Dr. James C. (Buddy) Howell is a Senior Research Associate with the National Gang Center, in Tallahassee, Florida, where he has worked for over twenty years. He formerly worked at the U.S. Department of Justice for 23 years, mostly as director of research and program development in the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. He has published over 50 works on youth and street gangs, and a similar number on juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, and seven books on both topics. His gang publication topics include street gang history; gang homicides; drug trafficking; gangs in schools; hybrid gangs; myths about gangs; risk factors; gang problem trends; gang history in the United States; and what works in preventing gang activity, combating gangs, and reducing gang crime. He is very active in helping states and localities reform their juvenile justice systems and use evidence-based programs, and in working with these entities to address youth gang problems in a balanced approach.

Barry Krisberg (PhD, University of Pennsylvania) is a Senior Fellow at the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy at the University of California, Berkeley Law School and a Lecturer in Residence at in the Juris Doctor Program at Berkeley Law. He is known nationally for his research and expertise on juvenile justice and corrections issues and is often called upon as a resource for professionals, foundations, and the media. Dr. Krisberg was appointed by the legislature to serve on the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Inmate Population Management. Past president and fellow of the Western Society of Criminology, he was Chair of the California Attorney General's Research Advisory Committee. Dr. Krisberg was appointed to chair an Expert Panel to investigate the conditions in the California youth prisons. His many books and articles include Juvenile Justice and Continuing the Struggle for Justice, both published by SAGE.