SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
University of Nevada, Reno officials and a Reno Municipal Court Judge will describe in a plenary session this week the unique approach that the University, the Reno Municipal Court and City Attorney’s Office are taking to enhance existing law enforcement, prosecutorial and judiciary practices. The presentation will be given in Anaheim, Calif, at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s 12th annual National Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) Leadership Conference.
“The problem of underage drinking is a huge one,” said Reno Municipal Court Judge James Van Winkle. “Prior to the inception of the BASICS and OnTRAC programs, we did not have the appropriate tools to deal with the underage, university student abuser of alcohol. These programs now give us the appropriate tools.”
WHAT: Plenary session led by University and Reno Municipal Court officials at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s 12th annual National Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) Leadership Conference. EUDL programs build partnerships with law enforcement, community organizations and government officials to implement evidence-based strategies to reduce youth access to alcohol.
WHO: Reno Municipal Court Judge James Van Winkle, Student Code of Conduct Officer Carol Millie and University Police Services Commander Eric James. Judge James Van Winkle and University Student Code of Conduct Officer Carol Millie are available for interviews by telephone throughout the week by calling 530-277-2243 for Millie and 775-224-4492 for Van Winkle.
WHERE: EUDL Leadership Conference held at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel, Anaheim, Calif.
WHEN: Plenary session, “Judges Round Table,” with Reno representatives held 9:15 – 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 18. EUDL Leadership Conference is Aug. 18 – 20.
BACKGROUND: The University of Nevada, Reno has partnered with Reno’s judiciary and court system as a testing ground for alternative sentencing programs to address the frustrations from judges and local public attorneys in dealing with alcohol-related cases for the 18- to 20-year-old population.
The plenary session will discuss how the University, administrative officers of the courts and judges have analyzed the problems in their communities and worked creatively to leverage the capacity of the higher education institution while keeping a focus on the administration of justice.
These efforts are supported by an Enforcing the Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL) Program grant totaling $900,000 over three years. The EUDL Program grant, presented through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, was awarded to the University and Join Together Northern Nevada, a community coalition that shares the goal to deter underage drinking.
For more information on the EUDL Program, click here. For complete conference information and agenda, click here.
