Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Griffin campus will provide a forum for the discussion of timely and critical issues in criminal justice with its second annual CJ Day @ UGA on Nov. 14 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the UGA-Griffin Student Learning Center.
The mini-conference will include a keynote address by Clayton County’s chief juvenile court judge Steven Teske on Georgia’s new criminal justice reform initiatives, their history and promise, with an emphasis on juvenile justice.
The theme of this year’s conference, “After Mass Incarceration: Charting a Path to the Future,” will provide an opportunity for professionals from varied areas of criminal justice—law enforcement, law and the courts, corrections and the faith community—to convene and discuss these reforms and their impact on communities and to suggest alternatives to incarceration. Registration is free, but seating is limited.
“State budgets are straining, and recidivism rates have been virtually unaffected after decades of prison population growth, as the national conversation about crime and punishment has shifted,” said Elizabeth Watts Warren, a lecturer in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of sociology on the UGA Griffin campus. “Georgia has been at the forefront of that conversation, enacting sweeping criminal justice reforms in 2012 that appear to be paying off as Georgia’s prison population has declined each year since the reforms were implemented.”
Additional presentations will explore new directions in prosecutions—especially drug offenses, evidence-based strategies to reduce recidivism, innovative practices for strengthening inmates’ parental ties, the toll of human trafficking on communities, forensics and the need for broadly trained criminal justice professionals.
On UGA’s Griffin campus, the interdisciplinary studies bachelor’s degree with concentrations in sociology or psychology prepares graduates for a range of careers, including many fields within criminal justice. Thus, the conference will be an opportunity for attendees interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice to become acquainted with what the campus has to offer.
“This is a great opportunity for people-from those already working in criminal justice fields to prospective students-to come to our campus to learn about issues affecting their communities and about careers that have a meaningful impact on the lives of others,” said Faye Chatman, program coordinator for the Franklin College on the UGA Griffin campus.
For a full list of speakers and registration information, see http://www.ugacjday.com.