St. Louis County Attorney Melanie Ford nominated for national award

PRESS RELEASE

January 4, 2010
CONTACT:
St. Louis County Attorney Melanie Ford
218-726-2323,

St. Louis County Attorney Melanie Ford has been nominated for an award by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Ford has received the nomination for her efforts to reduce the disproportionate number of youths of color held in detention and to provide positive alternatives to detention, as part of a Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI).

“Since my election in 2006,” Ford commented on the news, “it’s been one of my greatest priorities to work toward alternatives to detention that promote children’s well-being, eliminate racial and ethnic disparities, are cost-effective, and bring greater safety to our communities. I’d like to thank everyone on my staff, in our local justice system, and in the community organizations that have stepped forward to help get our JDAI project under way.”

If Ford is selected from the list of award nominees across the United States, she will be part of a series of special leadership training sessions in Baltimore later this year.

“The Annie E Casey Foundation is a leader in creating and funding programs to ensure our children achieve their full potential,” Ford added. “It’s an honor to have been selected out of the many leaders in the nation working with the Foundation on these issues.”

County Attorney Ford initially applied for and successfully received funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation early in 2009 to establish a JDAI site in St. Louis County. That funding has been continued for 2010.

Using the funding from the Foundation and other organizations, Ford is currently overseeing a review of the County’s approach to detention in preparation for setting new guidelines and procedures designed to bring greater equity to the system.

This nomination is part of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative and its Applied Leadership Network (ALN) for 2010 – 2011. The Foundation established the leadership network to enhance the skills of key individuals working in JDAI sites across the United States and to accelerate the success of those sites.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a private charitable organization whose mission is to help improve the futures of disadvantaged children in the United States. It was established in 1948 by Jim Casey, one of the founders of UPS. For more information, see www.aecf.org.