[WardFive] Fwd: Forum on DC's Criminal Justice System

Theodora H. Brown

Begin forwarded message:

From: A Loikow <aloikow@icloud.com>
Date: November 15, 2017 at 12:10:52 AM EST
Subject: Forum on DC's Criminal Justice System

Please help us publicize this forum.  A flyer is attached.  Ann Loikow

From: E Hart <hart1651@verizon.net>

Subject: Forum on DC's Criminal Justice System

Date: November 13, 2017 at 9:19:45 PM EST 

Hello Statehood Advocates,

 

Attached is a flyer about a forum on defederalizing DC's criminal justice system on November 30 at 6:30 at UDC Law School.

 

As you know statehood advocates have wanted the DC Government to begin transition planning for the day when our local/state government will assume all the responsibilities that the governments of the 50 states handle.  A large part of this transition planning will involve DC's criminal justice system which was taken over by the federal government in 1997 because of DC's financial crisis.

 

Defederalizing DC's criminal justice system has long been an important issue for returning citizens who are now advocating for making parole for DC prisoners a local responsibility instead of the responsibility of the U.S. Parole Commission (USPC).  As the head of the Reentry Task Force explains: "Parole is a local issue. We have to go before the parole commission--a federal entity. We're not federal prisoners. We have committed our crimes in the District of Columbia. And we should be governed and seen as DC prisoners going before a local parole board." The U.S. Parole Commission has no contact with the DC community or DC government agencies, and it often ignores judges orders related to parole violations.

 

Our forum will have two panels. The first will present both the facts and the human side of the federalization of our criminal justice system. The facts of our federalization will be presented by Avis Bucahanan, Director of the Public Defender Service. Two formerly incarcerated people will share their experiences with our criminal justice system.

 

The second panel will present the prospect of ending the federalization of parole for DC Code offenders.  Louis Sawyer, chair of the Reentry Task Force will explain how this will benefit both DC Code offenders and the wider community. Johnny Barnes will discuss the role of the community in defederalizing our criminal justice system.

 

Elinor

__________________________________________________________________________________________

DC STATEHOOD COALITION

and

UDC David A. Clarke School of Law

present a Forum on

 

MOVING TOWARD LOCAL CONTROL

OF DC'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

November 30: 6:30

UDC David A. Clarke School of Law

4340 Connecticut Avenue, NW 

Speakers

Johnny Barnes: Former Executive Director of the ACLU of the Nation's Capital, livingwiththelaw.com

Avis Buchanan: Director, Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, www.pdsdc.org

Eleanor Holmes Norton: DC Delegate to the House of Representatives, https://norton.house.gov

Louis Sawyer: Chair, Reentry Task Force

Cosponsors

DC Federation of Democratic Women * DC for Democracy * DC Latino Leadership Council * League of Women Voters of DC * Stand Up for Democracy in DC (Free DC) * Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs * D.C. Statehood - Yes We Can!