keep buying, and you buy more and more, and i make a profit? why do we live in a country where making wealth, creating value for people, trading what people value for value, is somehow despicable morality? giving it away after you have made it is good. if you want to make bill gates a sane, do you know what he would do? he would give it all away and given to attend. then we would declare him a saint. -- he would give it all away and moved into a tent. then we would declare him a saint. rex thank you for the question.

>> i do not think that wealth is created by individuals acting alone in some heroic fashion. i think well this created by individuals working within a society where there are the foundations for wealth creation, the roads, the schools, the infrastructure, the legal system, and that society decides together how that wealth is used. individuals do not get to decide completely on their own. and actually, this is not a view that i created out of the blue. this is a view that andrew carnegie famously espoused in his essay "gospel of wealth," in which he argued for an estate tax on the grounds that because society created wealth

collectively, created opportunities for people like carnegie, we needed to capture some of that wealth and recycle it so that opportunities were created for others. that is what redistributive tax policy is all about, creating opportunities for all. as to some of the other points, he keeps saying that look, government should not have to solve the problem because people will step forward to solve it through charity. we know historically that that is not the case. 75% of seniors lived in poverty in 1975. in his world view, we get rid of government and we expect charity to solve it, and then we also espouse the philosophy of radical self interest which takes away anybody's sense of obligation for anybody else.

that is a formula for a brutal, brutal society. [applause] [applause] >> next question, please. thank you, sir. >> i would like to bring the discussion down to two very concrete issues that seem to me some of the greatest threats we're facing today. one question for yaron. i did not get your last name. how does your understanding of the role of government deal with what economists call negative externalities, which is simply pollution, the danger of global climate change in the world? and for david, it is a question about democrats who seem to join so eagerly in waging war for the purpose of gathering resources in the world because we realize we're running out of everything. and finally, if i could ask mr.

mckay, to include you so you will not be left out -- >> you are very kind. >> one of the issues i have understood the courts are doing, related to the role of government, is ruling that if we go to war, that is a political issue, and make no judgment about whether the war is legal or illegal despite the fact that our supreme court justice jackson said that initiating a war of aggression is a crime. that should last the three of you for under an hour. >> you can go now. [laughter] >> thank you for the questions. i think our speakers are who

people came to see tonight, but i think that the courts have had a very important role in determining accountability for international activities, especially for war crimes. you yourself mention nuremberg, but also the war crimes tribunals for yugoslavia and rwanda, for abuses in what we consider to be the rules and laws of war. >> maybe i did not make myself clear -- against ourselves. i am speaking of the invasion of iraq. >> on the question of guantanamo bay, the executive branch displayed a wide view of the power of the executive to hold individuals outside the united states in what could be seen as a constitution-free zone. the supreme court stepped in and said not so fast. individuals there have the

right to petition for habeas corpus. the right to review the conditions and the basis of their confinement. it is a pretty dramatic conflict between the role of the executive in war making any application of constitutional rights. the court spoke loudly about what could go on at guantanamo bay and very much restricted the role of the united states there. i think we will continue to see the supreme court taking an active role in the national security -- the executive branch. that is my answer to my question. thank you for involving me. i think the better questions are coming from you. he made me feel more useful here, because i think the better

questions are coming from you than from me. let me turn to david first to answer the question he posed to you. >> very quickly, it is crazy to be fighting wars and expending resources 12,000 miles away. we need a policy for developing renewable energy here at home, and in my mind, this is a great place for government to take the leading role. this is a strategic area, and i think the best thing government can do is to set a price on carbon. push up the price on carbon and the market will solve the rest of the problem. if we do not do that now, quite apart from the challenge of climate change, we're going to continue to be dependent upon oil from some of the most dangerous places on earth. >> they are related, i guess, because they all deal with oil. i do not want to get into the question of our policy on war, because that will take this in a completely different direction. the idea that renewable energy is around the corner is ridiculous. it is fantasy. it does not exist. 95% of all the energy in the world is from carbon sources.

accept that. it is going to be like that for a very long time. if there was really an alternative, do you think a venture capitalist in silicon valley would not be investing like crazy in it? all government is doing is throwing money at this problem. it will be one of the biggest boondoggles in american history. the idea that windmills and solar panels are going to solve the problems in seattle in terms of producing enough energy for us to consume the way we are today, forget it. the only way to do this -- david is right. to have a carbon tax and lower the standard of living dramatically. that is what happens when government intervenes. the standard of living goes down. to the issue of externalities -- first, i have to point out that people lois talk about negative externalities, but i want to talk about positive externalities, which are far more dominant.

i keep bringing a bill gates. bill gates is a huge positive externality to every one of your lives if you live in this community. the number of jobs, facilities, the wealth created because he chose to locate microsoft here and build his business. and yes, he did not do it alone. he paid people to work with him. he paid his suppliers. he paid for the private infrastructure. there are no free lunches. i completely agree. the whole society is involved, but that is what the price system does. it rewards people for the degree of their involvement. employees who became early and contributed more get more because of that. you cannot dump your garbage in my backyard. we know that. we have established that for a very long time. let's get innovative.

let's create private property everywhere, including on water. including creative ways over the air. let's figure out how to protect our private property, each one of us. just like we protect our backyard from our neighbor polluting it with his garbage. there are creative, private, legal ways in which we can protect ourselves from harm delivered through the water and the air. we do not need massive government regulatory systems to achieve that, and indeed, i think it is slowing down the process. i think human beings would live in a cleaner environment if we got rid of the epa. it slows down progress. the human environment today is the cleanest environment it has ever been in human history. it is cleaner than london in the 19th century when there was

manure everywhere. a movement towards cleanliness. [applause] >> government is the government of people. what is the proper government would depend on what your view of people is. what kind of creatures, what kind of circumstance, how do people live, what are their capabilities, whether they're competencies', how should they live, and i wonder if both speakers could address, fundamentally, how do you view people?

>> i think people are moral animals who believe in and cooperation because it is in their self interest. i believe human beings have a high degree of empathy for other human beings and that there are evolutionary reasons for that. when you cooperate, when you make sacrifices of your own self in order to strengthen your community, you get long- term rewards. i think that the government we have, in which people are making sacrifices, letting some of their wealth be redistributed to help others, is a reflection of that basic empathy and desire to advance the public good. -- the common good. >> a believe that the fundamental here is that people are rational. the need to use their minds. the need to use reason in order to improve their lives in order to achieve happiness. all of the values around us are

products of the human mind. the human mind thrives. it is possible to think, to reason and be rational when the mind is free. the role of government is to leave us alone. be rational. be reasonable. create stuff. pursue values. when the government tries to tell us how and what we should do, who we should help, this or that, it is restricting our ability to think about what truly is in our rational self interest. it is restricting our ability to reason. i'm all for corporations. i am against sacrifice. i'm against forced corporations. i'm against slave camps of any kind. free people voluntarily cooperate with one another in a rational way. [applause]

>> i have a question for each of you. david, it seems that your view is that it is better to be a slave than to be poor. i want to see how you feel about my statement and hear your argument. then, for yaron, my question for you is, when government fails to do what we want through the democratic process, is there a point when it is proper to have a revolution, to initiate force, and if so, what the society look like at that point? >> david? >> i think that yaron said he believed in voluntary cooperation among free people. that is what we have in the

united states. not as much as we would like because there is too much wealth and power in hands of a tiny elite who are using that to have a large voice in society, but together, we are making decisions that have actually made us a lot richer. we have become a much wealthier society of the last 70 years in part because of a proactive role of government to enable us to build more wealth, invest in human capital and invest in our physical capital. >> must be choose between freedom and slavery? >> i do not think that slavery is on the table here. nobody is talking about slavery. the closest thing we have come to slavery in this country is when we had slavery, and it was slavery that was an institution

run by the free market, unchecked by government. [boos] >> so, we have raised the question of freedom, the question of slavery. now the question of revolution. >> let me talk about slavery. clearly, slavery is wrong and it is the government's job to make sure it does not happen. i agree about the civil war. i think we should have gone to war because rights were being violated. that is the role of government to stop the violation of rights. >> if it is the position that the government has failed in such a massive way, what do we do? do we have a revolution? >> the founding fathers

revolted against their government for a lot less than what we have to suffer under our government, a lot of it. a stamp tax, a tax on tea. i mean, in seattle, the tax your coffee. everything is taxed. it is a different context and a different world. i am not an advocate for armed revolution. for many reasons. among others, we would lose. [laughter] government needs the sanction of the people in order to govern. that is why we have the government we have. the people, the overwhelming majority of people, believe, in one form or another, slightly to the left, slightly to the right, with david. if you believe in something different, what we need to do is convince them that they're wrong. convince them that their ideas are wrong.

this is an intellectual, philosophical, ideological battle. it is the battle of the mind. it is the battle of reason. it is not a battle of arms. and we're not going to win the battle unless we engage in it at this level and try to convince enough people that the way we're heading is the wrong way. >> i think you have covered the ground. let's go to the next question. [applause] >> thank you for spending your evening with us. it is my understanding from what you are saying that people inherently tend towards violence and that humans are also inherently selfish. you talk about acting in your own self interest in the basis of morality. i wonder if he could talk about the role of correction in your ideal government.

how do you catch the bernie madoffs if you do not have regulations and checks, and how do you solve the rampant corruption we see in our government now? >> how big and robust must government be in order to catch all of the bernie madoffs better out there? >> unfortunately, we do not catch them all because we're too busy with other stuff. first of all, let me correct you. i do not think people are inherently selfish. i think to be selfish requires hard work. my conception of selfish is the pursuit of your best interest, rationally, over your lifetime. what is best for me? how should i live my life so that i should live a

flourishing life? aristotle talked about this. that to me is hard work. that is not a common view of selfishness, doing whatever you like or in a momentary sense, lying, cheating, stealing. how do we catch bernie madoff? there are lots of ways. in the case of bernie madoff, it was actually pretty easy. some of the people who wanted to invest with bernie madoff looked at his books and said, this is a fraud. and i'm going to call the cops. and they did. a hedge fund manager wrote a nice memo to the sec. he sent it twice. it was about six years before they finally caught him, elaborating on this being a fraud.

i think it is not hard. when all you're trying to do is catch crooks, it is not hard to catch them. let me argue something radical. there are a lot less crooks under capitalism than with regulations. regulations create all these loopholes. we live in an environment where business men are taught to do whatever they can get away with. it creates ambiguities. fraud is easy to detect. i do not think we need a huge government -- i think, you know, certainly, the justice department could be quite a bit smaller. you need enough to get the bad guys. >> our other speaker tonight is the author of a book called "the cheating culture and the

moral center." you might be able to address this. >> i said in my opening remarks that capitalism is a great system in many ways. it is fantastic at producing wealth. it is dynamic. it rewards hard work and creativity, but it also has some down sides. i talked about inequality being one of the downsides, but another of the downsides is that capitalism, when it is not properly regulated, it tends to become corrupt. the institutions tend to become corrupt. it also tends to corrupt the political process. in terms of the corruption of capitalism in business, we have seen that in spades in the last 12 years. everybody talks about the

financial crisis we just went through, a crisis that occurred, in part, because the ratings agencies that were supposed to tell us whether subprime mortgages were sound were compromised. they had a major conflict of interest with the companies they were rating. there is huge corruption throughout the real estate and mortgage industry as well, with lax regulation of mortgage brokers, appraisers, lax regulation every step of the way, and that helped to produce the collapse we saw. remember, there was a housing bubble in almost every developed country in the world. it turned into a financial crisis here because of weak watchdogs and weak government. capitalism inherently krebs government because wealth

inherently corrupt government because wealth inequality affects government. the financial industry spent $3 billion lobbying to loosen regulations. to water down the rules. how do we deal with that? we have to get money out of politics. we need tougher rules on lobbyists. we need to do a number of things. suggestingre not that regulations are actually the cause of the problem. our regulations causing the bad conduct? >> that is totally false. during the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, and into the 1980's, before the systematic attack on the regulation of our financial industry, we did not have the

kinds of scandals and crashes that we have seen in just the past 12 years. we did not have enron, worldcom, tycos, sachs, countrywide, and all of the stuff we have just seen. we had some financial instability. we had some scandals in the 1970's. the accountants were writing their own rules in washington. one reason we had the accounting scandals later on is because we did not respond effectively to the accounting scandals in the 1970's. regulatory changes were never made.

>> just a quick warning, we have about five minutes left. >> the questions are excellent. please bring them forward. >> i have to be quick. this has me going nuts, i must say. in full disclosure, i am a big government democrat, no question, but i have run into government 1000 times and thought, this is the stupidest thing. but it does not happen more often in government than in the

private sector, wells fargo, comcast, sprint. every single private entity idea with has regulations based on the assumption i am cheating and it makes it more expensive to deal with. they are arguing as if it is between one or the other. my real question is, why do we believe this is about government versus free enterprise? the american system of government -- those founding fathers -- i read a lot of the federalist papers. they were not talking about john locke and economics. they were talking about roman systems, athenian systems, and how human beings are at risk of abusing power. in government, we tried to set up a system to regulate the abuse of power, and we have no such system in free enterprise to regulate the abuse of power. here is my question. in america, we get a credit for free enterprise which is built not so much on free enterprise for the first 200 years as it was on free land. >> is there a question? >> the question is -- >> we will ask that question.

>> can we take another question as well? >> we will take on the role of free enterprise and another question and give our speakers a chance to answer both. >> why has there been absolutely no, not one mention, that our freedom is about to be taken away with the two stealth provisions put into the defense bill of 2012 that is voted on tomorrow. why are we not talking about this, because it is about ready to happen tomorrow? >> can we take another one? >> we will leave that open to our questioners. >> we will take one more.

>> i was wondering if both of you could try to define for me the common good and what that means to everyone, not just in this room, but across america. what is the common good? i hear that all over the news and everywhere, and i have never really heard it defined. it all over the news and everywhere, and i have never really heard it defined. >> that is a tremendous final question along with the other ones. we will give the speaker is an opportunity to sum up with their comments. we'll start with david. >> i think that the society we want to build is a society of balance, a society where the america and the value of mutual obligation is respected, upheld an advanced through government. civil society can play a role, but i think government has a dominant role in ensuring that we take care of one another.

it is also about ensuring a strong free enterprise system. these are not mutually antagonistic ideas. government and business have often worked together, historically, to create more wealth and opportunity. we struck the right balance in the early postwar time when we had strong free enterprise but also strong government. i believe we can do it again. that would be one definition i would have of the common good, a balanced society where you have both strong government and dynamic free enterprise. they're certainly not antagonistic inherently. >> it is no surprise that you have no definition of the common good because there is no such thing. there is no such thing as the

common good. all there is is individual good. we can create a society in which individuals thrive by pursuing their good, or we can create a society in which some benefit by other disadvantaged. some might be the rich. though some may be unions, politicians, whoever. they are all bad. the idea of sacrificing some people for other people is bad. the kind of society -- [applause] i do not want balance. i do not want a little bit of poison. i do not want a little bit of sacrifice. i do not want a little bit of violation of my freedom. i want to be free. i want you to be freed. i want a society in which those freedoms, this individual freedoms are protected, and that is the job of government.

there was a question about the marketplace. it is really important -- we do not have a free market today. when sprint or whoever treats you badly, that is not the free market. all of these businesses are heavily regulated. there is no competition in cable. there is no competition in these services. there's no competition in ratings agencies. the three are the government granted monopoly and guess what? they do not do very well. what we have is a mixture. lots of government controls and regulations and some freedoms. the reason we have been successful over the last 100 years is because that mixture has not gotten too toxic. the amount of freedom left in our society has allowed business to create the wealth, to create the products to make the goods that have allowed us

to thrive and be successful. but that mixture is becoming more and more and more toxic, to the point where, i agree with the steady, incomes in the united states are flat to declining. economic growth is flat to declining. our freedoms are declining. so, i am an advocate of individual freedoms, individual rights, no common good, government stay out of my life except to protect me from bernie madoff. [applause] >> let me just add a couple of quick words of thanks, first to seattle's own town hall for hosting this event, for all of

you for participating in it tonight. thank you very much. i think all of us would agree that one important role of our government is to allow this kind of criticism and debate to flourish. so i thank all of you for joining us. i want to thank david callahan and yaron brook for being with us. we have had this debate about the role of government for as long as there have been government. it is a healthy debate. i want to thank our two debaters. please join me in thanking them. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national

cable satellite corp. 2011] >> coming up, attorney general eric holder is the first speaker at a justice the part foreman and children's exposure to violence. a panel of experts on the effect children's exposure to violence has on the community. then, a look at how the economy and unemployment affects children exposed to violence. later, a discussion on prosecuting violent child offenders as adults. tomorrow, c-span's "road to the

white house focuses on next week's iowa caucuses, with three live events from the state. at 11:30 a.m. eastern, newt gingrich hosts a town hall meeting. then in the afternoon at 1:20 p.m., mitt romney holds a meet and greet in clinton to discuss job than the economy. at 8:00 p.m., ron paul attends a salute to veterans campaign rally at the iowa state fairgrounds in the morning. see id wednesday, live starting at 11:30 a.m. eastern on c-span. this week, a special presentation of american history tv. wednesday, a look back at politics in iowa. you will hear 2008 campaign speeches with barack obama and hillary clinton, and mike huckabee. in the 2004 democratic debate in iowa and john kerry, john

edwards, howard dean, and others. later, the 2000 republican debate in iowa, featuring george w. bush, john mccain, steve forbes, and others. instead, starting at 8:00 p.m. eastern on c-span3. a special primetime presentation of american history tv. >> the attorney general's national task force on children's exposure to violence has been holding hearings across the country. next, from a november meeting in baltimore, we hear from attorney general eric holder for an hour and 40 minutes. [applause] >> this is my kind of audience.

i have not said a word and i have gotten a standing ovation. >> good morning and thank you for coming. i want to thank you for all you in your staff have done to bring aboard this group of leaders. i want to thank the university of maryland francis king carey law school for providing a forum for this critical discussion. thank you for your participation and for your commitment to protecting and in powering the most precious and vulnerable, our children, the american children. i want you to understand that this work is a priority. we have a whole bunch of things on our plate, but this is a priority. i am grateful to my colleagues in the office of violence against women and the office

for their leadership in developing the the most effective efforts including the new defending childhood initiative. today as the 30 members of this task force to gather for the first time, we're launching a new chapter in the work to protect our young people from violence and from harm and insuring that in this country, every child has a safe place to live, to learn, and to grow. this task force is comprised on experts on the issues surrounding children exposed to violence. they represent the legal, medical, research, law- enforcement, and survivor communities. they all share a common passion

to the mission that brings us together today. on behalf of the department of justice and the entire administration, i want to thank each of our task force members. thank you for devoting your time and expertise to this important work. i want to thank everybody here for supporting their efforts and for those who will come to share their personal stories with us. we look forward to hearing from you and from learning from you. my good friends, thank you as well for joining us and all that you've done to strengthen the department's groundbreaking child initiatives. the work you are leading in each of your offices to better

address the threat their children are facing in d.c., maryland, and the surrounding areas, cases that rod and ron have advanced and the communities that they have helped to reform, remind us that the often difficult work of improving circumstances for young people at risk, solutions are possible. change is possible. progress is possible. the changes that we hope for are possible. they are only possible if we are willing to act collaborative way and if we enlist the help of a variety of partners. that is what this task force is all about, bringing together a wealth of experience and talent to focus on one of the greatest public safety epidemics of our time, a children's exposure to violence. protecting the health and

safety of our children has been a personal and professional concern for decades. for me, it has been decades. this is a young-looking crowd. as the deputy attorney general, addressing the causes and remedying the consequences of children's exposure to violence was a prominent part of my daily work. i'm the parent of three teenagers and it remains a top priority. we must confront this problem had on my understanding what we and our children are up against. i served as deputy attorney general and have the opportunity to work with leading researchers to take a look at the problem of children's exposure to violence. we learned that whether a child was a witness or a direct

victim of violence, the experience was associated with psychological and emotional harm, as well as it higher risk for drug and alcohol abuse later in life. children exposed to violence fail in school or often and are much more likely to suffer depression, anxiety, and other disorders. children exposed to violence are more likely to develop chronic diseases and to have trouble forming emotional attachments. they are more likely to go on to commit violent crimes. although our understanding of the nature of the problem has increased in the 1990's, we did not know how prevalent it was. we did not have comprehensive data that could give us the full story about where violence touches children and we did not

have the research to tell us about the cumulative effect of the exposure to violence. now we do. we must act. during my first year as attorney general, findings, national survey of children exposed to violence. the most comprehensive survey on violence, crime, and abuse in children's lives. the majority of our kids, more than 60%, have been exposed to violence, crime, and abuse. these patterns of violence can take many forms, pushing, hitting, to witnessing or experiencing a gun, knife, or sexual violence. they are not limited to any one community or to any one demographic group.

exposure can happen at home, in the street, at school, or on the internet, where children face unprecedented threats. children are more likely to be exposed to violence than to adults. children are likely to be exposed to violence than adults. this problem has significant consequences for individuals, families, and for entire communities. it affects each one of us and we'll have a role to play to address this. we cannot ignore the needs of our children. as a side of fails to make protecting children a toppers party goes against the fundamental responsibilities. that is why failure is not an option. because of the work of leaders,

it is not even a probability. despite the challenges that we face, i think we have good cause for optimism. we note it is possible and within our power to help kids who need us the most. quality intervention programs can foster healthy child development and can counter the negative effects of violence. early interventions which children can help them avoid a repeat victimization and future involvement with the criminal justice system. we have made an historic commitment to apply this knowledge. i'm proud that we are now directing resources for the express purpose of reducing children's exposure to violence, raising awareness of its ramifications and advancing scientific inquiries on its

causes and characteristics. committee-based policing and victims of crime are engaged in coordinating the department's effort to prevent children's exposure to violence. we're building on existing partnerships with the departments of education and health and human services as well as with our law enforcement partners in the field. we have embraced the reality that the government has a responsibility to act. they cannot be successful without community leaders, police officers, coaches, teachers, principals, and parents. that working to make sure professionals that work with children are trained to identify those who have been exposed to violence.

to be effective and to make the progress that our children need and that our children deserve, we need the full attention of the federal government and of state, tribal, local community, nonprofit, and private sector partners. we have to do this in partnership with all of those groups. we need to prevent the violence against our young people. we must go on the expertise of policymakers and attorneys, but also with young people themselves. if we listened to them, they can make a difference in strengthening the work that we're committed to doing. we need more information about current approaches. we need to know what works and we need to know what does not work so that policymakers can make informed decisions about

how to tailor solutions to meet the needs of individual communities. this task force represents a powerful and promising step forward. i'm counting on the 13 members to study this problem and to provide guidance to the department and to the public on how we can improve our response to this issue and implement the solution that we need. this task force can help to inspire extraordinary progress. the task force on victims of crime led to the creation of the office for victims of crime and prompted a sea change in how the criminal justice system treats victims and pave the way for them to become partners and to help them attain the rights that they deserve. the task force recommended legislation to provide funding

to assist state crime victims compensation programs and their work helped to advance passes of the victims of crime act of 1984. the task force helped to raise awareness of domestic violence. among the recommendations -- recognizing this as criminal activity and the need to develop multi disciplinary committee response to domestic violence became the core principles of the violence against women act of 1994. i'm confident that the members will strengthen the work that is under way to raise awareness of the issue of children exposed to violence and there will play an important role to this national epidemic. this task force will hold four field hearings across the country to learn firsthand how

violence is affecting our nation's children. by december 1 of next year, they will present me with a report documenting their findings that they can take to improve the current system of care for all of our children. by hearing from experts and practitioners, members will be uniquely positioned to add to our knowledge about how we can better safeguard our children across the in target of the united states. by showing us what works and mitigating its effects, i have every expectation that this effort will help us to better protect our children. there a difference will come from the work that some many of you do in your neighborhoods and in your communities when you respond to a domestic violence call and when you work to remove a child from an abusive setting, when you council a student who was been

bullied, or when you recognize a lifetime of drama, you've become a part of the solution. i believe that together we can transform america for the better one child at a time. i'm not pleased to give the defending childhood task force its charge. the members of the defending child the task force will conduct four hearings nationwide, to learn from survivors, policymakers, academics, and the public to the extent of children's exposure to violence in the united states. the members will seek information about prevention strategies that desert increased attention from the department of justice and from states and local and tribal governments. the defending child the task force will develop a final

report to me presenting policy recommendations which will serve as a blueprint for preventing and addressing children's exposure to violence, and for mitigating the effects experienced by children exposed to violence across the united states. i want to thank you all once again for your service and for your willingness to accept what is a critical responsibility, as you work to fill out your duties, i encourage you to think creatively and broadly and to consider what can be accomplished with cooperation and commitment to the young people that need us most and are dependent on us to act. to keep my privilege to introduce the cochairs and to turn the meeting over to them.

joe torre is the chairman of a foundation whose mission is to develop programs that will end the cycle of domestic violence and to save lives. the foundation has educated thousands of students, parents, teachers, and school faculty about the devastating effects of domestic violence. it currently reaches kids in nine schools and two community centers, markets place -- margaret's place provides a safe room where people can talk to each other. since february of 2011, mr. torre has been the executive vice president for baseball operations. he was a major league manager for 29 seasons, 12 of them for the new york yankees, whom he led to the playoffs every year including four world series championships.

the glory days. he compiled a .297 batting average, 252 home runs. he hit over .300 five times in his career. he was once the national league mvp. can you spell "cooperstown"? the chief of the juvenile unit since 1997. he serves on several boards that advocate for the rights and the interests of children.

these include the minority context subcommittee of the pants of a commission of crime and delinquency. he is a member of the juvenile justice and delinquency prevention committee of pccd, which advises the governor on juvenile justice policy. he serves on the juvenile offender center and has persist dated -- participated and maybe the hardest working man in show business. he's a team leader. it was established in 2006.

he received his b.a. from harvard university. i want to thank you of both once again. i wish you all a very productive day. the work that you have is very important. we're all looking forward to that. thank you for the crew work i am sure you will too. >> thank you. [applause] >> thank you. that was a pretty big play i guess. i forgot all about that stuff. before we make some remarks, we

will like to have our task force introduce themselves. will you please start? >> good morning. i am a professor of psychiatry at the university. it is established by eric holder. we have learned a great deal over the last decade about the impact of children exposed to violence. torino a great deal in know that early intervention and social supports are the best ways of interrupting the cycle of outcomes that he was referencing earlier. it was this kind of knowledge that led to a unique polishes

partnership. it'll help professionals unlikely partners. it led to a better way of identifying and offering help and support they needed. it also led to a new family strengthening intervention a posttraumatic stress symptoms and disorders in children by 73% when they're able to identify this. the problem of children exposed to violence are great. so are the opportunities that are enormous. law enforcement partnerships are just one example of many possible ways of collaborating weather and an emergency room, schools, courts, a neighborhood. most importantly in the homes of the children that are most affected. it is with great gratitude that

i n serving on this task force. it is a special with great gratitude to the department of justice and to the attorney that has been a great leader over the last decade in helping us develop plans better comprehensive and a way of moving forward. thank you. >> >> good morning. i am a physician at boston medical center. this is a hospital that treats the majority of the youth who are injured by violent crimes. i am in the director of the intervention advocacy program from the emergency department. we provide comprehensive care and support to you for who are injured by violent crime. we provide mental health,

illegal support, a job readiness training. the goal of our intervention is to sporsupport and guide them through the hopes that they will be able to re-enter society as productive citizens and to become mentors themselves. it has given us a window into the various different things these kids.ned to we know it requires more than this work. the have to do a 360 degree intervention. we know when the victim you are looking at is injured, they are not the only victim. everyone in the proximity is injured. the work of this team is quite

appropriate to address this issue. it is a privilege and honor to be a part of this task force. i look for to what will be able to do. >> good morning. i and the chief of the long beach california police department. i'm in my first year of policing. i spent 29 years with the los angeles police department. it is an honor for me to sit on this panel and to be able to bring a police perspective. my hope is that we will come away with an honest approach to the children's exposure to violence. it is a cycle that we have all seen that goes generation to generation. we're not able to address that even with the best of intentions. this brings a multi disciplinary examination. to have the opportunity to be

built hear from witnesses throughout the nation and have different ways of dealing with it. they lead to best practices that have and then spread throughout the country. i am hopeful that we will be able to come away with a product at the end of the day that we can present to the attorney general that become a blueprint. it will become a great resource and make the lives of people better. thank you for bringing your ticket to this very important topic. -- your attention to this very important topic. >> good morning. i am the executive director in los angeles. we have a read into programmed into the program. -- a reentry program into the program. there are 1100 gangs in l.a.

county. we run seven businesses. the rival gang members run side by side. tattoo removal treatments are offered every year. along with mental health case management. this is about an absence of hope. there is the hope that this will trump it. this is an exit ramp. it is a free way of gaining involvement. unless we have a way, and everybody who walks in the door has obviously been impacted by violence by their history in childhood. we invite them to be able to

transform their pain. we have to offer help, especially to plan their futures. my hope for the committee is that we do have a high degree of reference for how complex this issue is. we are more likely to impress this. i feel greatly privileged to be a part of it. >> good morning. everybody looks somber out there. i do not see any coffee cups rattling. i am a retired army soldier. i had the privilege of working through a lot to similar programs. their policies and the roles.

hopefully i will be able to contribute my experience. i have four separate in last 14 years in helping me. i and the chair% of -- i and the chair person of homicide. very honored to participate in this opportunity. i am excited to bring to the table the words of children who have been victims. i would like to think the

attorney general for this opportunity. thank you. >> good morning. i am the executive director of the los angeles interagency council on child abuse. i chair a board. i was the final chair on the united states advisory boards. i had been in the field of child abuse for four decades. i was and is a ministry when i joined. -- i was an administrator when i joined. ies of the agency's participate in the work that we do. one that he has spoken that is called the nexus. the attacks of islands in the

home. a new one is out. these issues are very important to me. you listen to children scream and yell at each other. the father shoots the mother. someone comes to rescue the baby because they heard the gunshot. then the baby stars the cycle of foster care, and maybe 30 or 40 different homes. thank you so much. i know how many years to have been focused on this issue. it is so unique and so incredibly important to the children of this country. thank you. >> could morning. thank you to all of you for giving a day in your life to be here. thank you for supporting this. this is a section of disaster medicine.

i also co-founded the center for national resilience. we have a to 720,000 children in 17 countries in 12 states. i in a clinical psychologist. what we found is that there is excellent opportunity for us to prevent violence without suppressing its common to create interventions that allow children to move through the cycle of violence. that is the good news. the challenging news is that we're going to have to tackle structural rates, impoverishment and tranche generational enslavement. i think we can do that. i appreciate the opportunity.

>> good morning. i and the senior deputy. this is a monterey county. we are working on preventing game in new the violence. our city is mostly latino. we're going there a coordinated approach. we believe that enforcement and reentry are critical to work simultaneously. it will have a long-lasting impact. i am also the designated site leader.

i want to thank the attorney general and all of you for being here. i look forward to learning more and caring more recommendations that have proved to be successful. thank you very much. >> come morning. thank you for this opportunity. i am an assistant professor of lot in is a paul, minnesota. -- of law in st. paul, minnesota. i'm interested in domestic violence. more specifically, if there is the concern that they have the highest rate of violent crime in united states.

i am deeply grateful for the opportunity and the chance to work with the department. i am grateful to their survivors of violence levels speaking to us. i hope you know your words are as final as any academic or physician. we need to hear from you. >> thank you for your focus on the epidemic of children. it is an honor to serve on your task force. as you noticed, childhood of victimization can have long- lasting affects, one of which is higher risk of juvenile delinquency and adult criminal behavior. we are living in an era in which homicide is the leading cause of

death for african-american youth and the second leading cause of death for all youth. entire communities are engulfed with violence. there were more homicides between 2003 and 2010 then there were u.s. troops killed in afghanistan during the same time frame. where does by homicide been u.s. casualties. boys and girls often have experienced violent and the victimization before they get in here. they continue to experience it. the juvenile justice system is a critical point in the school to prison pipeline, one we can use as an opportunity to intervene

and provide intervention that provides healing. they have recommended diversion programs. for the mets got their foundation well print manuals. we can provide them with the kind of resources that will help them. i am honored to be co-chair of the task force. we recognize our goals to prevent children from becoming closer to violence and reduce its negative effects. we look forward to hearing from those who were impacted by violence as a first up in

identifying the solution. >> thank you. good morning. when we started our foundation, i remember getting people to be interested in what we were doing. i talked about domestic violence. they said it was a women's issue. i want to thank you for keeping the issue of the dressing children's exposure as a top priority. it is so important. many children are affected by some form of violence every year, 3 million experience it in their own homes. there is no worse a motion then appear. i was never physically abuse. the fear that my dad brought to the house in of using my mom was very personal and very real. i was the youngest of five

children. my older siblings tried to keep it from me. there's a lot of whispering. there's a big gap between my age and my next oldest. it was the whispering that i felt i had done something wrong. it was a weird feeling. i saw the results of what he did to my mother. i used to come on from school in afternoon and did his car was in front of the house, i would go to a friend's house until he left for work. i was embarrassed to share my feelings. i thought i was the only one anywhere that had is going on in home. we start to our foundation and i have friends i grew up with that you nothing about it and were surprised about the revelation

when i started talking about it. kids need to know that violence is not a secret. we have to speak up for them and help them. we know that witnessing violence between one's parents or caretakers is the strongest risk factor transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next. some kids get through these situations without continuing the cycle. some kids can find an escape. others did not. we need to help them find a way through this spirit i was fortunate. i have the ability to play baseball. i have a place to hide and feel good about myself. i carried this into my adult life. i cannot discover about connecting the dots with my fears and my lack of self-

esteem that i really did not face that understanding and so probably 1995. i realize that i needed to talk about these issues. these things i certainly kept a secret my whole life. i was lucky. these youngsters need to be tended to and be helped. as a society, what ever we can do to reach the kids who are living in fear, we have an obligation to help them, to let each child had a safe place. that is what spells success. i cannot tell you how privileged i and to serve on this task force.

a special someone here is some public and have felt calls returned when you leave a message. that is your response ability to address this issue. i want to thank you for that. we are, i'm going to introduce our first panel which is called "voices, experiencing children's exposure to violence." those two experienced pilots are at particular risk for physical harm and have the capacity for healing transformation. we would hear from members of the greater baltimore community who have endured this. sexual of abuse in community violence. we are honored that they have

chosen to share their personals stories. as well as the signpost for resiliency. i like to introduce our panelists right now. earl is a residence of the muslim community cultural center of baltimore. people speak about the rise in committed to violence. there's a special emphasis on the change in the landscape they gave rise to male unemployment and intercommunity violence. he will discuss cutting of age rituals who are exposed. she is a survivor of domestic

violence. she will speak about prosecuting her husband for a domestic violence. jacqueline was sexually abused as a child and found herself in an intimate relationship. she will speak about how she is feeling from these patterns of educating others. >> good morning. i in a lifetime resident here. i noted member of the muslim community. i have served in various capacities of leadership.

i participated in various meetings. i also serve as vice presidents . it has been involved in the juvenile and criminal justice system. 30 are ex offenders. i worked in the baltimore urban league. we ran a youth diversion program. it was very successful.

my father used to say before you speak, qualify yourself. i am a little nervous but i am not. i was always batting first. i guess i n batting again. i will be again my testimony with a very simple statement. but ec is not what you get. what you see get you. our ability to fight up the images of violence in a gang- related school community center

is apparent to many of the problems we see. we still experience this daily. it is reaching every facet of society. it is persistently displayed through media and television. the harder you hit a person, the more applause you get. this is a conflicting message.

look at the xbox and what they are promoting. i do not know if i could watch that set for 25 minutes and not be affected by it. growing up here, being raised here, the loss of jobs and the influx of it drives many issues related into violence. even though they have produced many great ones. that is sending i have grown up with. you did not have to get a high-

school diploma here. men that migrated from the south looking for a better life, wanting to establish this work as laborers. and still labors worked in the shipyards. this allowed them to present positive fixtures and role models. the only city the migratory patterns, -- when we study the migratory patterns, all of those folks that came from north carolina resided there. they were related and then they

were related. they established strong a profound sense of pride. the largest employer in baltimore is the john hopkins health care. if it shifted from men to women. life was not perfect in these neighborhoods. most of the communities were functional. this happens not only in baltimore but all up and down the east coast. there was an interconnectedness between people.

there is a closure of still male-- steel mills the law allowed for adults and are no longer involved. the drug trade we saw became an idea and making quick money. all of these things speak to the fact of a young child as well as adults. the stream has played out. i think it was portrayed by the

wire. the violence of these children are participating in. you have the rise of the gangs. this is the result of the adc , the absent-the club. if you do not see a man, you cannot be a man. this can be on the negative or on the positive. a group of people have gotten together. we have formed coalitions and community-based coalitions.

many years ago we establish the rights. we believe that if you expose, you inspire. these young people are not young people. upon.e easily impressed we hope and pray we can establish an environment that is peaceful. there is a lot of anger that we see.

we are doing this because we're supposed to do this, not because we will get a pat on the back. we have put it on billboards, the back of cars. our community, our responsibility. when people receive that, it they understand that it is our community, our response ability. -- responsibility. we have a tough job ahead. if it is not insurmountable. you do not know how strong you are until you go up again something that is strong. we believe we can overcome this because truth prevails over falsehoods. thank you very much.

>> i moved here about 4.5 years ago. when i first met my husband, he was charming and generous. to is a total gentlemen. i felt very protected. we have a beautiful wedding. we have a great marriage in the beginning. things started changing. i started to realize he had danger problems. to a punch doors and their objects when he was mad. after his son was born, his anger increase. while i was in the hospital after my see section -- c- section, on one of his trips a

kid ran into the back of his car. he got out of the car and punched a kid in the face. the kid press charges. we got off because it fell a member was a lawyer. -- a family member was a lawyer. that really scared me. i was scared he was going to jail or something. he's scared me so much -- he called me a bitch so often, my one-year old called me a bitch. i knew he was married before. i found out he also assaulted his x y and had a warrant for his arrest. i did not know about it --

insulted his ex-wife and had a warrant for his arrest. i did not know about it. we got into an argument. he came after me and grabbed my neck. i left my house with my two children and went to my sister's house. 45 minutes away. he kept calling me and calling me and apologizing, begging me to come home. he did go to a few sessions. that did help. he would stand over me when he was angry. he was much bigger than me. it scared me. not good 2009, things did not get better. marriage counseling did not help. i told them and wanted a divorce but he said he would kill the

and put a knife in my head. he called me a bitch, a cunt, and a whore. in november we decided to work things out. he became abusive toward the children. my doctor had my son when they were fighting. he dragged her across the house. it resulted in a bald spots. he apologized to her but i know she will be scarred for life. to contact the police. that ought to get in trouble. he often slammed my son on the couch when he got angry. the final straw when he got angry because i was trying to leave the house. it took my laptop for my arms

and slammed it on the floor. i try to con i 11 with my cell away but he snatched it from me. these are supplanting and hitting me. my children witnessed this horrible abuse. saand never thought he would do this in front of my kids. each day i pray he gets the help he needs to control his anger problems. and never was and to hear my kids again. he was not the man who pretended to be. he had everybody fooled, including me. i was shocked when i was in

court. every day i have to look over my shoulder. he took away everything that brought peace to us. my son makes sure that the alarm is set. he is afraid to sleep with the light off. he has gotten probation in the past and has had his record expunged. i asked the court to hold him accountable. i ask that the restraining order remain permanent.

the judge only gave unsupervised probation and cannot come near me for five years. i ask that he not be allowed to contact me, only through e-mail or text concerning my children. i want to get out with my life and find happiness one day. for hopefully, my children and i would get there. for listening. i hope it is helpful in your work for protecting children. i am a realtor now. after being here and the honor to be here, i could see myself thating women and children fo have got to the same experience i have got here. thank you. >> thank you. you are very brave.

>> good morning. i am 38 years old. i am a survivor of child sexual abuse. let it use began when i was 5. at the time, my family was in a small town. my abuser was a teenage boy who lived next door to us. he would take me alone up into a tree house. at first, he just lay down on top of me during our game play and simulated sex with our clothes on. at such a young age and never being talked to, i did not know what sex was. this was confusing. then the abuse escalated to fondling and other acts. a lot of people wonder why kids do not tell what is happening to them. people need to understand that child molesters are masters of manipulation. they know what to say to make

sure their victims never tell. he threatened me first. he told me if i told anyone or stopped letting him of use me that to approve my older brother or younger sister up to the tree house and do worse things to them. then he made me feel ashamed. he told me if i did not like what was happening i would not get to come on site to play of my friends. but it outside to play with my friends. he convinced me that i would be the one to get in trouble. when i did finally get a break and threatened i would tell my toher and that he would go jail, he laughed and said i was doing the same bad things and i would be the one to go to jail because my father would be angry with me. one of the most important parts

of my story that i like to share is that my father was a michigan state trooper. many night there's a police car parked in front of my house and my father would come home in his uniform carrying his badge and gun. if that will not keep a top molester at bay, what will? i did not tell my father what was happening to me. why would anyone question children who do not tell? like it used only and it when i was 7 years old because my father was transferred to a new post and we moved. i never told my family until just recently after i turned 30 and went there is very painful divorced from a man who abused me. he knew about my past and made me feel like i was not good enough and are better because some psychological issues.

instead of letting me there any problems i might have been struggling through, they he abused me by carrying on extra marital affairs interesting me at times as if i were a paper former for him in our bedroom. he had a vasectomy so he could sit with other women so he would not have to worry about unplanned pregnancies. it was during my marriage that my perfectionism was as a strong this spirit i went back to school to finish a bachelor's degree. i booked a full-time coslet every semester and worked full- time here it -- class load and work full time. my second last semester i was weeping because i was afraid i might get a lower grade.

the funny thing about i did records is that they do not equate good grades to life. in that department i failed more than once. i was laid off and fired from jobs summit divorce, and it has always been a struggle to build friendships. i shall with every relationship i have. before and in my marriage, and made appointments for marriage counseling for which my ex- husband never showed up. i need accounting for my own struggles. -- i needed counseling for my own struggles. pardon me for scared my parents would not believe me. another part was scared that they would downplay it in not care that it happens. that is the same spirit that

every survivor faces. rejection.fear i am working on people to love me for who i am. i was made to feel as though i was a throw away, someone who does not matter. some days i am still that five- year old girl. that is how awful the shame and guilt may be for those who do not a community support. without reporting their abuse, victims wind up with lives much like mine. that is why i began volunteering my time.

but more child abuse center is a nonprofit agency that performs crucial work in lives of sexual abuse victims and baltimore. it is, like after to be able to see myself in a reflective mirror and a that i on a path powerfulinof healing is a very thing. some people banded get to work on it.

it symbolizes the broken one. it taught me how valuable i am. nearly 100 kennedy volunteers but in nearly 40 hours of work to put together that beautiful mural. i am working with many talented people in baltimore to develop accretive expression program to encourage victims. it is my hope of that child victims of sexual abuse and adult survivors will learn to heal and trust and find their voice. but back i will continue to

promote it and work with the coordinators to tell my story to help them recognize signs of sexual abuse. in conclusion, i would like to thank you for the opportunity to testify today in the part of this task force. i hope my story and the work i'm doing inspires others to help them deal. >> we will have questions. >> thank you for sharing your personal stories.

this this type of of information we need to hear. i have a question for you. what could help you as a child to tell your parents or some other trusted adult about what you're doing? >> empowerment. i think that parents labor under the delusion that these schools are teaching their children about what inappropriate touch is. and i think schools are laboring under the delusion that parents are teaching their children. this is a message that needs to be reinforced constantly with children, too underbodies -- to own their bodes. i think if i had been taught that, i would have felt safer telling somebody. >> thank you.

[inaudible] i am glad you're not alone. i'm glad you're here. i do have one question. when you're talking about your experiences and how horrific they were,, and thank you for sharing, i did want to know at any point in terms of your feelings in the the physically threatened whether there is any agency or place to whom you felt you could turn for any reliable protection? >> i did contact social services

when my husband was scary my children. they simply said that it was not against the law to state your children in maryland. i was crying out for help ben and i felt like they did not do what they were supposed to do to protect me. he died my daughter -- draggeced my daughter across the house.

>> so i trick people in audiences. i asked them what percentage of the residences of the shelter are women. in fact, more than half of the children of american shelters, more than half of the residents are children. the impact of this violence has been found to have similar impact of direct maltreatment. it can have similar impact on

children as being a direct victim of child abuse. a recent analysis found that 60 different studies found that boys in particular showed much greater likelihood of abusing antisocial and aggressive behavior, and overall, children showed a much greater instance of trauma. we know children physically intervene and take action during adult to adult domestic events. a recent national survey found that 49.9%, half of the children, yelled at their parents to stop. almost 1/4 called for help. almost 1/2 reported trying to get away from the violence at least once. in this study of four cities

across the country, 38% of children were reported to be accidentally hurt during a domestic assault. often when they tried to intervene to protect their mothers. 26% were intentionally hurt when they did intervene. longterm, we have a number of longitudinal studies that have started to add questions about domestic violence exposure. and those studies have found that in to teenage and adult relationships that early exposure to domestic violence is associated with the use of violence and problems in the teenage years and of adulthood. in particular, the adverse child experiences steady and southern california found the high occurrence of children exposed to domestic violence, over 50% had five or more at first child experiences. so there is a very high, as in

david calls, pauley victimization -- poly victimization. one bright spot is that significant numbers of children's and all of these studies have been shown to have no greater problems than children not exposed. so, between the group exposed and then not exposed group, you find a significant differences, but when you look within that group of expose children you find that up boards of half of those children are not showing a great degree of problems. it could be we are measuring poorly. but i do think variation it is really an important factor to keep in mind. children have a different set, each child comes to this situation with a different set of risk factors and therefore will respond to the same offense in different ways. if there is one major take-home message that i would hope you

would take from my talk today is that children have very exposure to domestic violence. that often leads to very impacts on them. -- varied impact on them. we need very responses to them. we cannot just have a child protection as the single response in most communities. we need much more analysis of what are the protective factors and their lives. we had a woman talk about what happens on her block, and it is very interesting to listen to that. i would like to argue that battered mothers can be a very significant protective factor for children. even when many of them are beaten, many of them are taking steps to protect their children. for example, had a social worker in st. paul, minn. tell me she had gotten three orders of protection and on to the shelter twice with her children.

she could not keep her children say. i would turn that around and say, that is just five relatively difficult steps she is taking to protect her children. there were probably hundreds of others not even seen recorded. to turn that around and say she cannot keep those kids safe is a network -- a-attribution to what i see as protective steps -- a negative attribution to what i see as protective steps by moms. the child-parent psychotherapy of groups from los angeles to boston, project support by rene mcdonald and others at down in texas, and then the fourth that comes out of ontario, canada. there are a number of other

great practices, and as howard alluded to, -- and i want to stress his fifth and six. we do not have a structure for developing a development based practice. there's a huge pressure on social services to use evidence-based practices, but a few that are out there have garter maybe a 10-15 year -- have gone through, maybe a 10-15 your development time for in with public funding to support that. testing, randomized clinical trials -- as in the case with child-parent psychotherapy in san francisco. it is then followed by a translation in the field that is an intense process.

and i've heard some talk about the process that they have engaged through the national traumatic stress network. not only after the randomized clinical trial, but they have spent years trying to translate that into the field. i think that infrastructure -- and that is howard's fifth and sixth the statements, that we need an infrastructure based on evidence-based practices that are out there and great, but do not have evidence behind them, but are out there and we need to test them and use them in the field. there is very low evidence for that right now when the field. i will close with that. >> good afternoon. it is my pleasure and honor to speak before you today to talk about children exposed to violence from a school perspective. i know i have some comments that have already been written and submitted, but i want to

speak from my heart, because i believe that through the lens that i see young people, it is different from others. i am always under the belief that children are raised to be respectful and responsible in society. when young people are not in a home that is suitable for growth, academic growth, social growth, they begin to display negative behavior in our community. i can tell you from our position -- my position that oftentimes i'm speaking to young people as the chief of police. some people think i have lost my mind because i put so much time into this job, but i believe young people need to hear from adults and adults need to hear from young people. in order for us to change our community, right now, as we live in a society with urban cities and the destruction of drugs and gangs in our communities, we need to rebuild the family. we need to give the family support and services that are

needed to rebuild the family, because oftentimes, we find that young people are being raised by their siblings because the parent is either working two or three jobs to support their home, or deceased, or the grandparents are stepping up to take over that guardian responsibility. we need to look at the family through an open land to -- through an open lens to understand that in order for young people to achieve academic success, they must come from positive learning environment. oftentimes, we have a disruptive behavior and we call on our partners in the school system, one of which you will hear from the next session. it is called community conferencing. what do we do with community conferencing? if we bring families together. when you have the, or city to talk to families, you find out the core issue of why young people are behaving so negatively in our community. with community conferencing, it helps us to bridge the gap of

what is going on and why we are in the position we are in today in terms of destructive behavior. the young people today, for some reason, do not want to use conflict resolution in terms of altercations. i believe that the biggest focus involved today in our community is focusing on the family. but what can we do to change the family to change a young person? to change a community, your hard to change families one by one. as one person said earlier, in her committee there were two families that she grabbed a hold of. i was raised by a single mom working three jobs, but i had a grandmother and an uncle who lived in the home with me. they taught me the benefits of working hard and succeeding. in the position of chief of police, i try to talk to young people about my upbringing and where i came from to let them

know that my road was not easy i had some stumbling blocks along the way. if we take some time to give young people a voice in society today, we can change some of the violent behavior going on. as we all know, of violence in the committee ultimately ends up back at the school. we have reached out to many partners within the city of baltimore to address the violent behavior, the disruptive behavior, to bring some calm to the storm before it erupts in our school system. i can tell you that our students have taken -- excuse me. our students have taken a survey and said that the school is the safest place to be. that tells me we have a problem between school and home and, in school. -- and home and school.

we have limited resources to address the issues between school and home, limited resources for after-school programs, limited resources for athletic events. what is left for a young person to encounter but violence, because we then go from because of a structure, which is the school, back to negativity between the school and home. they want to be part of a family. i remember my first case dealing with gangs in the city of baltimore, and a young person said, i want to be a part of something. i said, why not be part of an educational system where you can succeed academically and achieve growth? he said, well, i have some issues. offline, i took a walk with him and he said, sir, you have to understand where i'm coming from. i said, where are you coming from? he said, my mother is deceased and my father is incarcerated. what do i do? it is tough to respond to young

people if you do not have the resources to guide them in the right direction, to overcome that which has impeded their bodies and their minds and their hearts. i believe the educational system is the right place for any young person to achieve, but i think resources are badly needed, and they need to be put into the elementary school level where we can grab young people at an early age. starting in middle school and high school is not the answer today. we need to be starting with pre-k straight on through 12th grade. i can tell you that our programs that my officers are conducting in the elementary schools, we are attempting a difference in young people's lives. it is not about locking up every young person that violates the student code of conduct or the law, but about finding the resources to help the young person. i am asking my officers all the time what is going on with that student.

have you talked with that student today? do you know what happened last night in their home? oftentimes, what is happening in the home is having an adverse reaction on that young person when they come to school. i saw a young lady sleeping in class a lot. her teacher said, she is taking care of family. i said, what do you mean? she said, her mother works at midnight, so she is responsible for clothing and feeding the students and by the time she gets done with her homework, she is extremely tired. by the time she gets up the next day and gets her siblings ready and off to school, she is late for school and she is tired, so she is sleeping through school. and i don't need to realize when a student needs help. -- an adult needs to realize when this to denise hopyard -- the student needs help. otherwise, they will be on the streets either in prostitution or gangs or robbing or being

totally disruptive in our community. i would say to this panel, to the task force, the necessary resources -- i think we can make the difference as adults in their lives, but we have to put the necessary resources in place. and we have to give them a voice. we try to do that in our school system by reaching out through various prevention programs to have young people be a part of that. i truly believe that in order for -- in order to overcome violence in our community, we need to put the resources in place where young people can achieve and grow in our communities. thank you. >> good afternoon. thank you for the opportunity to be here to share some thoughts about violence in our nation's juvenile justice system. i have had the incredible honor, but also experienced a

tremendous heartbreak of representing children throughout the deep south. these children are like children who are imprisoned throughout the country. the vast majority of them have committed very low-level offenses. and that is a very disturbing fact when you think about the fact that we spend millions of dollars in prison in children for very minor offenses. what is even more disturbing is the violence and the abuse and the trauma that these children often experience behind bars. there is no dollar amount that we can put on the number of young lives that have been destroyed by violence experienced in our juvenile justice system. i would like to share a few stories of the children that i have worked with. in may, 2007, a 16-year-old girl was left alone with a staff member who was under investigation for sexually abusing another resident in that facility. she was brutally sexually

abused. that same staff member went on to abuse three other girls before he was finally removed from his position. in that same facility, seven girls were shackled for over a month because there were an elected run away threat. -- an alleged runaway threat in october, 2009, our detention center implemented a policy of keeping the children locked down for 23 hours a day. if children would come to the front of their cell to request water, to go to the bathroom, the staff with spray them in their face with mace and tell them to get to the back of their cells. in one particularly brutal and corrupt private prison that house's young men ages 13-22 who are tried and convicted as adults, in the last three years there have been three suicides, a number of breaks, and staff -- a number of rapes, and staff

instigated abuse and assault that has resulted in a number of permanent injuries, including permanent brain damage and other very serious injuries. these are examples occurring in the deep south. and prison abuse for children is not in just one region of the country. according to a report, since 1957, there have been 57 lawsuits in 33 states with reports of remedies by detention centers to address unconstitutional and abusive conditions. who are the children who are experiencing this abuse? the data suggest that state's juvenile justice systems are targeting black and brown youths. african-american youths represent 49% of our nation, but 69% of children detained. the children that i just spoke about, then they are released back into their communities. this is why the violence

suffered by our children caught up in the juvenile justice system affects us all. evidence suggests that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans gesture -- and transgendered youths are also disproportionately caught up in the juvenile justice system, often because of their sexual preference. they are often forced onto the street. other times, they are defending themselves against pervasive bullying that happens in the community and on the street. a report by the juvenile justice project of louisiana suggest that these youths are very vulnerable to sexual abuse while imprisoned. a number of them talked about being sexually assaulted, forced to perform sexual acts, or experienced physical violence. children living with mental illness, and girls are also particularly vulnerable to abuse while in prison.

there is another population that has grown tremendously over the past few years that is also vulnerable to abuse. that is children who are imprisoned in our adult correctional facilities. the juvenile justice system was initially created to protect children from the harsh, punitive environment from the adult correctional facility. in the 1990's in a wave of "tough on crime" policies, this was reversed and use were again -- give the house were again allowed to be tried and convicted as adults. this is where -- and juveniles were again allowed to be tried and convicted as adults. this is in an effort to reduce violence in our community, but in reality, it can create more violence and more crime than it actually solves. based on recidivism rates, one thing we know is that secure confinement is the one proven

ineffective way to address juvenile crime. and we also know that's abuse and violence is often systemic in these facilities. martin testament contains a number of detailed shrek -- my written testimony contains a number of detailed recommendations. i will briefly summarize here. i hope the task force will consider urging congress to reauthorize and strengthen the juvenile justice and the liquid to prevention act. -- and delinquency prevention act. i also hope the task force will ensure that the elimination act will address the detainee used. both of these statutes should have provisions on housing children and adult facilities. i hope the task force will consider recommendations to state level officials, that they reform their system and systemically reduce the number of children imprisoned by developing alternatives to incarceration better data driven and can save money.

like many other panelists have noted, a critical component of these alternatives will be to engage families and communities in the rehabilitative system. investing in families is one of the surest ways we can reduce our societies reliance on incarceration. it is critical that we do whatever we can to protect these youths from violence. we should encourage strong independent oversight for all prisons and jails or any facility that houses children. in conclusion, i would like to commend the task force for recognizing the silent epidemic of -- silent epidemic of violence against children who are incarcerated. and also for recognizing that it goes far beyond those walls into our committee. -- into our communities. thank you. >> questions?

>> on the question of children in the tensions facilities, and placement facilities -- placement in facilities within goal -- adult confinement, do you have a recommendation on children in isolation, eager for the length of time or the circumstances -- eager for the length of time or the circumstances? >> my recommendation is that children should never be housed with adults. it is detrimental to be housed in a cell alone without contact with staff. what we have seen with the stories that we are working with, severe behavior issues can be dealt with when there is adequate staffing. kids will break rules. but there needs to be consequences that will not affect their developmental process. >> is there any research that could support your opinion? >> but there certainly is.

there is a significant amount of research on the developmental the effects of isolation on children. >> is there a place you can site within the united states that as a best practice would be a model? >> on the issue of isolation? >> yes. >> the missouri juvenile justice system has a model behavior management program that does not rely on isolation. >> i want to thank all of you for your powerful testimony. i do have a question for all of you that can answer this. you all provide a wealth of information specifically in your individual fields. i want to know if you have worked comprehensively with other experts in the field, and if -- and how that information gets transferred to the community residents themselves.

since we know that awareness is one of the main things that we need to tackle, how was that information being shared? ... >> i think -- >> i think the first part is the extent to which we work with other experts or folks in other disciplines. right here, i am at the medical school across the street. i would say everything we do is interdisciplinary. and it involves usually, 4, 5, 6 disciplines. i could not be here for part of the morning because we had trained for law-enforcement officers about investigating child abuse and neglect, and i had to go to that meeting. i think the nature of this problem requires the different disciplines and fields to work together. it is not just a nice idea. is a necessity. in terms of your second question about how we do in

conveying the information to the public, let me first say i think we could do a lot better. i will include myself and our projects. it often does not get enough attention. just one example is where in maryland, we have an effort to develop statewide medical expertise in the field of child abuse and neglect, and on the website there is a lot of information that would be useful to parents as well. it is one small example, but much to be done. >> thank you, each and everyone, for your excellent testimonies. doctor, let me start with you. as you know, i agree with everything you say. [laughter] i have a question.

at first, are there 39 or 29 nations that have ratified? >> 29. sorry for the typo. >> rich -- which treaty? >> the international treaty on the rights of the child. >> two separate issues. the 29 refers to the number of countries that have banned in kids at all. -- hitting kids at all. totally separate from the rights of the child. all but two, somalia and us, have ratified that. >> i have a question about each of them. of the 29 countries that have banned corporal punishment, do we have any data that shows the reduction in the amount of injury to children or child abuse in those countries? but there are some data -- >> there are some data, perhaps the best is from sweden.

it is true, though, that at the time that the swedes passed the law, there already was a majority public sentiment against hitting kids. but the rate of parents approving corporal punishment, were having kids, did continue to decline after -- or hitting kids, did continue to decline after the law was passed. it is a great question. it is often difficult to pinpoint to adjust the law making the difference. but that is the best example, in sweden, where increasing numbers of parents agree that hitting kids should not be allowed. >> so it is really a public affairs challenge as well as a legal one.

the general message, that corporal punishment, is not effective, and can result in injury is probably the message that needs to get out there. we probably will soon see movement in banning capital punishment rather than corporal punishment. and both of those will be the -- in ratifying the treaty on the rights of the child, i can't remember being at a meeting 15 years ago and basically -- i can remember being at a meeting 15 years ago and basically being told that we have to abide by it, whereas all of the other countries can just sign it and not abide by the requirements of it. then it was a state department issued. you are saying congress. are we not thinking anymore that the state department would be able to -- do we need the entire congress to ratify it?

or can the state department do it? >> 67 senators. >> 67 senators on the recommendation of the state department, right? >> right. >> ok, thank you. i have one more question. go ahead. >> i spoke in northern europe last year, and what struck me was that with the convention on the rights of the child in place, people were talking about what a child to write is within the child protection system -- what a child's right is within the job protection system, which is a different perspective than what you see among american policy makers. i do think it brings a different perspective, and when applied well, if release speaks to our children's rights. how do we hear children's voices within the child protective system? are we concerned with their rights and their voices? >> and there is a link with

capital punishment because it would ban on capital punishment for minors. i am sorry to take so much time, but there is a huge issue with respect to incarcerated, were detained in use. -- detained youth. and that is, of the women, a large percentage of them are pregnant or have children, very small children, usually outside the jail. have you taken a look at what is done with a pregnant girls, what kind of treatment, and once the young woman gives birth, what the practice is in terms of keeping the baby and mother to get there, separating them, -- keeping the baby and mother together, separating them, is there any achieving of a positive parenting with these young women? >> one of the issues is that once they are in prison, it is a one size fits all thing.

a lot of these girls are expected to fit into a model that was created for the majority, which is male spirit the largest number -- is males. at the largest number of use that are in prison are male. we have worked with a number of these young women who are in prison and it creates a lot of complications both for the young woman and for the staff at the facility. we have had to work on things such as getting nutritious foods, that they are not being served cold lunch meat sandwiches, which permit women -- pregnant women cannot eat. a lot of these facilities are used to dealing with young men and are not equipped with dealing with young women who are pregnant. wendy's and young women have their children, most of them and up going into the -- when these with young woman have their children, most of them going into the foster care system.

>> thank you very much for your excellent comment. in particular, i paid attention to your statement that our children today do not want to use conflict resolution, but combat solutions. in keeping with that, i would like to ask you about the perspective of violence in schools. do you feel that since the american academy of pediatrics and others have stated that now children spend more time in front of media then they do in school, seven hours a day is average, do you believe the role of violent video games is a contributor to some of the behavior we are seeing in school children? >> i would agree with you. it goes in line with the social networking. young people use that mechanism for violence as well. you oftentimes here -- is at 360?

i am trying to remember the gains that kids use. >> xbox 360. >> the kids are using those things to perform violence. there mimicking what they see on tv. i would say media, games, things of that type have an impact on certain behavior as well. >> on going to resist getting into the controversial findings about the impact of media. but as i said -- but suffice it to say, there are far more kids play in what i might find as fox's -- toxic and obnoxious videogames and do not do well in school. first of all, thank you to all of the palace. it was wonderful to listen to -- to all of the panelists. it was wonderful to listen to

all of my colleagues. chief, i thought you described beautifully the idea of kids who do not have the families that we wish they had, they still need something from somewhere, right? if he were to put into a few words, and maybe it is a long list, but it can be as long as you want to -- but if you were to make some suggestions to this task force about what you would like your officers to have on their utility bills in terms of helping kids, and if you would like to be able to think about what preparation you would like your officers to have, and the concrete resources, what would be a few of them? >> first and foremost, i try to give my officers the opportunity to be trained across the lines, in terms of student behavior, mental health issues and services.

when we encountered a young people we are then able to address the issues and even provide them with a referral, or the guidance of an adult in that building who is assigned to handle that type of issue. resources, with respect to employment opportunities, sometimes if you can just leave a young people got -- a young person in a direction it can change the behavior. with mental health and social services, training with young people, i think if they have the opportunity to train alongside officers, as we do in certain programs, that, to me, has made a tremendous impact on young people in our school system. i'm constantly pushing to get volunteers within my police force to do this. sometimes it is amazing what can happen when you get an officer trained to present to young people how the hidden treasures can come out when

young people are provided with an opportunity. it can help kids to extend their day with officers input. it would play a major role in some constructive programming to be a part of every school. we are starting this weekend with several of our local schools throughout the district. i believe if young people are retained to engage in additional academic learning, then those possibilities of going down the wrong side of their road, we will have -- be more effective in having the resources to support those students. >> there is something special, isn't there, about the use of authority for a kid who does not have it now?

it can be a pretty cool things suddenly to have a friend who is a cop. of those resources, do you have enough of them right now? >> no, i do not. i will be very honest with you, sir. if i could get more resources to help my staff and have more resources to have more officers, i would have an officer in every school. and at this point, i do not. we have 142 personnel for 203 schools. additional resources would certainly help me to manage the system better. but i believe, if every kid is shown some love, we can change this whole process. -- >> the society draws lines. this is a question for sheila.

we will say 16-year-old should not drink or smoke or server the military. but the minute that 16-year-old commits an act that we find a egregious or bad, then suddenly this kid is an adult. we are still the only country on the planet that sentences children to die or to prison. i could not agree with you more when you recommend that legislatively, or however people do this, that we end the practice of trying to children as adults. but in your own experience, how do you do that? how do you create the tipping point? it shifted, and i think it did because of the super predator myth, and because of the scare that it was on the rise, as we heard earlier. what would you recommend? how would we get out it? >> let me tell you about one of the successes we have in

mississippi with some legislative reform on this issue. when i first started working in mississippi in 2003, the juvenile justice facility, but 80% of the children in their work in their for things like truancy, running away, skipping school. the justice department documented this number. if we had 80% of the jewels -- juvenile justice facilities, these low-level kids, it is no wonder we had in the adult facility kids committing actual crimes. when we were able to make the case that it had made no financial sense to lockup kids -- essentially, these are non- criminal offenses. we were able to get first-time offenders, status offenders out of the system.

we were then able to create space and there was a sense that, oh, my goodness, we have all of these kids in the adult system and we have all of these empty beds in the juvenile justice system. it is about looking at the entirety. so many jurisdictions are locking up kids who, frankly, do not need to be there. and as a result, other kids are getting bumped up into the adult system. the research has evolved significantly. we know so much about the recidivism rates of kids going into the adult system. it does not work. it is worse than what happens for the kids in the juvenile justice system. and the data is pretty compelling, even for lawmakers to are very concerned about being tough on crime. -- lawmakers who are very concerned about being tough on crime. >> thank you all for your commitment to your work, and your commitment to be invisible

today and telling the truth about some hard facts -- to being visible today and telling the truth about some hard facts going back decades. i think we have made some improvement, but around the edges. i want to ask a question for the whole panel. in different ways, you all mentioned this, but howard, to put you on the spot -- or maybe you can all help them out. howard mentioned the underpinnings of violence a number of times. what would you consider the top three underpinnings of violence? to help our task force understand the way you look at issues of violence, i think this will help us as we move forward. in other words, is there something underneath this that causes of violence? or is violence of behavior? -- or is violence the root behavior? >> the top three reasons for the violence, is that the question? >> yes. >> how to order them?

let me suggest coming back to the point about the extent to which our culture excess hitting -- accepts hitting children is no small part of this. it sends a powerful message that when i am mad at you i can hit you. that is okay. and when i disagree, how do we resolve it? by hitting. from an early, early age this is very powerful. i remember as a pediatrician seen a 10-month old swapped his mom -- swat his mom sitting in my office. and i ask, where did he learn this? and sure enough, not that there is always cause and effect in this way, she had already been swatting him.

i think we need to start early. i think that is one. i think the panel several times has emphasized the extent to which families are struggling to cope with their kids in a variety of ways, and are unable to protect them, to nurture them in the ways that would allow them a good beginning. just a few blocks from here, if folks have not read it, it is called "the corner." the corner is about six blocks from here. for folks like me, it is an amazing description of what breeds violence what i refer to is a neighborhood that is stuck with crime, with drugs, and kids with lousy opportunities. obviously, these are daunting

challenges, but if we could help many more families do a lot better at nurturing their kids, we would be in much better shape. >> i do not know if i have three, but i would like to put it in the context of protective and risk factors. certainly, exposure of a child to direct victimization, or indirect exposure to violence in their home, community, and school is clearly identified in the research literature as a predictor, aura these highly associated statistical -- or at least highly associated statistical predictor for putting you at risk later in life. that with a variety of other risk factors in the child's life, and the absence of other protective factors, like the adults that have been talked about combining to create a canvas in which it is highly

likely that a child will become violent. i do think a parcel -- partial solution to that that we have not really addressed, one, prevention. we have not done a good job of primary prevention of social norms -- the advertising that howard was talking about -- developing social norms in this country. engaging men and boys in violence prevention. i also think we have done very little to engage in formal supporters of children. adults and others in their lives who are the first basket children and other -- the first that children and other adult victims turned to, it is going to be family and friends. and we do very little to support family and friends ability to respond in a positive and supportive way and somehow connected children to those communities services that are important.

and this is more to the solutions than the three risks that you ask about, but i also think we need greater capacity to respond to children outside the child welfare system, and that will be on a community basis. there may be some that exist already, but they need to expand their capacity to children exposed to violence, and some that could be created if they do not already exist. >> the issue that has been talked about over the years is redeveloping the family. without the family, it brings on violence, because young people need that love and nurturing in home. if that is not there, they will ultimately go to the street. if services and resources were made available to redirect and redefine the family, as well as more positive activities after school and on saturdays, i think that will play a major role in changing the system.

>> i think the violence often happens in the juvenile justice system because of this sense among many juvenile justice stakeholders that there are some kids it is okay to throw away. there are some kids that are just not worth investing in. in many systems across the country, that is the pervasive culture of the system. i also think there's something that is more fundamental when it comes to violence in the juvenile justice system, and that is the very structure of the facilities themselves. when you take over 100 teenagers, many of klum have been living with trauma out their whole lives -- many of whom have been living with trauma their whole lives, put them together with four or five staff people, violence is almost inevitable. there is a way that we structure the system that breeds violence. >> i want to thank our panel for their very informative and impact false testimony. -- and impactful testimony.

we will take a five-minute break while we seek our next panel. -- seat our next panel. thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> today on "washington journal", the role christian conservatives play in a the iowa caucuses. later, are spotlight on

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>> in this part of the attorney general's a national task force on children's exposure to violence. a discussion on mentoring kids and prosecuting children as adults. this is just over an hour. >> thank you. the impact on people and communities of children's

exposure to violence, that is what this panel will be focused on. this panel will explore the effects of cev on the bodies and minds of young people, and on the social fabric they live within. panelists will discuss a wide range of questions about the impact of cev from brain development to juvenile justice contact. the panel will also explore collaborative approach to protecting and killing young-- and healing young people exposed to violence. the hon. patricia martin is president of the family court judges. she is a former lead judge and ncjfcj's child victims act model, and promote alternative processes for children, such as court appointed special advocate.

dr. steven berkowitz is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and an associate professor of clinical psychiatry at the university of pennsylvania department of psychiatry. dr. berkowitz is the director of the pen center for andyouth at the center of recovery. dr. abramsohn has examined how childhood exposure to violence correlates to juvenile offending, and how alternatives to the attention -- detention reduce recidivism. dr. alan rosenberg is executive director of the baltimore child abuse center, and prior to directing the center, he served as the prosecutor in the domestic violence unit and a sex offense unit of the

baltimore city state attorney's office. we will start with the honorable patricia martin. >> thank you so much, mr. chair, ladies and gentlemen of the task force. i am honored and privileged to be here and have a conversation with you this afternoon. i have written my oral testimony five times before today. i hope that my written testimony does provide some insight. what i would like to do is address some of the questions that were posed earlier today. i do have the names of persons who asked a person's -- i do hope the names -- have the names of persons to ask the questions. i would like to go through a couple of things that i hope will address some of the issues you raised this morning. i think that there was a question posed as to how we take the creativity of individuals and families and from the lake -- and formulate

tha that into a recommendationr the attorney general. i would submit to you that the creativity and caring adult is what you would like to pull together and somehow formulate. in cook county, for instance, -- don't tell legislature down in springfield, but i changed the goals of every child protection division in cook county. i am also the presiding judge for the child protection division in cook county, illinois. just as a way of background through the international juvenile court and family justice, los angeles, new york, edgecomb are the largest trout protection jurisdictions -- and chicago are the largest child protection jurisdictions in our country. we have been able to reduce our caseloads safely through the system of 40-80%. the rate of recidivism has not increased. i will give you some of what we

have done all over the last decade. and this is not just cook county, but i would suggest to you, new york, l.a., and chicago. the members of the national council serve on the board of trustees, and i served as the president of that organization. i would strongly suggest that you are looking for innovative course, the national council is the laboratory where we take programs, figure them out, work through them, and come back and all sides have a meeting where we share this information. we are heavily supported by ojjdp. my benchmark is specifically designed for older kids in foster care. no child leaves foster care without what i call an aunt kiddy. -- an aunt kitty.

i am a member of a family with three children. our parents died more than 26 years ago. i was the oldest. i could not figure out how we were going to get up the next morning after my mother died because my father had been bedridden for 10 years. my mother had closed her practice years ago. my mother would seen through the house, and that is how we got up precautions when she died, i could not figure out how we were going to -- that is how we got up. when she died, i could not figure of how we were going to get the next morning, literally. my aunt kiddy, she called and will be up the day my mother died and every day until the day she died a year-and-a-half ago. that was the one rock that got me and ultimately, my brother and sister, to a point where we feel as if we are providing some benefit and some protective measures to our society in general.

if it were my world, the recommendation would be that every child in foster care has to have a caring adult. i am not suggesting a safe and appropriate placement. that is my legal standard. i do not care if it is a drama called -- drunk uncle. if he calls on christmas and says "mayra christmas," or if he -- and says "merry christmas," or if he calls on the birthday and says of " happy birthday," that is a caring adult. but i am looking for someone who loves my child. too much of my work is involved in safety and placement, and not enough focus on appropriateness or love. that is the new goal in cook county. i would suggest that as a recommendation. we also talked about improving the practice in court, especially proactive course. i have already mentioned the nation