The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation (ABF) will present the CLE research seminar, "The Unintended Consequences of American Criminal Justice," from 2-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, at the JW Marriott Marquis Miami. The seminar is one of several events hosted by The Fellows of the ABF during the 2017 American Bar Association (ABA) Midyear Meeting, Feb. 1-5, 2017, in Miami, Florida.
The seminar will be presented by panelists John Hagan, an ABF research professor and John D. MacArthur Professor of Sociology and Law at Northwestern University; and Meredith Martin Rountree, a visiting assistant professor at Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law and former ABF Doctoral Fellow. Hagan is a leading scholar on mass imprisonment in the U.S. Rountree's research is focused on criminal law and the criminal justice system, with particular emphasis on issues involving mental health.
Hagan and Rountree will be joined by panelists Neal R. Sonnett, a leading criminal defense attorney and founder and managing partner at Neal R. Sonnett, P.A. in Miami; and Hon. Bernice B. Donald, Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and former ABF President (2012-14). Judge Donald serves as chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section and is an expert on mass incarceration and the effects of parental incarceration on children.
The program will be moderated by Marissel Descalzo, a trial lawyer and partner at Miami's Tache, Bronis, Christianson and Descalzo, P.A. Descalzo sits on the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Council and has been selected by Florida's Super Lawyers as a Rising Star from 2013-2016.
In the broad reach of the American criminal justice system, criminal laws and policies frequently have unexpected and unintended consequences. The panel's experts will focus on the ways in which the understanding of criminal justice may not always align with the actual system at work. Topics will include the impact of parental incarceration on children and the application of the death penalty to people with mental disabilities.
Ajay Mehrotra, director of the American Bar Foundation, said, "Since our founding in 1952, criminal justice reform has long been a core part of ABF research." He added, "With this CLE seminar, highlighting the research of John Hagan and others, the ABF continues its role as one of the leading research organizations on criminal justice reform."
This CLE program is co-sponsored by the ABA Commission on Disability Rights, ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice, ABA Section of Criminal Justice and ABA Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division.
This CLE program is free for anyone registered for the ABA Midyear Meeting.
Published: Fri, Jan 27, 2017
