Join the conversation on #justicereform
Wednesday, April 8, 2015 | 6:00 p.m.
Florida State University College of Law, Room 101, 425 W. Jefferson St., Tallahassee, FL 32301
Details
Florida has built a “tough on crime” reputation, implementing stiff mandatory minimums and truth-in-sentencing laws. And, indeed, the state’s incarceration rate is 33 percent higher than the national average. Despite this approach, Florida also has a higher crime rate than the national average and a stubborn recidivism rate, leading to diminished opportunity and compromised safety. In states such as Texas, new approaches have been adopted. Reforming parole, focusing on rehabilitation, and easing some of the barriers to re-entering society have helped former inmates become more likely to succeed than to re-offend. In only five years, Texas’ prison population has fallen 10 percent. And so has crime in the state—by 18 percent. As leaders in Tallahassee discuss reform, is there a realistic opportunity to pursue a new path? What lessons can Florida learn from other states? How can these reforms protect public safety while expanding opportunity and well-being?
Program
Moderator:
Allison DeFoor, Chairman, Florida State University Project on Accountable Justice
DeFoor chairs the Project on Accountable Justice, a consortium of Florida State, Baylor, the Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions, and the Florida Public Safety Institute. Ordained at Wakulla Correctional Institution, he serves at multiple state prisons and is an assisting priest at Tallahassee’s Grace Mission. DeFoor holds a master’s in criminology, a Master of Divinity, and a doctorate in ministry. A longtime faculty member of the University of Miami Law School, he began his legal career as an assistant public defender and prosecutor in the Florida Keys. He also served as a county and circuit judge and was elected Monroe County sheriff.
Panelists:
Lauren Galik (@lauren_galik ), Director of Criminal Justice Reform, Reason Foundation
Galik’s work at Reason Foundation, the non-profit libertarian think tank that publishes Reason magazine, Reason.com, and Reason TV, focuses on a variety of issues including sentencing reform, prison reform, drug policy, and police reform—particularly at the state level. She graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s in political science and international relations.
Natalie Kato (@NatalieHRWSouth), US Southern State Policy Advocate, Human Rights Watch
Kato advocates on critical human rights issues in Florida and other states in the southern United States. Before joining Human Rights Watch, she served as an attorney in the Florida Senate. Previously, she worked for the Florida Justice Association as well as for the Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association, a non-profit offering pro bono legal services. She also volunteered with the Office of the Public Defender, 2nd Circuit. Kato holds a bachelor’s from Hofstra University and a law degree from Barry University.
Hon. Jerry Madden (@jerrymadden), Senior Fellow, Right on Crime, Texas Public Policy Foundation
Madden joined Right on Crime in January 2013 after 10 terms in the Texas Legislature. While a representative, he chaired the House Committee on Corrections, playing a key role in the 2007 criminal justice reforms. He was named to the board of the Council of State Governments’ Justice Center and chaired the Law and Criminal Justice Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Madden was appointed to the Texas State Council for Interstate Adult Offender Supervision and named co-chair of the NCSL’s Sentencing and Corrections Work Group. He serves on the Texas Criminal Justice Integrity Unit. Madden graduated from West Point with a bachelor’s in engineering and spent six years active duty in the Army.
Greg Newburn (@gnewburn), State Policy Director, Families Against Mandatory Minimums
Newburn has been Florida project director for Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) since October 2010. Prior to joining FAMM, Greg worked at the Cato Institute and taught high school economics and government. Newburn is a graduate of the University of Florida and the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He lives in Gainesville, Florida.