From Thursday, August 23, through Saturday, August 25, in Atlanta, Georgia, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) is sponsoring its Presidential Summit and 17th Annual State Criminal Justice Network Conference, Shattering the Shackles of Collateral Consequences: Exploring Moral Principles and Economic Innovations to Restore Rights and Opportunity.
This program will examine the destructive effect that a vast network of penalties, debarments, and disabilities that arise from a criminal conviction has on the millions who have contact with the criminal justice system. It will also explore the disparate impact that these consequences have on communities of color. At the same time, the Summit will highlight the ground-breaking work that is helping people break free from these shackles, and provide a roadmap for national reform.
The program includes remarks by:
- Nathan Deal, Governor of the State of Georgia
- Mike Epps, Comedian, Actor, and Honorary Chair of the Conference
- Sally Q. Yates, Former U.S. Deputy Attorney General
A full agenda identifying the dozens of outstanding leaders in the field who will be presenting at this conference, including formerly incarcerated people, is available here.
Where:
Thursday, August 23 and Friday, August 24: Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel at 265 Peachtree Center Ave, NE, Atlanta, GA.
Thursday Evening, August 23: Reception at the Center for Civil and Human Rights at 100 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd., Atlanta, GA. (Summit registration is required)
Saturday, August 25: Ebenezer Baptist Church at 101 Jackson Street, NE, Atlanta, GA. This event is free and open to the public. A separate registration is required. Register here.
Panels, Presentations, and Discussion Include
- Setting the Stage: Moral and Economic Obligations to Restoring Rights and Opportunity
- Plenary - I Am My Brother’s Keeper: Guiding Principles of Re-Entry
- The Road to Re-entry: Navigating Systems Players and Building Coalitions
- Forgiving: The Campaign Against the Scarlet Letter
- Criminal Justice Leaders/Authors Panel
- Forgetting: Alleviating Collateral Consequences Through the Legislative & Referendum Process
- And Justice For All: Voices from Court
- This Side of the Law: Reentered, Reformed & Reinvented
- Entrepreneurship and Training: Harnessing Your Power for Success
- Faith-Based Discussion
- Resource Fair
- Screening of the Sundance Audience Choice Award The Sentence, featuring Director Rudy Valdez whose sister Cindy Shank was released from prison via Clemency Project 2014
RSVP:
If you are a journalist and would like to attend part or all of the conference, you must RSVP to NACDL Sr. Director of Public Affairs & Communications Ivan J. Dominguez with full contact information, including the news organization for which you work. Ivan can be reached at 202-465-7662 and idominguez@nacdl.org.
If you are not a journalist covering the event and you wish to attend the conference, you must register here.
Contacts
Ivan Dominguez, NACDL Senior Director of Public Affairs and Communications, (202) 465-7662 or idominguez@nacdl.org
The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is the preeminent organization advancing the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. A professional bar association founded in 1958, NACDL's many thousands of direct members in 28 countries – and 90 state, provincial and local affiliate organizations totaling up to 40,000 attorneys – include private criminal defense lawyers, public defenders, military defense counsel, law professors and judges committed to preserving fairness and promoting a rational and humane criminal legal system.