When Walter Nolley graduated from Morgan State University with master’s and bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice, he landed a position that turned into a career with the Maryland Division of Parole nd Probation. He advanced to Executive Deputy Director before retiring in 2024.
But Nolley wanted to do more. In September 2024, he joined Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. as Program Director for the nonprofit’s City of Baltimore Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS) team. GVRS reduces violence among individuals at the greatest risk for violence engagement. Among those are people returning to their communities from jail and prison.
On Nov.6, Nolley will share his experiences and insights as a panelist at the 50th Anniversary YAP® Making Change Happen Summit in Philadelphia. A national nonprofit, YAP® partners with youth justice, child welfare and other systems to deliver community-based rehabilitation, restorative justice, mental health and other services as an alternative to placing young people in trouble, in crisis or who face other complex challenges in corrections or residential care facilities. In the past decade, YAP® has been applying principles of its “no reject; no eject” alternative-to-placement model to partner with public safety systems looking to reduce violence by delivering services to individuals identified as being at the greatest risk for violence engagement.
Learn more about YAP® and its 50th Anniversary events at www.YAPInc.org.
