This year’s Smart on Crime Innovations Conference, September 25th and 26th, hopes to move the criminal justice reform conversation forward by tackling tough questions that are often avoided. This event, hosted by John Jay, The Center for American Progress, and Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, brings together national leaders, activists, researchers, and practitioners, all focused on one thing, changing the criminal justice system to be fairer, more just, comprehensive, and effective.

Who’s Presenting?
At this year’s Smart on Crime Innovations Conference we’re excited to learn from some of the nation’s strongest voices in criminal justice realm. We look forward to hearing from presenters such as: Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama; Michael Tubbs, Mayor of Stockton, CA; Daryl Atkinson, Forward Justice; Barry Scheck, Innocence Project; Ana Bermudez, Commissioner, New York City Department of Probation; Jeffery Robinson, ACLU; José Cisneros, Treasurer of the City and County of San Francisco; David Kennedy, National Network for Safe Communities; Mark Holden, Koch Industries, Inc.; Jim Kenney, Mayor of Philadelphia.

What are the topics?
The experts are expected to take a deep dive into criminal justice on every facet. Some of the panel discussions will include: Race, Bias, and Disparities; Reforming Probation and Parole; Community Engagement; Prosecutors and Defenders; Prisons and Rehabilitation; State Progress; and Reform Impact. There will also be an exclusive HBO Films screening of The Sentence—an intimate portrait of Cindy Shank, a mother of three, who was granted clemency while serving a 15-year sentence for her tangential involvement with a drug ring.

For more information, and to register for the event, please visit the Smart on Crime Innovations Conference website.