8:30am - 12:00pm

PLENARY SESSION (Gerald W. Lynch Theater, Lobby Level)
The National Landscape on Crime and Public Safety

Welcoming Remarks: 

Karol V. Mason, President, John Jay College of Criminal Justice 

Armchair Conversation: 

The Hon. Hakeem Jeffries, U.S. Representative (NY-08), House Democratic Leader and Marc H. Morial, President & CEO, National Urban League

Panel Discussion:

Safe communities are well resourced, just, healthy, and restored. Advancing each of these principles requires collaboration across government and communities and deep engagement with people and places most impacted by crime and violence. This panel will highlight the experiences and insights of change-makers working to improve safety and justice across the country.

Moderator: 

Nick Turner, President & Director, Vera Institute of Justice

Panelists: 

BREAK

Panel Discussion: Parsimony and Other Radical Ideas About Justice

“The recently released book, “Parsimony and Other Radical Ideas About Justice” brings together leading activists, legal practitioners, and researchers, many of them justice-involved, to envision a justice system that applies a less-is-more framework to achieve the goal of public safety. A group of distinguished contributors to the book will discuss how a parsimonious approach to punishment, alongside a reckoning with racism and affirmation of human dignity, would fundamentally change how we respond to harm.

Moderator:

Lawrence Bartley, Publisher, The Marshall Project

Panelist:

• Bruce Western, Co-Founder and Director, The Justice Lab

Columbia University:

• Jeremy Travis, Executive Vice President, Criminal Justice, Arnold Ventures
• Vivian Nixon, Writer in Residence, The Square One Project
• Danielle Sered, Executive Director, Common Justice

1:30pm - 2:45pm

BREAKOUT SESSIONS #1

Safe Communities Principle: Resourced- Safe communities invest in community-based violence intervention programs and the government structures that support them, such as offices of violence prevention.

PANEL 1: Strategies to Address Community Violence (Lecture Hall L.63, Lobby Level)

Each year, thousands of people are killed with guns and an even larger number of people are harmed by exposure to violence in their communities. This is a public health crisis that can only be solved if community members, and the organizations that represent them, are resourced to directly address and prevent violence. This panel will examine various community-based violence intervention and prevention models, the role of government in supporting them and the existing research on community-based violence interventions (CVIs). 

Moderator:

Amy Solomon, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General at U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP)

Panelists:

• Fatimah Loren Dreier, Executive Director, Health Alliance for Violence Intervention
• Sam Vaughn, Deputy Director of Community Services, Richmond Office of Neighborhood Safety
• Sasha Cotton, Senior Strategy Director, National Network for Safe Communities
• A.T. Mitchell, Founder & CEO, Man Up! Inc.

Safe Communities Principle: Healthy - Safe communities prioritize treatment and services, rather than a criminal justice response, for people in crisis. 

PANEL 2: Transforming Responses to Crisis Calls (Lecture Hall L.61, Lobby Level)

Police have become the default first responders for a wide range of social issues, from mental illness to substance misuse to homelessness. However, there are community-based, health-centered responses that can lead to better outcomes for people facing these issues. This panel will highlight proven and promising examples of programs that drive needed resources to people in crisis and reduce pressures on police departments to respond to situations for which they may not have the appropriate training or expertise.

Moderator: Daniela Gilbert, Director, Redefining Public Safety, Vera Institute of Justice

Panelists:

• Freya Rigterink, Executive Director, NYU Policing Project
• Anthony Holloway, Chief of Police, St. Petersburg, Florida Police Department 
• Moki Macias, Executive Director, Atlanta Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative (PAD)
• Shannon Scully, Director, Justice Policy & Initiatives, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• Ernie Stevens, Deputy Division Director of Behavioral Health, The Council of State Governments  Justice Center

Safe Communities Principle: Just - Safe communities ensure that police have the trust and confidence of the people they serve.

PANEL 3: Fair & Accountable Policing for Safe Communities (Moot Court, 6th Floor)

For police to contribute to public safety, they must be viewed as effective and legitimate by their communities. Building trust between police and communities requires transparency, accountability and resources. This panel will discuss the challenges communities face in ensuring fairness and accountability in policing and the opportunities to improve policing to keep all of our communities safe.

Moderator: 

Walter Katz, Vice President of Criminal Justice, Arnold Ventures

Panelists:

• Marquez (Marq) Claxton, Director of Public Relations & Political Affairs, Black Law Enforcement Alliance
• Tiffany Crutcher, Executive Director, Terence Crutcher Foundation 
• Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General, City of Chicago, Office of Inspector General 
• Heather Warnken, Executive Director Center for Criminal Justice Reform, University of Baltimore
• Sean Smoot, Managing Partner, 21CP Solutions, LLC

BREAK

3:00pm - 4:30pm

BREAKOUT SESSIONS #2

Safe Communities Principle: Resourced - Safe communities empower residents most impacted by crime and violence to identify and implement solutions with the support of government and other institutional partners.

PANEL 1: Best Practices for Community-Led Safety Initiatives (Lecture Hall L.63)

This session will highlight best practices/models, including results-based performance management standards for community-based safety interventions; Provide models for sharing power between communities/government/law enforcement and frameworks, stories, and lessons learned re: collaborative governance.

Moderator: 

Douglas Wood, Director, Criminal Justice Reform Initiative, Aspen Institute

Panelists:

• Alejandro Gimenez-Santana, Executive Director, Newark Public Safety Collaborative 
• Latonya Tate, Councilmember, City of Birmingham
• Cory Miskell, Colorado State Director, Latino Coalition for Community Leadership 
• Anthony Smith, Executive Director, Cities United

Safe Communities Principle: Healthy - Safe communities are green, clean, and livable.

PANEL 2: The Role of Light, Blight and Green Space in Public Safety (Moot Court, 6th Floor)

The physical environment of a community can shape safety for the better or worse. Green spaces and well-lit meeting places can support the cohesiveness of communities whereas abandoned lots can both result from and contribute to elevated rates of crime. This panel will highlight place-based public safety strategies that are associated with increased feelings of safety and sustainable reductions in gun violence and the research demonstrating their success.

Moderator: 

Dr. Jeff Butts, Research Professor and Director, Research and Evaluation Center, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Panelists:

• Charlie Branas, Department Chair, Columbia University
• Michelle Kondo, Research Social Scientist, USDA Forest Service
• Renita Francois, Chief Strategy Officer, Tides Advocacy 

Safe Communities Principle: Restored - Safe communities end cycles of perpetual punishment by restoring the rights and privileges of people with criminal records and returning from prison to their communities.

PANEL 3: Ending Cycles of Perpetual Punishment Through Rights Restoration (Lecture Hall L.61)

People with criminal records often face legal restrictions and societal stigma long after their criminal case is closed. This can negatively impact access to the necessary supports (e.g., employment, housing, etc.) that enable people to build a stable life for themselves and their families as well as increase the risk of repeat contacts with the criminal legal system. This panel will discuss effort across the country to roll back restrictions and stigma that undermine stability and dignity for people with criminal records as well as public safety broadly.

Moderator:

Candice C. Jones, President & CEO, Public Welfare Foundation

Panelists:

• Sheena Meade, CEO, Clean Slate Initiative
• Senator Liz Miranda, State Senator Second Suffolk, Massachusetts
• Malik S. Nevels, Chief Operating Officer, Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC)
• Whitley Carpenter, Senior Criminal Justice Counsel, Forward Justice
• Terrell Blount, Executive Director, Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network

RECEPTION (Invitation only)

PLENARY SESSION (Gerald W. Lynch Theater, Lobby Level) 
Government Leadership in Safe & Just Communities

Armchair Conversation:

Vanita Gupta, Associate Attorney General, US Department of Justice and Karol Mason, President, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Mayoral Roundtable:

This conversation seeks to demystify the complex nature of managing and leading cities in the modern era of public safety, community relations, and accountability to the public. 

Moderator:

Linsey Davis, Anchor, ABC News

Panelists

• Mayor Tishaura Jones, City of St. Louis, Missouri
• Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, City of Baton Rouge, Louisiana 
• Mayor Chokwe Lumumba, City of Jackson, Mississippi
• Mayor Ras Baraka, City of Newark, New Jersey

BREAK

11:30am - 12:45pm

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Safe Communities Principle: Resourced- Safe communities invest in programs and policies that reduce gun violence.

PANEL 1: Advancing Gun Violence Reduction Efforts (Moot Court, 6th Floor)

In an average year, gun violence in America kills 40,000 people, wounds twice as many, and costs the nation $557 billion. Firearm-related deaths have become the leading cause of death among young people and 648 mass shootings took place in 2022. This panel will address the barriers to gun violence reduction, including the Supreme Court’s recent Bruen decision, and the opportunities for meaningful legal and policy reforms at the local, state and federal levels.

Moderator:

Jonathan Capehart, Associate Editor, The Washington Post and Anchor, MSNBC

Panelists:

• Nick Suplina, Senior Vice President for Law & Policy, Everytown for Gun Safety 
• Greg Jackson, Executive Director, Community Justice Action Fund
• Representative Harold Love, Jr., Tennessee House of Representatives
• Alvin Bragg, Manhattan District Attorney, New York County

Safe Communities Principle: Just - Safe communities ensure that police have the trust and confidence of the people they serve.

PANEL 2: No Justice Without Gender Justice (Lecture Hall L.61, Lobby Level)

The prevalence of gender-based and intimate partner violence in communities across the nation undermines public safety, particularly for women, BIPOC people, lesbian, gay, transgender, and gender non-conforming people. Traditional public safety approaches, such as policing and prosecution, are often ill-equipped to address the root causes of this type of violence and meet the needs of survivors. In this session, experts will discuss the drivers of gender-based and intimate partner violence as well as evidence-based and promising approaches to disrupting these forms of violence.

Moderator: 

Bea Hanson, Senior Advisor, NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence

Panelists:

• Bernadine Waller, Research Fellow, Columbia University
• Juan Carlos Areán, Program Director, Children and Youth Program, Futures Without Violence

Safe Communities Principle: Healthy - Safe communities respond to substance use and misuse with education, treatment and regulation that addresses historical racial disparities in enforcement and healthcare.

PANEL 3: From the War on Drugs to Harm Reduction: Recent   Transformations in Drug Policy (Student Dining Hall, New Building, 2nd Floor)

Across the nation, there have been significant shifts in the public discourse, law and policy with regards to drug use and drug markets. An increasing number of states have decriminalized and/or legalized marijuana and Oregon recently became the first state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of other drugs (e.g., heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine). Many communities have responded to the opioid crisis by adopting programs and policies that encourage treatment over punishment. This panel will discuss successes and challenges associated with recent reforms related to legalization, decriminalization, harm reduction, and changing federal drug scheduling.

Moderator: 

Jasmine Tyler, Executive Director, Policy Innovation Lab, Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy

Panelists:

• Christopher Alexander, Executive Director, New York Office of Cannabis Management
• Kassandra Frederique, Executive Director, Drug Policy Alliance
• Karen Freeman-Wilson, President & CEO, Chicago Urban League 
• Alex Kral, Ph.D, Distinguished Fellow, Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice, RTI International

Safe Communities Principle: Restored - Safe communities acknowledge and address the racial disparities impacting Black, brown, and tribal communities that suffer from state violence and discrimination.

PANEL 4: Addressing Racial Disparities in the Criminal Legal System (Conference Room 9.64, 9th Floor)

Well-documented racial inequities in the criminal legal system reflect the socioeconomic challenges faced by communities of color as well as broader issues of racism in our society.  This panel will discuss the role that race plays in our existing systems of public safety. It will also highlight the policies, programs and investments that are necessary to address racial inequities and heal communities of color, including through racial reconciliation, criminal legal system reforms and community investment.

Moderator: 

Ed Chung, Vice President of Initiatives, Vera Institute of Justice

Panelists:

• Khalil G. Muhammad, Ford Foundation Professor of History, Race, and Public Policy, Harvard University
• Jamila Hodge, Executive Director, Equal Justice USA
• Arva Rice, President and CEO, New York Urban League, Inc. 
• Frankie Guzman, Senior Director, Youth Justice, National Center for Youth Law

PROGRAM ENDS