Please Note: Due to concerns related to the Coronavirus, Public Affairs Week has been cancelled.

Nationally, criminal justice reform has been front and center in the policy process. Indeed, President Donald Trump signed legislation, the First Step Act, in December 2018 that, in part, eased the harsh sentencing guidelines for drug offenses. Several states, too, have reformed their criminal justice systems. For instance, New Hampshire and California restructured their bail processes to prevent pre-trial detention of people who could not post cash because they are poor.

Closer to home, New York State has engaged in several reforms including to its bail process, as well as easing reentry for people who were incarcerated. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s deputy secretary for public safety, Richard R. White, was one of the Governor’s point persons on these reforms. Between 2017 and 2019 White, who oversaw the state public safety agencies, and Cuomo’s team had negotiated with the legislature on behalf of the Governor to finalize many of these enhancements. In January 2020, the core of these reforms went into effect. The media reports that prosecutors and police agencies have raised alarms. They contend, among other things, that the reforms compromise public safety since some people, who are incarcerated, will be released. Yet, on the ground, nonprofit organizationsare pivotal to the implementation of these important changes. Many large and small organizations help thousands of people safely reenter society in their neighborhoods, at work, and in continuing and higher education settings.

Given the “street-level” work of these organizations, which includes the employment of people who were formerly incarcerated, nonprofit institutions will have direct experiences with the efficacy of the state reforms and whether they will be sustainable. To provide this critical perspective, Elizabeth Gaynes, who is a nationally recognized expert on the impact of incarceration and reentry on children and families, will explain her organization’s work on reentry. She leads the Osborne Association, which is a venerable institution with a track record of serving individuals and families affected by crime and incarceration. Consequently, a discussion between White and Gaynes will provide students with the opportunity to better understand the New York State policymaking process, as well as the reality of these reforms in practice. After all, they affect New Yorkers.