Representatives of organizations from across the political spectrum will participate in a first-of-its-kind panel discussion at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs later this month on bipartisan criminal justice reform.
“Bipartisan Movement for Criminal Justice Reform: Past, Present, Future” will take place on Tuesday, November 19, at 5 p.m. in Robertson Hall’s Arthur Lewis Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public; registration is encouraged.
The ideologically diverse panel includes:
David Safavian, executive vice president of the American Conservative Union and CPAC
Insha Rahman, vice president of advocacy and partnerships at the Vera Institute of Justice and the director of Vera Action
Jesselyn McCurdy, executive vice president for government affairs at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Timothy Head, executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition
Udi Ofer, the John L. Weinberg/Goldman Sachs and Co. Visiting Professor and Lecturer of Public and International Affairs and the founding director of the Princeton Policy Advocacy Clinic, will moderate.
Between 2010 and 2020, policymakers and advocates from the left and right joined together in support of measures that helped reduce the United States’ imprisonment rate by more than 25 percent. Since then, political momentum has shifted, with a resurgence of tough-on-crime politics – a factor at play in the recent elections.
“At a time when our nation is deeply divided, criminal justice reform remains an area where voters in blue, red, and purple states see a need for reform,” Ofer said. “I am proud of Princeton SPIA for hosting this discussion with leaders from across the political spectrum to explore areas of common ground. The United States has the fifth highest incarceration rate in the world. Here at Princeton, we are committed to finding bipartisan solutions to ending this mass incarceration crisis.”
The four panelists have been at the forefront of efforts to reform the nation’s criminal justice system. They will discuss the history of these efforts and the state of the movement today. Patrick Sharkey, the William S. Tod Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs; and Adam Gelb, president of the Council on Criminal Justice, will deliver introductory remarks, while Princeton SPIA Dean Amaney Jamal will speak at the conclusion of the event.
Sponsoring the discuss are Criminal Justice@SPIA, the Princeton Policy Advocacy Clinic, the Princeton Program in Law and Public Policy, and the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.