Attorney General's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence to Hold Public Hearing in Baltimore

Task Force is a key part of the Defending Childhood Initiative

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence will hold a public hearing Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011, to gather expert and community testimony on the epidemic of children's exposure to violence. An opportunity for media to ask questions of Task Force members is scheduled from 10:45-11:00 a.m.

The Task Force is a key part of the Attorney General's Defending Childhood Initiative. The Task Force will hear testimony in Baltimore; Albuquerque, N.M.; Miami; and Detroit this year to learn from practitioners, policymakers, advocates, academics, and community members about the extent and nature of the problem of children's exposure to violence, both as victims and as witnesses. The Task Force will issue a final report in 2012 to the Attorney General presenting its findings and comprehensive policy recommendations.

Scheduled speakers for the Baltimore hearing include Sonja Sohn, founder and CEO of ReWired for Change and star of HBO's "The Wire"; Patrick McCarthy, President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation; Nigel Cox, Chair of the SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere) National Advisory Board; and Baltimore and area residents who have experienced family, community, and other types of violence. 

More information on the Defending Childhood Initiative, the Task Force and this hearing is available at: http://www.justice.gov/defendingchildhood/task-force.html.

SOURCE Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs