All Events
Past Event
Forum

Second chances through successful reentry

Friday, October 21, 2016

There are approximately seven million Americans living under correctional supervision and even more who have criminal records. Effective reentry policies yield far-reaching benefits for the formerly incarcerated, their communities, and society at large. Yet often, Americans with criminal records receive insufficient support when reentering their communities. This can result in difficulties with securing employment, housing, and access to services, preventing successful reintegration.

On October 21, The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution hosted a forum exploring policy options aimed at creating more opportunities for people with criminal records and facilitating successful reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals. The forum will begin with a fireside chat between Sally Q. Yates, the Deputy Attorney General of the United States, and Ari Melber, Chief Legal Correspondent for MSNBC. Two roundtable discussions will follow the fireside chat, featuring panelists including: Tom Dart, Sheriff, Cook County, Illinois; Mark Holden, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Koch Industries; Sister Donna Markham, President and CEO, Catholic Charities USA; Fred Patrick, Director of Sentencing and Corrections, Vera Institute of Justice; Nancy La Vigne, Director, Justice Policy Center, Urban Institute; and Stanley Richards, Senior Vice President, Fortune Society.

The forum’s discussion focused on three new Hamilton Project policy proposals: the first proposal by Professors Angela Hawken and Mark Kleiman (both of New York University) recommends a series of reforms to support the successful reintegration of former prisoners into society; the second proposal by Professor Jennifer L. Doleac (University of Virginia) addresses labor market hurdles faced by low-skilled workers and those with criminal histories; and the third proposal by Anne Piehl (Rutgers University) evaluates a range of existing reform efforts and proposes ways to roll back excessively punitive sentencing and collateral consequences of incarceration.

Agenda

9:00 AM Registration Opens

9:30 AM Welcome and Introductions

Robert E. Rubin
Co-Chair, Council on Foreign Relations
Former U.S. Treasury Secretary

9:40 AM Fireside Chat: A Conversation with Sally Q. Yates, Deputy Attorney General of the United States

Discussant: Sally Q. Yates  
Deputy Attorney General of the U.S.

Moderator: Ari Melber 
Chief Legal Correspondent, MSNBC

10:25 AM Roundtable: Policy Options to Reduce Recidivism and Aid Reentry

Author: Anne Piehl
Professor, Department of Economics, Rutgers University

Discussant: Tom Dart  
Sheriff, Cook County, Illinois

Discussant: Sister Donna Markham
President and CEO, Catholic Charities USA

Discussant: Nancy La Vigne
Director, Justice Policy Center, Urban Institute

Discussant: Fred Patrick 
Director, Sentencing and Corrections, Vera Institute of Justice

Moderator: Ryan Nunn 
Policy Director, The Hamilton Project; Fellow, Brookings Institution

11:20 AM Break

11:30 AM Roundtable: Removing Barriers and Building Opportunities for People with Criminal Records

Author: Jennifer Doleac 
Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Economics, University of Virginia

Author: Angela Hawken
Professor of Public Policy, Director of Litmus, New York University

Discussant: Stanley Richards  
Senior Vice President, Fortune Society

Discussant: Mark Holden 
Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Koch Industries

Moderator: Diane Schanzenbach
Director, Hamilton Project; Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution

12:30 PM Forum Adjourns