"Smart Decarceration” was developed almost a decade ago as a framework to address the United States’ crisis of mass incarceration, and it focuses on substantially reducing the use of incarceration while reversing disparities and maximizing public wellbeing.

This two-part series presents papers from the latest special issue of the journal Criminal Justice and Behavior, “Research to Advance Smart Decarceration Policies, Programs, and Interventions.”

The authors will share their research on early models of what decarceration-focused research and practices can look like in this current moment of criminal justice reform.  

SAGE Journal will generously be offering open access to the special issue from February 22-March 8, 2021: https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/cjbb/48/1  

Part One Speakers (Wednesday, February 24th, 2021, 12-1:30pm CST): 

Aaron Gottlieb, PhD, Assistant Professor at the Jane Addams School of Social Work at The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), presenting Were California’s Decarceration Efforts Smart? A Quasi-Experimental Examination of Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Disparities 

Erin Comartin, PhD, LMSW, Associate Professor of Social Work and Data Director at the Center for Behavioral Health and Justice, at Wayne State University, presenting The Criminal/Legal Experiences of Individuals with Mental Illness along the Sequential Intercept Model: An Eight-Site Study 

Ashley Jackson, MSW, Doctoral student in the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, presenting From Bright Plots to Blind Spots: Mapping Departures in Case Review Post-Bail Reform in Two New Jersey Courts 

Quintin Williams, MA, Program Officer at the Joyce Foundation in its Gun Violence Prevention and Justice Reform Program, discussant

Part Two Speakers (Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021, 12-1:30pm CST):

Kelli E. Canada, PhD, LCSW, Associate Professor at the University of Missouri – Columbia's School of Social Work, presenting Utilizing Crisis Intervention Teams in Prison to Improve Officer Knowledge, Stigmatizing Attitudes, and Perception of Response Options 

Amy C. Watson, PhD, Professor in the Social Work Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, presenting Utilizing Crisis Intervention Teams in Prison to Improve Officer Knowledge, Stigmatizing Attitudes, and Perception of Response Options 

Melanie Sonsteng-Person, PhD, Candidate at the Department of Social Welfare at University of California, Los Angeles, “Any Alternative Is Great If I’m Incarcerated”: A Case Study of Court-Ordered Community Service in Los Angeles County 

Jane Hereth, MSW, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Social Work Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, presenting Examining Patterns of Interpersonal Violence, Structural and Social Exclusion, Resilience, and Arrest among Young Transgender Women 

Ash Stephens, MA, Manager of Policy & Strategy at Transgender Law Center and PhD candidate at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), discussant

About The Event

• Free to attend but registration is required.
• Registrants will receive a Zoom webinar link the week of the event.
• Registrants will receive separate Zoom webinar links for both sessions.
• Closed-captioning will be available.
• Program will be recorded.
• For general information and questions about accessibility, contact events@ssa.uchicago.edu or call 773.702.9700.

About The Smart Decarceration Project

The Smart Decarceration Project at the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice is bridging research and practice to reduce the over reliance on incarceration while addressing the racial and behavioral health disparities in the criminal justice system. Generating real-world evidence in close collaboration with local and national stakeholders, the Smart Decarceration Project seeks to reduce the use of incarceration by developing interventions that deliver tangible impact, informing the next generation of criminal justice policies and programs, and spearheading a cross-sector movement sustained by transdisciplinary dialogue.  Learn more at: www.smartdecarceration.org