Criminal justice reforms to be community forum topic

March 3, 2016

The Skidmore College Project on Restorative Justice will present a community forum, “Criminal Justice Reform: Motivating and Mobilizing the Faith Community for Restorative Justice,” on Saturday, March 12, from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Bethesda Episcopal Church, 26 Washington Street, Saratoga Springs. The event is free and open to the public.

The discussion will explore reforms needed to improve the fairness and effectiveness of the criminal justice system in New York State and the U.S., as well as the roadblocks facing formerly incarcerated men and women as they attempt to re-enter society.

Among the speakers will be Sheila Rule, former New York Times correspondent and co-founder and executive director of the Think Outside the Cell Foundation. She will discuss "The Myth of the Dangerous Criminal: Creating a More Honest, Humane Narrative About People Convicted of Violent Crimes."

“The Role of the Community in Restorative Justice” will be the topic of David Karp, Skidmore professor of sociology and director of the college’s Project on Restorative Justice. RJ involves decision-making that includes offenders, victims, and others and that requires offenders to acknowledge responsibility for their actions, take agreed-upon steps to repair the harm they caused, and rebuild constructive relationships.

Another event speaker will be Jonathan Gradess, executive director of the New York State Defenders Association, a not-for-profit that helps provide high-quality legal representation to low-income people. His topic will be “How to Repair a Broken Criminal Justice System.”

The March 12 forum is the first in a series of events to be hosted at Bethesda Episcopal Church to raise awareness about issues of justice and healing that are of importance to the Saratoga community.

For more information on this event and the series, contact Gordon Boyd: gordon@energynext.com or 518-441-8815.