John Jay College Of Criminal Justice | The City University of New York

   

New Orleans ,Louisiana May 9, 2012 – Stephen Bright of the Southern Center for Human Rights will lead a prestigious group of speakers, including judges, district attorneys, and academics in an in-depth workshop for the media about pre-trial detention issues at Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans, Louisiana on Monday, May 14^th and Tuesday, May 15^th, 2012.

The conference theme "Jailed Without Conviction? Pre-Trial Detention: The Clash Between Due Process and Public Safety" explores the legislative history of bail, who is jaileds, pretrial assessments, and the impact, reforms and politics of pre-trial programs. There is also a special panel on the possible implementation of a pre-trial program in New Orleans. Speakers on that panel include: Camille Buras, Chief Judge, Orleans Parish, James Carter, Commissioner of Criminal Justice, and Graymond Martin, First Assistant District Attorney, Orleans Parish.

Other speakers include: Dennis Bartlett, Executive Director, American Bail Coalition; Michael Jacobson, Director, Vera Institute for Justice; Tara Boh Klute, Executive Officer, Kentucky Pre Trial Services, James Carr Senior Judge, United States District Court Northern District of Ohio; and Cynthia Jones, Professor, Washington College of Law, American University.

"This year's conference comes at a time of major change and challenges in our criminal justice system," said Stephen Handelman, director of the Center on Media, Crime and Justice (CMCJ) at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, which organized the workshop. "A dialogue between journalists and criminal justice practitioners on pre-trial issues has never been so necessary."

The workshop also features special skills workshops for attending reporters covering these issues.

Twenty-two U.S. journalists from print, online and broadcast outlets have been awarded fellowships to attend the conference. The unique fellowships, organized by John Jay's Center on Media, Crime and Justice (CMCJ), are aimed at encouraging and promoting top-quality journalism on criminal justice.

The Fellows were selected from a wide pool of applicants based on editors' recommendations and on investigative reporting projects currently underway or in the planning stage related to the topics explored at the 2012 conference.

The 2012 Fellows are listed below.

The award-winners will receive financial assistance or stipends that enable them to attend the conference and related events. Overall support for the conference and fellowships comes from the Public Welfare Foundation and Tulane University. These organizations did not participate in the review or selection of the fellows.

About John Jay College of Criminal Justice: An international leader in educating for justice, John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York offers a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to upwards of 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations. In teaching, scholarship and research, the College approaches justice as an applied art and science in service to society and as an ongoing conversation about fundamental human desires for fairness, equality and the rule of law. For more information, visit www.jjay.cuny.edu.

The Center on Media, Crime and Justice, established at John Jay College in 2006, is the nation's only practice- and research-oriented think tank devoted to encouraging and developing high-quality reporting on criminal justice, and to promoting better-informed public debate on the complex 21^st century challenges of law enforcement, public security and justice in a globalized urban society. For more information, visit http://www.jjay.cuny.edu/cmcj or >www.thecrimereport.org

The Public Welfare Foundation The Public Welfare Foundation supports efforts to ensure fundamental rights and opportunities for people in need. We look for carefully defined points where our funds can make a difference in bringing about systemic changes that can improve the lives of countless people. In its 60 year history, the Foundation has distributed nearly $500 million in grants to more than 4500 organizations. We are proud of the achievements of our grantees in a broad spectrum of worthy endeavors. For more information go to http://www.publicwelfare.org/

2012 John Jay/Public Welfare Fellows
(in Alphabetical Order)