Smith named to federal advisory committee on juvenile justice

Paula Smith has been involved with Juvenile Probation and Corrections for the past 25 years. She’s a Yerington High School graduate and the daughter of Glenn and George Smith of Yerington.

She’s a Walker River Paiute and Washoe American Indian. Currently, she’s a Juvenile Probation Officer for the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California. Her program is grant funded through Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Tribal Youth Programs (TYP).

She’s the Advisory Board President of the Statewide Native American Coalition (SNAC) which she collaborates with 27 tribal communities throughout the State of Nevada for prevention programs for at risk American Indian youth. She was the recipient of 2014 American Indian Youth Services/Role Model of the Year from the State of Nevada Indian Commission.

In addition, she serves on the Juvenile Justice Commission as a Tribal Liaison that’s comprised of Governor appointed volunteers consisting of youth and community members and juvenile justice professionals who serve in an advisory capacity. The Commission provides oversight of funding and addresses specific program needs of youth involved in and having contact with the system.

This gave Smith the opportunity to submit her application to the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice (FACJJ). After reviewing applications from around the country, she was selected as a new appointed primary member for the Tribal representation position for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice (FACJJ).

The Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice is a consultative body established by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act and supported by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Composed of appointed representatives of the nation’s State Advisory Groups, the committee advises the President and Congress on matters related to juvenile justice, evaluates the progress and accomplishments of juvenile justice activities and projects, and advises the OJJDP Administrator.

New members will be formally welcomed to the committee in Washington D.C. Smith states; “It is a great honor to represent the State of Nevada tribal juvenile services but to be the first appointed tribal member to represent American Indians juvenile services at the national level is a privilege to be working with OJJDP.”