Check out this episode of This American Life on federal and state drug sentencing in the US. Though a bit dated, it provides some good background on how we got to the strong legal response to non-violent drug offenses from the policy side of things. It also gives you a little context to the whole debate over drug charges, especially the significant proportion of blacks being incarcerated for drug crimes, despite national statistics on drug use, suggesting the inverse- one of the topics that keynote speaker Paul Butler will be focusing on.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
symposium schedule of events!
Sunday February 27th
Keynote Address: A Hip Hop Theory of Justice: Race and the American Justice System
Paul Butler, Professor of Law, George Washington University
7 pm, McCullough Social Space
Professor Paul Butler will present the keynote speech for the symposium on the role of hip hop as a reflection of the impacts of the criminal justice system on American communities, highlighting the disproportionate incarceration rates in low-income, black neighborhoods. A former federal prosecutor for the US Justice Department, Paul Butler now teaches law at GW University, provides legal commentary for CNN, NPR, and the Fox News Network, and writes frequently for numerous publications, including the Yale Law Review, Harvard Law Review, and UCLA Law Review. This talk will dissect the role of race and justice in the United States and the perpetuation of structural inequalities through racial profiling in policing, reinforcement of disproportionate incarceration rates for black men, lack of initiatives to improve the fundamental causes behind crime in low-income, minority neighborhoods.
Professor Butler’s presentation will be followed by a RIDDIM performance.
Monday February 28th
Redefining Public Defense: Holistic Legal Representation and Community Justice
Robin Steinberg, Founder and Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders
4:30 pm, MBH 219
Robin Steinberg is a public defense lawyer, nationally renowned by public defenders as a leader and a pioneer in the field of indigent defense. Robin is the founder and executive director of The Bronx Defenders, a public defender office that employs a groundbreaking system of holistic defense to fight both the causes and consequences of involvement in the criminal justice system. She will discuss the importance of public defense, as well as the ways in which her organization, The Bronx Defenders, has redefined what public defense consists of, and extended the definition to include a comprehensive approach to every legal problem to best serve the needs of the client and the community.
Monday February 28th
Prajna Meditation Club hosts a screening of The Dhamma Brothers
8:00pm, BiHall 220
The Dhamma Brothers is a documentary film released in 2007 about a prison meditation program at Donaldson Correctional Facility near Bessemer, Alabama. The film explains the crimes and lifestyles of a few of the men at Donaldson—considered to be one of the most dangerous prisons in Alabama—and shows the transformation of said men after a ten-day Vipassana meditation retreat held within the prison. Prisoners, guards, prison officials, and local residents are all interviewed in the film, some expressing concern over the presence of a Buddhist practice in the Bible Belt, and others commenting on the true change in the countenance of the prisoners that such a program brought about.
Tuesday, March 1st
Structure and Reform in the US Prison System
4:30 pm, MBH 219
John Perry, former director of planning for the Vermont Department of Corrections, and Juliana Ratner, Program Director of Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop--a nonprofit located in Washington, DC whose mission is “to introduce young inmates to the transformative power of books and creative writing”--will talk about their respective experiences in the prison system, comparing the important function of prison structure to alternative means of reforming the prison system to benefit the prisoners to the greatest possible extent. John Perry will address how the prison system is externally structured and different innovative strategies he employed as director of planning for the Vermont Department of Corrections, while Juliana Ratner will discuss creative approaches to educating and supporting inmates throughout their sentences, as well as the difficulties of implementing such alternative reforms.
Tuesday, March 1st
Screening: What I Want My Words to Do To You (80 minutes) hosted by The Women’s & Gender Studies Program, Chellis House-Women’s Resource Center
7:30 pm, MBH 216
What I Want My Words To Do To You offers an unprecedented look into the minds and hearts of the women inmates of New York’s Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. The film goes inside a writing workshop led by playwright Eve Ensler, consisting of 15 women, most of whom were convicted of murder. Through a series of exercises and discussions, the women, including former Weather Underground members Kathy Boudin and Judith Clark, delve into and expose their most terrifying realities as they grapple with the nature of their crimes and their own culpability. The film culminates in an emotionally charged prison performance of the women's writing by acclaimed actors Mary Alice, Glenn Close, Hazelle Goodman, Rosie Perez and Marisa Tomei.
Wednesday, March 2nd
Migrant Realities: Perspectives on Immigration and Justice
7 pm, MBH 219
This panel will illuminate the connections between immigrants and the American Justice system as well as provide an opportunity for the audience to ask questions. Three knowledgeable and exciting individuals will serve on the panel. Lise Nelson, a geography professor at the University of Oregon; Michelle Jenness from the Vermont Immigration and Asylum Advocates; and Rebecca Turner, a public defender for the appellate courts of Vermont in Montpelier.
Thursday, March 3rd
Behind Bars: the Story from the Outside and Within
4:30, MBH 219
Eddie Ellis, a Washington, DC native imprisoned at age 16 for manslaughter and released 15 years later, will paint a picture of the life of a prisoner and will recount his specific experiences within the prison system such as being transferred from prison to prison, spending long periods of time in confinement on lock down, and eventually finding his way out of despair and into the world of activism. He will present the harsh realities of the American justice system and the effects of spending half of his life behind bars, as well as his work with communities to help ex-prisoners successfully transition back into society.
Thursday, March 3rd
Tales of the Justice System (Co-sponsored by the Middlebury Moth)
10 pm, The Gamut Room
Bringing the theme of Communities and Justice to the context of the Middlebury community, this event will host members of the community in sharing their stories about times when the justice system has implicated their lives. Whether it be stories of prison, arrests, immigration, etc., this event will show the different sides of the issues that arise- which can sometimes be sad, sometimes funny, but almost always interesting. Understanding what the immediate ramifications of the justice system in our community are is important in grasping the relationship we have to the issue on a national scale. Eddie Ellis will help host the Moth and his stories from his experiences in prison will create a foundation for the event.
Friday, March 4th
Continuing the Conversation at Middlebury: What You Can Do (Faculty/Student Panel)
12:30-2 pm, Hillcrest Orchard
This panel will focus on how Middlebury students and faculty are involved with the criminal justice system through research and personal experiences and demonstrates how interested individuals can get involved themselves. Sociology/anthropology professor Rebecca Tiger will discuss her extensive research in drugs/rehabilitation within the criminal justice system. Psychology professor Michelle McCauley will examine her research on eyewitness memory/suggestibility, jury decision making, and issues around prosecuting child abuse cases. Student Lark Mulligan (‘11) will discuss the challenges and the rewards of spending last summer working at the Transformative Justice Law Project of Illinois. Student Nora Hirozawa (‘11) will reflect on her summer working at The Bronx Defenders.
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