Don Smarto is chairman of the Juvenile Justice Ministries Network of Texas, an organization of Christian groups and individuals who work with juvenile offenders. It holds statewide roundtables on juvenile justice issues and is based in Dallas.

Sarup R. Mathur is an associate professor at Arizona State University in Tempe and associate director of the National Center on Education, Disability and Juvenile Justice.

Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest has several programs for at-risk youths and juvenile offenders. It is based in Tucson, Ariz. Connie Phillips is CEO and president.

Chuck Lawless is founder of LifeChange, a Christian mentoring Bible study program for juvenile and adult offenders. It is based in Midland, Texas.

Milwaukee Christian Center was founded to help local immigrants. It provides programs for first-time juvenile offenders. Karen Higgins is executive director.

Rep. Fred Kessler, D-Milwaukee, introduced a bill in the Wisconsin Legislature that would raise the age at which youths are treated as adults in criminal cases from 16 to 17.

William E. Harris is executive director of Restorative Justice Ministry, a program of the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church in Reynoldsburg, Ohio,

Lili Garfinkel is with the PACER Center’s Juvenile Justice Program, which works with Minnesota’s juvenile offenders.

Luceia LeDoux is program director of public safety and governmental oversight grants for the Baptist Community Ministries of New Orleans. She oversees this Christian nonprofit’s community grants that benefit young offenders and at-risk youths in the New Orleans area.