June 14 & 15, 2017
Hartford Marriott Downtown
200 Columbus Boulevard, Hartford
Conference
On June 14 and 15, 2017 in Hartford, Connecticut, leaders and experts from around the nation will meet with a diverse group of participants, including formerly incarcerated individuals, victims of crime, academics, business leaders, and members of faith communities to discuss progress that has already been made and to examine national and international models of criminal justice reform for a one-and-a-half day conference.
Organized by the Office of Governor Malloy, the conference will include robust discussions about the collateral consequences of contact with the criminal justice system and will aim to strengthen a growing consensus that states must reimagine justice in order to reduce crime and end the cycle of mass incarceration.
Conference speakers and panels will focus their conversations primarily on the following topics:
- Juvenile and Young Adult Offenders: Updated science about the brain development of individuals up to the age of 25 indicates that there are important developmental differences between juveniles, young adults, and adults. Participants will discuss these new discoveries, and how our justice system should adapt to accommodate for them.
- Pretrial Justice: Experience has shown that spending even a small number of days behind bars pretrial can have a detrimental effect on a person. The conference will examine bail reform efforts around the country that end the jailing of individuals who are simply too poor to afford bail.
- Incarceration: Changes are being made in prisons around the country, and the world, to better recognize the human dignity of their inhabitants. Participants will analyze these alternate systems of incarceration and identify best practices to be replicated.
- Re-entry: Job training programs, education, housing, and employment opportunities are all important pieces of a successful re-entry plan. The conference will call upon the experience of ex-offenders, non-profit organizations, and the businesses community to develop strategies for the successful re-entry of all incarcerated persons.
Who Should Attend
This conference is designed for a wide range of disciplines and open to everyone interested in reforming our criminal justice system in order to drive crime down even lower and make our communities safer, remove the one-size-fits-all attitude toward corrections, end the trend of mass incarceration, tackle the cycle of crime and poverty, and ensure that those who are housed within our prisons never return.
Registration and Fees
Conference fees are $90.00 per person, including meals for the one and one-half day conference. Limited opportunities to waive conference fees will be made available for certain individuals.
UPDATE AS OF 5/31/17: Registration for this event has reached capacity and is no longer available. All available tickets have sold out.
Agenda and Participants
|
Valerie Jarrett Former Senior Advisor to the President of the United States |
Video
Portions of the conference were filmed by the Connecticut Network (CT-N), the state's public affairs network covering state government, and Central Connecticut State University's Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy.
DAY 1:
Opening remarks; Pretrial Panel A; Keynote Address from Valerie Jarrett; and Juvenile and Young Adult Justice Panels
DAY 1:
Exhibitor Session: Introduction to Prison Portals Project - Amar C. Bakashi (Founder and Creative Director, Shared_Studios) and Jeff Grant, JD, MDiv (Executive Director, Family ReEntry)
DAY 1:
Re-Entry Panel B
DAY 1:
Recap of the Evening Reception at Capital Community College
DAY 2:
Incarceration Panel B; Remarks from Governor Malloy, Connecticut State Representative Christopher Rosario, California Juvenile Justice Initiative Director Frankie Guzman, Providence Assistant City Solicitor Noah Kilroy
DAY 2:
Re-Entry Panel B
DAY 2:
Concluding Remarks from Governor Malloy, State Representative Christopher Rosario, Frankie Guzman, and Noah Kilroy
Documents
The following documents may be useful to conference attendees who will be participating in the various breakout sessions.
Incarceration Panels A & B
Juvenile and Young Adult Justice Panels A & B
- "Justice system failing young people" op-ed by Vincent Schiraldi published in the Boston Herald; June 3, 2017
- "Think outside box to deal with young adult criminals" op-ed by Frank G. Cousins Jr. and Steven W. Tompkins published in the Boston Herald; February 8, 2017
- "Public Safety and Emerging Adults in Connecticut: Providing Effective and Developmentally Appropriate Responses for Youth Under Age 21" - Report by the Harvard Kennedy School Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management in collaboration with the Tow Youth Justice Institute
- "Emerging Adults: A distinct population that calls for an age-appropriate approach by the justice system" - Report by Research Fellows Lael Chester and Selen Siringil Perker from the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management at Harvard Kennedy School
- "Community-Based Responses to Justice-Involved Young Adults" - Paper by Vincent Schiraldi, Bruce Western, and Kendra Bradner from teh Program iN Criminal Justice Policy and Management at Harvard Kennedy School
- Vermont legislation - Presentation of Act 153, An Act Relating to Jurisdiction Over Delinquency proceedings by the Family Division of the Superior Court
- Vermont legislation - Summary of Act 153, An Act Relating to Jurisdiction Over Delinquency proceedings by the Family Division of the Superior Court
- Vermont legislation - Summary of S.23, An Act Relating to Juvenile Jurisdiction
- Vermont legislation - Summary of H.308, Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice and Juvenile Justice System
Pretrial and Bail Reform Initiatives Panels A & B
- Pretrial Justice Institute: Where Pretrial Improvements are Happening
- Pretrial Justice Institute: Pretrial Justice: How Much Does it Cost?
- 3DaysCount Overview
StoryCorps Justice Project Audio
The StoryCorps Justice Project and the Hartford History Center at Hartford Public Library partnered in March of 2017 to record eight stories of Greater Hartford area formerly incarcerated women and men in conversation with someone they chose to speak with. The Hartford Public Library partnered with the Free to Succeed program at Trinity College, the Judy Dworin Performance Project, and the Resettlement Program at Community Partners in Action to identify storytellers. All eight stories can be heard in full at the Hartford History Center and were also archived in the Library of Congress. Excerpts of all eight stories will be available on the history center’s digital repository in the Fall of 2017.
- Audio 1: Victoria and Suzi, March 27, 2017 [MP3 file] - Recorded by the StoryCorps Justice Project at the Hartford Public Library - Edited by Elijah Williams. DESCRIPTION: Friends Victoria Steele (50) and Suzi Jensen (34) discuss a performance piece they collaborated on through the Judy Dworin Performance Project. Victoria, who was formerly incarcerated, talks about her relationship with her daughter. Suzi describes what it's like to be the child of a mother who is incarcerated.
Sponsors and Exhibitors
The Office of Governor Malloy is seeking sponsors and exhibitors to support the mission of this conference. Funds will be used for booking quality, nationally renowned speakers and conference logistics. Exhibitor opportunities will be available for the first full day of the conference. Secure your space soon! To discuss exhibit or sponsorship, contact Monika Nugent at Monika.Nugent@ct.gov or 860-524-7318.
Thank you to our sponsors! They include:
Things to Do
Looking for things to do while in Connecticut? Visit the State of Connecticut’s official tourism website for activities to explore in Hartford and throughout the state.