Logging Off
Monday, I went to the first Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC) meeting for the fiscal year. At the August meeting, we all fill out our conflict of interest forms and orient new members. If you’ve clicked on the link above to learn more about what the JCPC is and does, it is obvious that local community members engaged in juvenile work on the council may inherently have direct, and indirect, interest in particular programs funded by the JCPC.
The reason we fill out conflict of interest forms is to disclose where conflicts may arise and give the council an opportunity to decide if any of those disclosures merit abstention of voting on certain topics. We had a lengthy discussion to assure people that the conflict of interest forms were not designed to remove people interested in juvenile programs from the board. Community boards are always educational because the mix of laypeople and professionals ensures that a lot of the procedures are explained in detail.
I have been the District Attorney ex officio member of the board for the past three years. For the past two years, a UNC MPA alumni, and neighbor, has served on the board as a representative of the Forsyth County Budget and Management Office. Aside from solid advice about working through the MPA program, his knowledgeable insight and perspective is a welcome addition to the council.
Also, The NC Domestic Violence Commission is having our first meeting of the fiscal year later in the month. At that meeting, I will be presenting information about the process used in creating our best practice form.
As I end my blogging for the UNC MPA program, I feel like this has been a busy and productive summer. I ended the summer with a research proposal in the IRB review stage, a few trials that reached the jury and a suppression motion heard, a best practice form drafted, several meetings attended, my CLE hours completed, and a wonderful experience with my interns, coworkers, and staff. I hope you all have enjoyed reading my ramblings and look forward to meeting y’all at the MPA kick-off event.
