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3A. (Room 108/109) A Look at Prison Conditions and Capital Punishment:  As state prison populations continue to grow, prison conditions continue to deteriorate. This workshop will explore the state of America’s prisons and methods of punishment, including the death penalty, as well as opportunities for advocacy and change. Professors Eric Berger and Danielle Jefferis of the University of Nebraska College of Law

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3B. (Room 112/113) Court debt: How Fines & Fees Create Barriers to Opportunity & Prosperity:  This session will explain the basics of how court debt works in Iowa and across the nation, and how these systems create barriers for people in accessing education, employment, and housing opportunity -- especially for people of color. The session will address the latest data and developments and provide practical strategies for how to tackle this problem.  Alex Kornya, Litigation Director & General Counsel, Iowa Legal Aid

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3C. (Room 114/115) Evaluation by Race of Policing In Des Moines:  The recent prominence of the BLM movement has spurred critical examination of policing. Our research focuses on cleaning and analyzing traffic citations and bookings data from 2016 to 2022 for the Des Moines Police Department. We aim to uncover racial disparities within traffic arrests and citations, exploring the correlation between census block demographics and policing levels, as well as the relationship between charges/citations and the race of individuals involved. Tanmaie Kailash, Anthony Schwindt, and Dr. Eric Autry, Grinnell College

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3D. CANCELLED (Room 107) The Minneapolis Model:  Public Safety and Alternatives to Policing:  In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, Minneapolis has made major shift in how they do policing.  Luana Nelson-Brown, who founded the Iowa Coalition for Collective Change now heads the Neighborhood Safety Department in Minneapolis. The department was created as the city’s commitment to invest in alternatives to policing and the goal of addressing public safety comprehensively.  In this workshop she presents insights and strategies on how the city has reimagined policing utilizing a broad ecosystem of services powered by citizens working together.  Luana Nelson-Brown, MSPH Director, Neighborhood Safety Department, City of Minneapolis

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3E. (Room 106) Iowa Legislators Discuss Justice-Related Legislative Opportunities: Iowa legislators examine crucial justice-related legislative opportunities. Join us as lawmakers delve into potential reforms, policies, and initiatives aimed at creating a fair and equitable justice system. Panelists TBA