Communities That Care

Posted on October 2, 2011

Five Town CTC Director Named to Fed Advisory Committee

Five Town Communities That Care is pleased to announce that its Executive Director, Dalene Dutton, has been named to the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice (FACJJ). The two-year appointment was made by Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Administrator Jeff Slowikowski.

The FACJJ is comprised of 14 representatives from the nation’s State Advisory Groups on Juvenile Justice and advises the President and Congress on matters related to juvenile justice. FACJJ members also evaluate federal juvenile justice activities and projects, and advise the OJJDP Administrator on the work of OJJDP.    Ms. Dutton will serve as the representative for Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming (rural, northern states).  She will assume an essential role in conveying the perspectives of these states’ Juvenile Justice Advisory Groups to the President, Congress, and OJJDP.

“The charge of providing advice on matters relating to juvenile justice is challenging and critical,” wrote Slowikowski, in a recent letter to Dutton. “We at OJJDP are committed to strengthening communication with the field and ensuring greater transparency in our work. We look forward to a continued partnership with the FACJJ in its efforts to advise the President, Congress, and our office.”

Ms. Dutton was appointed to Maine’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Group in 2008 by Governor John Baldacci.  A former science teacher at Camden Hills Regional High School, she has been working in the field of prevention since 2003 when she began serving as a community coordinator for the Community Youth Development Study—an experimental test of the CTC prevention planning system. Dutton has presented at numerous national conferences dealing with substance abuse and violence prevention.  She has served on expert panels for the Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence, the National Research Council, and the National Institutes on Health (NIH). Dutton has contributed to several mental health and addictions‐focused publications, including National Council Magazine and NIDA Notes.

Regarding her FACJJ appointment Dutton stated, “I feel that it is vitally important that voices from the field are heard by those setting policy. I am looking forward to the opportunity to listen to the perspectives of others from across the nation and to be able to offer the perspective of those who live in rural states. I am honored to have received this opportunity to serve and to become a more informed advocate as we continue our work here in the community.”

Five Town Communities That Care takes a community‐based approach to promoting healthy youth development in the towns of Appleton, Camden, Hope, Lincolnville, and Rockport. The Communities That Care (CTC) system is a data‐driven way to mobilize communities to address the predictors of problem adolescent behavior with programs, policies, and practices that have been proven to work.  Recent studies on CTC have shown impressive outcomes related to the reduction of violence and delinquency, as well as initiation of cigarette and alcohol use. For more information about Five Town Communities That Care, visit www.fivetownctc.org or call 207‐236‐9800.

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