Cash bail systems, implicit bias on ABA agenda

Mass incarceration, criminal justice reform, cash bail systems and how implicit bias impacts women in the criminal justice profession will be among the topics of discussion at the American Bar Association 2019 Spring Meeting, April 4-7 in Nashville, Tenn.

Joseph Williams, director of external affairs for Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, will deliver a keynote address on April 5 on “A System of Justice that Lives Up to Its Name.”
Other program highlights of the meeting, which features a special day of women in criminal justice programming and a meeting of the Women in Criminal Justice Task Force, include:

• “Shatter the Glass: A Candid Conversation about the Challenges Facing Women in Criminal Justice” — This session will discuss the barriers faced by women in criminal justice and how they have overcome those issues in their career.

• “Confronting Implicit Bias” — This session will discuss how implicit bias impacts women in the criminal justice profession. It will be followed by a session on “Confronting Implicit Bias and Shattering the Glass Ceiling.”

• “White Collar Crime Town Hall: Women & Leadership: Evolution & Revolution” — This panel will explore the significant strides that women have made to become leaders in all aspects of the legal profession while also discussing the very critical work that remains to be done.

• “Plenary Session I – The Role of the Bench in Criminal Justice Reform: Do Cash Bail Systems Undermine Justice and Democracy?” — A centerpiece of criminal justice reform must be bail reform. This session will address reforms in the state system, alternative measures to replace money bail, strategies to achieve success and considerations of fairness and due process in bail systems.

• “Plenary Session II — Prosecutors as Agents of Change 2.0 – Conviction Integrity Units” —This panel discussion will describe what Conviction Integrity Units are and aren’t; provide insights on how prosecutor offices can form units; describe how Conviction Integrity Units work with law enforcement, victims of crime and prosecutors who are wary of their purpose.

• “Plenary Session IV – From Diversion to Reentry: Innovations in Criminal Justice Reform” — This event features panelists who used innovation to approach challenges at various touch points within the criminal justice system. From creating a new diversion program with treatment to re-envisioning the way returning citizens come home, the panelists will share their approaches to changing what justice means in the 21st century and beyond.

• “Plenary V – Mass Incarceration and the First Step Act” — This panel will focus on the issue of mass incarceration and consider the impact of the First Step Act, a landmark, bi-partisan criminal justice reform legislation aimed at reducing incarceration rates.

Varying perspectives will be offered by a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, a member of the Cyntoia Brown defense team and two panelists who have conducted extensive research in the area.