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Speakers:

The Honorable Jim Webb, United States Senate

The Honorable Bobby Scott, United States House of Representatives

Mariano-Florentino Cuellar, Special Assistant to the President for Justice & Regulatory Policy

Gina E. Wood, Director of Policy and Planning, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

Walter Beglau, District Attorney, Marion County, Oregon

Nkechi Taifa, Senior Policy Analyst, Open Society Foundations

Catherine V. Beane, Director, Behind the Cycle


Event Description:

Incarceration projections, fiscal realities, and political dynamics have converged with a growing body of evidence regarding the diminishing public safety returns of America's incarceration practices to set the stage for a reconfiguration of criminal justice policy.  The economic recession and the fiscal implications of America's prioritization of incarceration in its criminal justice policies have exacerbated interrelated social and economic issues in education, housing, child welfare, and related areas, with devastating consequences for state budgets and the millions of men, women, and children living in poverty.  The rising costs of incarcerating one in 100 Americans has prompted our national leaders to call for comprehensive criminal justice reform, and to explore alternative approaches for addressing crime while ensuring public safety.

On Wednesday, December 9, 2009, the American Constitution Society will hosted a policy discussion on the importance of comprehensive criminal justice reform, and new solutions Congress and the federal government should consider.  This event explored ideas from Integrative Solutions to Interrelated Issues:  A Multidisciplinary Look Behind the Cycle of Incarceration.