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Photo: T.J. Donovan, Vermont attorney general, and Tiffany Cabán, career public defender and former candidate for district attorney in Queens, N.Y., and national political organizer, Working Families Party, will give keynote addresses at Vermont Law School’s Black Law Students Association’s annual Race and the Law Conference entitled “Re-imagining Criminal Justice in the 21st Century” on Friday, January 31, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Chase Community Center on the Vermont Law School campus.
Vermont Law School’s Black Law Students Association presents the annual Race and the Law Conference entitled “Re-Imagining Criminal Justice in the 21st Century” on Friday, January 31, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Chase Community Center.
Great progress has been made in promoting justice reforms which recognize that higher incarceration rates do not translate into safer neighborhoods. Criminal justice agencies are now being prompted to develop community-based prevention policies as a first-line strategy in crime reduction, to strive for a fairer criminal justice system, and to end the over-reliance on incarceration.
This conference brings together reform-minded state and locally elected prosecutors from across the United States, reformative justice activists, and the academic community to elevate the conversation around fair, equitable, cost-effective, and right-sized justice approaches. Two panels will discuss the current state of criminal justice reforms in process in the Northeast and explore innovative approaches with the potential to transform societal approaches to current incarceration-dependent models. Keynote addresses will be given by T.J. Donovan, Vermont attorney general, and Tiffany Cabán, career public defender and former candidate for district attorney in Queens, N.Y., and national political organizer, Working Families Party.
“For too long we have relied on the relentless prosecution of low-level offenses,” said Tiffany Cabán, “we can—and will—find a more just means for the justice system.”
“Attitudes have started to shift, and we need to look toward other means besides incarceration to reduce crime,” said Carla Usher, president of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA). “This conference brings together an array of national experts to discuss current trends and possibilities for re-imagining what the criminal justice system will be like in the decade ahead.”
Among those presenting will be Eric Gonzalez, district attorney, Brooklyn; Myriam Feliz, supervisor, Chelsea District Court; and Anton Robinson, senior planner, Vera Institute of Justice. The event is being cosponsored by the Center for Justice Reform of Vermont Law School, the Women’s Law Society, Latin America Student Law Association, National Lawyers Guild, and the Black Law Students Association.
Conference Schedule:
8:45 a.m. Registration & Breakfast
9:15 a.m. Opening Remarks: VLS Dean and President Thomas McHenry
9:25 a.m. Speaker Introduction: BLSA representative .
9:30 a.m. Morning Keynote: T.J. Donovan, Vermont Attorney General .
10:15 a.m. Panel 1: Criminal Justice Reforms in Motion in the Northeast
Prosecutors and defense attorneys from across the northeastern states share what their departments have been doing to reform criminal justice practices in their boroughs, counties and states. Moderator: Mark Latham, VLS Professor of Law
Panelists:
- Eric Gonzalez, Brooklyn District Attorney
- Myriam Feliz, Supervisor, Chelsea District Court
- Robert Appel, Criminal Defense Attorney, Burlington, Vt.
- Capt. Garry Scott, Director of Fair and Impartial Policing and Community Affairs,
Vermont State Police
Noon Lunch & Remarks: Tim Ashe, Vermont Senate President Pro Tempore
1:15 p.m. Afternoon Keynote: Tiffany Cabán, Career Public Defender and Former Candidate for District Attorney, Queens, N.Y., and National Political Organizer, Working Families Party
2:15 p.m. Panel 2: Community Solutions .
This panel explores the intersection between restorative and criminal justice, including solutions to re-occurring problems with bail reform, incarceration, diversion, discrimination and policing. Moderator: Robert Sand, Founding Director, Center for Justice Reform, and VLS Professor of Law
Panelists:
- Mark Hughes, Activist, The Vermont Racial Justice Institute, Burlington, Vt.
- Anton Robinson, Senior Planner, Vera Institute of Justice, New York, N.Y.
- Willa Farrell, Director, Court Diversion and Pretrial Services, Vermont Attorney General’s Office
- Sia Henry, Senior Program Associate, Impact Justice, Oakland, Calif.
3:45 p.m. Closing Remarks: Carla Usher JD’21, President, Black Law Students Association
4:00 p.m. Reception & Networking: Yates Common Room
This event is free and open to the public and the media but registration is required. The event will be livestreamed. To learn more about the conference or register, go to ratl.eventbrite.com or see www.vermontlaw.edu/live.
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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, is home to the nation’s premier environmental law program. VLS offers a juris doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; four master’s degrees-Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy, and Master of Arts in Restorative Justice; and four post-JD degrees-LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, LLM in Environmental Law, and an LLM in Food and Agriculture Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, South Royalton Legal Clinic, Environmental Advocacy Clinic, Energy Clinic, Food and Agriculture Clinic, Environmental Justice Clinic, and Center for Justice Reform. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.