Washington, D.C.— As many as one in three Americans have some type of criminal record. Yet having any kind of criminal history—even for minor offenses or an arrest without a conviction—can create lifelong barriers that can stand in the way of basic necessities such as employment and housing. This has broad implications, not only for the millions of individuals who are prevented from moving on with their lives and becoming productive citizens, but also for their families, communities, and the nation’s economy.
At an event on Tuesday, December 2, the Center for American Progress will convene a conversation to explore how mass incarceration and hyper-criminalization have become major drivers of poverty and inequality and what can be done to remove obstacles to economic security and mobility for people with criminal records. At the event, CAP will release a new report that highlights how a criminal record serves as a barrier to employment, housing, public assistance, education and training, and more, as well as recommendations to ensure that Americans with criminal records have a fair shot at making a decent living, providing for their families, and joining the middle class.
Members of the media can RSVP here.
Bookmark this link to watch the live webcast.
Follow along on Twitter: @TalkPoverty and #cjreform
WHO:
Keynote speaker:
Roy L. Austin Jr., Deputy Assistant to the President, Office of Urban Affairs, Justice and Opportunity, Domestic Policy Council
Featured speakers:
Sharon Dietrich, Litigation Director, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia
Marc Levin, Policy Director, Right on Crime
Ronald Lewis, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Marc Mauer, Executive Director, The Sentencing Project
Becky Pettit, Professor of Sociology, The University of Texas at Austin
Michele Sedney, Director of Career Services, Johns Hopkins Health System
Moderated by:
Rebecca Vallas, Associate Director, Poverty to Prosperity Program, Center for American Progress
WHEN:
December 2, 2014, 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET
WHERE:
Center for American Progress
1333 H Street NW, 10th Floor
Washington, D.C., 20005
Map & Directions
For more information on this topic, contact Allison Preiss at 202.478.6331 or [email protected]