New York, NY, June 13, 2017 – The National Network for Safe Communities (NNSC) is hosting its third national conference at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice on June 15 and 16, 2017. More than three hundred national and international stakeholders and practitioners will convene to showcase innovations in violence prevention and trust building, discuss new research from the field, and build relationships among peers.
In recent years, calls for equity, dignity, and fairness in the criminal justice system have grown in both force and substance, elevating this issue to the level of national discourse. To reflect this movement, the theme of this conference will be “Race, History and Policing: A New Vision for Public Safety.” The first plenary session will feature a frank conversation between prominent police executives and community organizers. They will address the ways police departments and communities can forge a path, on equal footing, towards reconciliation, thus bolstering legitimacy, and enhancing public safety.
Over the course of the two-day event, conversations will cover a range of topics, including harnessing community action to reduce violence, tailoring support and outreach to those at the highest risk of offending or victimization, developing frameworks for police-community reconciliation, and addressing the harm caused by certain criminal justice practices. There will also be a special screening of “The Force,” a documentary film that follows the Oakland Police Department during a tumultuous three-year period.
“Criminal justice reform is at the heart of America’s renewed civil rights movement,” said NNSC Director David Kennedy. “We can’t get that right without being honest about the nation’s history of oppressing communities of color through the law and policing—and making a real commitment to owning that and correcting it going forward. We’re tremendously excited about this national convening of people—police, other criminal justice actors, community representatives, service providers, advocates, and others—to get this right, and together produce the kind of public safety and police-community relationships our communities deserve.”
Although the registration deadline for the event has passed, many of the conference panels will be livestreamed—to tune in, visit the NNSC website on Thursday and Friday beginning at 9:00 AM EST. Videos from the conference will also be posted to the NNSC YouTube channel. To follow the proceedings on Twitter, follow @NNSCommunities.
The National Network for Safe Communities, a project of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, was launched in 2009 under the direction of Kennedy and John Jay College President Jeremy Travis. The National Network focuses on supporting cities implementing proven strategic interventions to reduce violence and improve public safety, minimize arrest and incarceration, strengthen communities, and improve relationships between law enforcement and the communities it serves. For more information, please contact the NNSC’s Heather Conley at hconley@jjay.cuny.edu.
