Jeannette Bocanegra-Simon
Executive DirectorWith over 25 years of experience, Jeannette is a consultant, organizer, and speaker, working with several juvenile justice initiatives and serving as an advisory board member for The Center for Children, Law and Policy and As a Voice for Families. She strives to provide young people with second chances and families with the resources to help their children succeed.
Jeannette Bocanegra serves as the Executive Director of Justice for Families. In this capacity, she focuses on transforming the juvenile justice system so that it is driven by the interest of young people and their families. In addition, she advocates for reallocating resources to communities of color that have been marginalized and historically impacted by systems that don’t work.
Jeannette noticed early on the deterioration of schools in the community and the lack of parental involvement in shaping policy and practice. Furthermore, her own difficult experiences as the parent of an incarcerated youth moved her to advocate for families with youth in the juvenile justice system. As a result, she became involved in parent advocacy and educational reform as a public school volunteer as PTA President, Vice President, and Secretary for Community School District 10 Presidents Council.
To further her work in juvenile justice reform, Jeannette joined Community Connections for Youth (CCFY) as the New York City Researcher for Justice for Families’ Participatory Action Project. She co-authored its landmark report Families Unlocking Futures: Solutions to the Crisis in Juvenile Justice; a comprehensive study that examines our youth prison system from the perspective of young people and families. Jeannette also initiated the groundbreaking Parent Support Program (PSP) in partnership with the NYC Department of Probation.
Jeannette has over 25 years of experience as a speaker, consultant, and organizer to mobilize families. She worked as a consultant for Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Detention Initiative (JDAI). She received acknowledgment from the New Leadership for Human Justice and was awarded the Child Welfare Organizing Project’s Courageous Activist Award and Comite Noviembre Lo Mejor de Nuestra Comunidad award. In addition, she serves as an advisory board member for several juvenile justice initiatives, such as The Center for Children, Law and Policy, and As a Voice for Families, and an adjunct member for New York City Bar Association’s Juvenile Justice Committee.
Jeannette strives to ensure that young people who have come in contact with the juvenile justice system are given a second chance to become productive members of their communities and provide families with the tools and resources to help their children succeed.
Biography
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