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July 06, 2005
National Commission to Hold Hearing on Prison Abuse and Safely --7-19 in Newark
COMMISSION ON SAFETY AND ABUSE
in America’s Prisons
www.prisoncommission.org
NATIONAL COMMISSION TO HOLD HEARING IN NEWARK, JULY 19-20
ON OVERCROWDING, ISOLATION, AND HEALTH CARE IN PRISON
The Commission on Safety and Abuse in America's Prisons will hold its second hearing on July 19th and 20th in Newark, New Jersey. The hearing offers the public an opportunity to hear firsthand about institutional policies and practices that can create unsafe and abusive environments for those who are incarcerated, and for the women and men who work in U.S. prisons and jails.
What: A two-day hearing on:
• The rate of incarceration
• Overcrowded systems and facilities
• The use of isolation and rise of the supermax prison
• Medical and mental health care failures that endanger individual prisoners and officers, and the public health
• How corrections leaders can prevent the worst dangers and abuses
Who: Staff and former prisoners will talk about the impact of these issues on their daily lives. State corrections commissioners, doctors, advocates, and other experts will testify about the problems nationally and how to solve them.
When: Tuesday, July 19th 8:45 am – 3:30 pm & Wednesday, July 20th 8:45 am – 5:00 pm
Where: Mary Burch Theater, Essex County College (303 University Avenue), at the intersection of MLK and West Market streets. From Penn Station, you can take the Newark City Subway to the second stop which is Washington Street OR walk approximately 10 blocks down Market Street. Follow signs for the main entrance. The theater is located inside the main building. For detailed driving instructions and a map of the campus, go to http://www.essex.edu/aboutecc/nwk_dir.html.
Note: Only invited witnesses will have an opportunity to address the Commissioners during the proceedings. Direct any questions about the hearing to the Commission’s Coordinator, Jenni Trovillion, by calling 202-637-6355 or e-mailing jtrovillion@vera.org.
Agenda:
Tuesday, July 19
Overcrowded Facilities and the Uses and Effects of Isolation
8:45 – 9:15 Opening Statements and Welcoming Remarks
9:15 – 9:45 Prison Population: Size and Demographics, Trends and Context
10:00 – 11:00 Personal Accounts
11:15 – 12:45 Expert Testimony on Overcrowding
12:45 – 2:00 Lunch Break
2:00 – 3:30 Expert Testimony on Isolation
Wednesday, July 20
Physical and Mental Health Care and Related Issues
8:45 – 9:00 Opening Statements
9:00 – 10:00 Personal Accounts
10:15 – 11:45 Expert Testimony on the Quality of Medical Care
11:45 – 1:15 Lunch Break
1:15 – 2:45 Expert Testimony on the Public Health Implications of Health Care in Facilities
3:15 – 4:45 Expert Testimony on Caring for the Mentally Ill
4:45 – 5:00 Closing Statements
About the Commission: The Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons is a diverse, 21-member, non-partisan panel that formed in March 2005 and will work for one year to explore the most serious problems inside U.S. correctional facilities and their impact on the incarcerated, the men and women who staff facilities, and society at large.
The Commission is co-chaired by former U.S. Attorney General Nicholas de B. Katzenbach and the Hon. John J. Gibbons, former Chief Judge of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. It is staffed by and funded through the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit organization that has worked closely with leaders in government and civil society for more than 40 years to improve the administration of justice.
To learn more about the Commission, register to receive e-mail updates, and submit personal accounts of life in prison, go to www.prisoncommission.org.
Posted by lois at July 6, 2005 01:06 PM