The Rappaport Center for Law & Public Policy at Boston College Law School, in collaboration with the Boston College Innocence Program, Boston College Law School Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, and New England Innocence Project, will host a one-day conference on Criminal Justice Reform in Massachusetts on Tuesday, February 21.
Beginning at 9 AM, the conference will feature a keynote address from Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, three panel discussions on issues critical to comprehensive criminal justice reform, and concluding remarks by Andrea Cabral, former Secretary of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Suffolk County Sheriff.
Senator Brownsberger will moderate a panel on reducing recidivism from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, featuring Jose Bou, an instructor at Holyoke Community College; Adam Foss, a criminal justice reform advocate and former Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney; and Leslie Walker, Executive Director of Prisoners’ Legal Services.
The conference is free and open to the public. Individuals interested in attending are encouraged to register.
For more information about the conference, please contact rappaport@bc.edu.
I am a former cop and current psychologist. There needs to be funding for training that allows police greater expertise and confidence in working with those with co-occurring mental illness. Police officer involved shooting has increased since 2009 and must be addressed. i have expertise in mental illness and was a police sergeant in Massachusetts. Police officers hate dealing with those suspected of mental illness and often feel untrained to intervene. There are myths about these interactions that are sometimes erroneous and place all those involved at risk of injury or death. I am a registered voter in Watertown. I’d like an appointment to the Governor’s Criminal Justice Commission.
msefton@whittierhealth.com