Youth Justice Bus Tour & Briefing

A pivotal moment for youth justice 

Los Angeles County is at a crossroads.

For years, young people in our youth justice system have faced unsafe conditions, instability, and a lack of meaningful pathways to healing and opportunity. At the same time, communities, advocates, and system leaders have been building new approaches grounded in care, accountability, and real alternatives to incarceration.

LA County has taken the country's boldest steps to transform our system: passing Measure J, funding Care First Community Investment, and creating the Department of Youth Development. But the abuses of the probation and foster care systems are costing LA county billions of dollars.

This moment presents both urgency and possibility. We know decisionmakers across the state and nation are watching. Will this work be a model for transformation or the blueprint for how to further silence our kids?

We invite you to join us for a unique, in-person experience designed to deepen understanding, connect you with leaders and decisionmakers closest to the work, and explore what it will take to create a safer, more just future for young people across Los Angeles, and across the state.

Locations

Morning Arrival
North Atwater Park parking lot (down the street from ARC Hollywood Ranch)
3900 Chevy Chase Dr,
Los Angeles, CA 90039

Bus Tour Destination
Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall
16350 Filbert Street, Sylmar, CA

Lunch Briefing
ARC Hollywood Ranch
4014 Verdant Street, Los Angeles, CA

Program Agenda

8:30 a.m. | Arrival & Check-In

• North Atwater Park parking lot

8:45 a.m. | Bus Departure to Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall

• Welcome & Context Setting
  • Lisa Small, Senior Director of Youth & Community Justice, Liberty Hill Foundation
  • Oscar Mejia, Founder, Welcome Home Oasis

9:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Barry J. Nidorf Tour & Moderated Youth Roundtable

• A moderated discussion and small groups with youth inside, reimagining safety and youth development in LA County. Introduction to the role of the Department of Youth Development.
  • Scott Budnick, Founder, Anti-Recidivism Coalition; CEO, 1Community
  • David Carroll, Director, Los Angeles County Department of Youth Development

12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Bus Ride Back to ARC Hollywood Ranch

• Contextualizing our experience at Barry J. Nidorf & Introduction to ARC Hollywood Ranch
  • Helen Eigenberg, Helping Out Doing Good (HODG)
  • Hector “John John” Gomez, Communications Intern, Hoops for Justice

12:30 p.m. | Lunch & Welcome

• ARC Hollywood Ranch
  • Anne Irwin, Director, Smart Justice California

1:00 p.m. | Pathways to Reform & Rehabilitation: What’s Possible Through Decarceration

• Meet the visionary leaders and survivors who know our systems up close and how they are leveraging their experience to build something new.
  • Jessica Nowlan, President, Young Women’s Freedom Center; President, Reimagine Freedom
  • Jarett Harper, CEO & Founder, Better Days; Social Impact Officer, Friends at Work; Officer, Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division

1:15 p.m. | Building the Future Roundtable

• How real alternatives to incarceration in both public and community settings can hold youth in safety, esteem, and support.
  • Moderator
    • Alex Johnson, Chief Strategy Officer, California Wellness Foundation
  • Speakers
    • Dr. Cheryl Grills, Professor Emerita, Loyola Marymount University
    • Katherine Lucero, Director, Office of Youth & Community Restoration
    • Wendy Julien, Executive Director, Los Angeles County Probation Oversight Commission

2:30 p.m. | Closing & Departure

• Mark Smith, Liberty Hill Foundation Board Member; Professor, Loyola Marymount University