Police, Jails, and Vulnerable People Symposium 

New Strategies for Confronting Today’s Challenges

January 22, 2016
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
6.25 Hours of CLE Credit
including 1.25 Hours of Ethics Credit
Peace officers are eligible to receive 6 hours of TCOLE credit (reported through the UH Downtown Criminal Justice Center)

 

Click here for videos

 

 

 Location:
University of Houston 
Student Center South - Theater, Room 103
4100 University Drive
Houston, TX  77204

Hosted by

University of Houston Law Center
Criminal Justice Institute and the Health Law & Policy Institute

in collaboration with:

The University of Texas at Austin,
Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs

Other participating institutions:

Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
The University of Texas at Austin School of Law
South Texas College of Law
SMU Dedman School of Law
The Earl Carl Institute of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law
at Texas Southern University
University of Houston-Downtown, Dept. of Criminal Justice
University of Houston Clear Lake, Dept. of Criminal Justice

High-profile and tragic cases like those of Sandra Bland in Texas and similar cases around the country have brought into stark relief the early stages of the criminal justice.  Long before the adjudicative stage of the criminal justice system lie the critical “pretrial” aspects of the process in which police officers exercise discretion in encounters with citizens, often leading to arrests, booking, the setting of bail, and incarceration in local jails. 

This symposium will focus on best practices in policing, pretrial diversion and detention, and jail safety, particularly as they relate to persons with vulnerabilities such as physical and mental health issues. Drawing upon the expertise of criminal justice professionals and legislators, the symposium will provide information and insights for the development of an integrated policy reform agenda in criminal justice.

8:00-8:40	Breakfast tacos and coffee; Registration
8:40-9:00	Welcoming remarks by Associate Dean Marcilynn Burke and Introductionby Prof. Daphne Robinson (UH Law Center)
9:00-9:30	Policing Issues in the 21st Century Dr. Cedric Alexander (Chief of Police of DeKalb County, Georgia, President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing) (0.5 hours of CLE), introduced by Prof. Melissa Hamilton (UH Law Center)
9:30-10:45	Ethical and Practical Considerations in Pretrial Detention. Moderator: Prof. Sandra Guerra Thompson (UH Law Center). Panelists: Dr. Marie VanNostrand (Luminosity Consulting), Jon Wool (Vera Institute), Rebecca Bernhardt (Texas Fair Defense Project) (1.25 hour of Ethics CLE)
10:45-11:00	Break
11:00-12:15	Mental Health Diversion from Jail.   Speaker: Dr. Patricia Griffin (consultant for the National GAINS Center for People with Co-occurring Disorders in the Justice System and the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health).  Commentators: Dr. Lynda Frost (Hogg Foundation), and Dr. Regenia Hicks (Harris County Mental Health Jail Diversion) (1.25 hours of CLE)
12:15-1:30	Luncheon Speaker Senator John Whitmire.  Lunch in the West Ballroom, Student Center South, Room 210, followed by Sen. Whitmire’s address at 12:45 (0.75 hour of CLE)
1:30-2:45	Jail Safety. Moderator: Prof. Michele Deitch (LBJ School of Public Affairs, UT). Panelists: Kate Eves (British Prisons Ombudsman), Lindsay M. Hayes (Jail Suicide Prevention expert), and Wayne Dicky (Jail Administrator, Brazos County) (1.25 hours of CLE)
2:45-3:00	Break
3:00-4:15	Legislative Roundtable. Moderator: Ross Ramsey (Executive Editor, Texas Tribune). Legislators: Senator Konni Burton, Representative Garnet Coleman, Representative Gene Wu, and Representative James White (1.25 hour CLE)
4:15-4:30	Closing Remarks: Prof. Sandra Guerra Thompson

 

Symposium Information:

• Parking is available in the UH Hilton parking garage or the UH parking garage behind the UH Hilton at the corner of Calhoun and Wheeler. 
• Events will be videotaped and made available for post-event screening on the web.

 

Organizing Committee:

Prof. Michele Deitch, The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Lynda Frost, Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Melissa Hamilton, University of Houston Law Center
Prof. Daphne Robinson, University of Houston Law Center, Health Law & Policy Institute
Prof. Sandra Guerra Thompson, University of Houston Law Center, Criminal Justice Institute

Advisory Board:

Dr. Barbara Belbot, University of Houston-Downtown, Dept. of Criminal Justice
Prof. Catherine Burnett, South Texas College of Law
Prof. Ranjana Natarajan, The University of Texas at Austin School of Law
Prof. Jenia Turner, SMU Dedman School of Law
Prof. Sarah Guidry, Earl Carl Institute, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University
Dr. Everette B. Penn, University of Houston-Clear Lake, Dept. of Criminal Justice

Directions From Downtown

Exit Spur 5 South.Turn right on University Drive. Continue going straight at the stop light on Calhoun. The UH Visitor Information Booth is on the left. The Student Center is the first building on the right. 

Parking is available in the UH Hilton parking garage or the UH parking garage behind the UH Hilton at the corner of Calhoun and Wheeler.