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LAHC Executive Director Receives Appointment by Governor Granholm
The LAHC is pleased to announce the appointment of its Executive Director, Wassim Mahfouz, to serve on the Michigan Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Advisory Board. The appointment, given by State of Michigan Governor, Jennifer Granholm, is a tremendous honor to not only Mahfouz, but the LAHC as he will represent non-profit, religious and community groups for the term of November 18, 2009 through December 31, 2010.
“This is a great honor,” expresses Mahfouz. “In the last nine years of actively participating in the community through my role as Executive Director of the LAHC and as Assistant for Wayne County Executive, The Honorable Robert Ficano, I have been able to better understand the needs of the greater community and most importantly, our youth. I look forward to serving on this board and thank the Governor for trusting in my work and commitment to the future of this great state.”
The goal of the JABG program is to reduce juvenile offending through accountability-based programs focused on juvenile offenders and the juvenile justice system.
Juvenile Accountability Block Grants Purpose Areas are for developing, implementing, and administering graduated sanctions for juvenile offenders through the building, expanding, renovating or operating temporary or permanent juvenile correction, detention, or community corrections facilities. This also includes the hiring of juvenile court judges, probation officers, and court appointed defenders and special advocates, and funding pretrial services (including mental health screening and assessment) for juvenile offenders, to promote the effective and expeditious administration of the juvenile justice system.
While establishing and maintaining training programs for law enforcement and other court personnel with respect to preventing and controlling juvenile crime, JABG will also establish juvenile gun courts for the prosecution and adjudication of juvenile firearms offenders, drug courts for juvenile offenders that provide continuing judicial supervision over juvenile offenders with substance abuse problems and integrate administration of other sanctions and services for such offenders while maintaining a system of juvenile records designed to promote public safety, among a wide range of other services.
“Wassim Mahfouz is a great asset to not only the community, but to the State of Michigan and this committee,” states Ali Jawad. “Over the years he has dedicated his time and efforts to move the LAHC forward in a variety of aspects, working unremittingly to provide our youth with the funding necessary to continue their higher education and is committed to working on programs to benefit the younger generation. This appointment is welcomed and we congratulate Wassim Mahfouz on this honor.”