On this webinar hear from national criminal legal system reform leaders as they talk about how we can and need to reimagine public safety, the “violent-non/violent dichotomy” and reentry. For too long communities under the guise of safety, constant fear mongering, and limited opportunities for people returning have suffered. It is now time for us to reframe and put forth a narrative that is consistent with the world we want to live in and the world we want for all people.
Desmond Meade: Desmond Meade is a formerly homeless returning citizen who overcame many obstacles to eventually become the current Executive Director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and a graduate of Florida International University College of Law. He presently leads efforts to restore civil rights to over 1.68 million Floridians, empower and civically re-engage local communities, and to reshape local, state, and national policies.
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Xavier McElrath-Bey: A champion for the rights of incarcerated children. Through his work as the Senior Advisor and Co-director of Movement Building at the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, Xavier fights to abolish “life without parole” for children. In recent years, he played a role in ending this practice in several states, including Nevada, Utah, Arkansas and the Dakotas. Xavier is also a co-founder and member of the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network, an initiative of CFSY, which seeks to amplify the stories and voices of leaders who were incarcerated as youth. His passion for this work stems from personal experience.
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Arthur Rizer is Director of criminal justice and civil liberties policy for the R Street Institute, where he heads institute programs, produces original research, writes for the popular press and educates policymakers on criminal justice and civil liberty issues. He was a trial attorney with the U.S. Justice Department and joined the Justice Department after a three-year tenure as a police officer with the police department of Cheney, Washington.
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