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Rethinking Justice: Boost support for ex-offenders to reenter the community

When
06 Mar 2014
5:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Location
Plymouth Church, 1900 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN

The forum will examine the laws that have been or need to be enacted to restore equity to our justice system; the organizations that help ex-felons and their families; and preventive measures in our schools and neighborhood programs that help young people break the chain of events that often lead to incarceration. Collectively, the message of the Forum is that ex-offenders are our family members, our neighbors and church members, our friends.

Speakers and topics presented will include introductory remarks by Mayor Betsy Hodges; Criminal Justice Trends by Mark Haase, Vice-President of the Council on Crime and Justice; Policing Issues by U. of M. Professor Mark Kappelhoff and Minneapolis Police Department Deputy Chief Kris Arneson; Housing issues by Lee Blons, Executive Director of Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative; Education programs for vulnerable youth by Larry Lucio, who established a Freedom School at the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center; Job issues by Justin Terrell, Justice 4 All Program Manager at Take Action Minnesota; Mentoring in and beyond prison by Brian Herron, pastor at Zion Baptist Church; and Restoring Voting Rights by State Sen. Bobby Joe Champion and Executive Director of the MN League of Women Voters Susan Sheridan Tucker.

Following the presentations will be audience feedback and discussion of action items such as encouraging attendance at the Second Chance Coalition Day on March 13 at the State Capitol.

This Forum has been timed to inform people of the Second Chance Coalition Day at the Capitol on March 13 when issues such as the Felon Voter Restoration Bill will be taken up.

Pastor Brian Herron has said statistics show one in three African American youth are destined for prison in Hennepin County, and Mark Haase has spoken on the same topic, calling his presentation “Minnesota, the State of Perpetual Punishment".

Many organizations will be represented at the Forum. Take Action Minnesota works to boost programs for ex-offenders' community re-entry. This group was successful in working with the Target Corporation in interviewing and hiring ex-felons through Ban the Box legislation, whereby a box on the application asking if the applicant is a former felon has been removed.

The Justice Ministries of Plymouth and Westminster Churches are both building housing for ex-felons in collaboration with Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative. They work with churches, funders, and private donors to build housing for the homeless.

Sponsors of the Forum are the League of Women Voters of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Plymouth Congregational Church, NOLA Investigates-Criminal Justice Investigation, and the MN Adult and Teen Challenge.

Additional forum partners: Greater Mpls Council of Churches, The MN State Baptist Convention, ISAIAH, MN Catholic Conference, MN Black Nurses Ass'n, Council on Crime & Justice, Second Chance Coalition, MN Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee, MN State Public Defender, Ramsey Cty Community Corrections, Mpls Health Department, Criminal Justice Working Group - Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Take Action Minnesota, PACER, Mpls Urban League, 180 Degrees, American Indian OIC, Amicus/Volunteers of America, Barbara Schneider Foundation, Community Action of Mpls, Conflict Resolution Center, EMERGE, Good Will/Easter Seal MN, Integrated Community Solutions, MICAH, MN Recovery Connection, MN Restorative Services Coalition, Nat'l Alliance on Mental Illness - MN, Northpoint Health & Wellness, RS Eden, Twin Cities RISE! AAUW Mpls, Civic Media MN, Stadium View School, and Ramsey County Juvenile Corrections.