• 2A Face Value: The Promise and Perils of Facial Recognition Technology in Policing: Facial recognition technology is revolutionizing policing, but challenges like bias, privacy, and accountability persist. This workshop explores its impacts, disparities, and policies to balance safety, equity, and transparency in criminal justice. Dr. Thaddeus Johnson and Dr. Natasha Johnson, Professors and Criminologists, Georgia State University

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• 2B Juvenile Justice Task Force Recommendations.  Where Are We Now?  In 2022 The Iowa Supreme Court Created a Statewide Task Force to do a comprehensive review of Iowa’s Juvenile Justice System citing numerous challenges that had been amplified locally and nationally, including racial disparities. The Task Force Recommendations have been in effect for almost two years now. This session will provide an update on the recommendations and the next steps in the process.  Chad Jensen, Director of Juvenile Court Services, Iowa Judicial Branch & Co-Chair, Iowa Juvenile Justice Taskforce

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• 2C Polk County Coordinating Council, A Regional Model in Law Enforcement:  See how Polk County brings County Supervisors, Judges, Law Enforcement, Department of Corrections and Community Advocates together to form of the Polk County, Iowa Criminal Justice Coordinating Council with the purpose of improving justice for residents.  Hear of its success, its purpose, accomplishments, and future goals.  - Jerry Evans, Coordinator of the Polk County Iowa CJCC

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• 2D Creative Visions Violence Intervention & Prevention (VIP) – Mentorship, resources and advocacy for the highest at-risk individuals who are prone to use gun violence as a means of conflict resolution.  We are targeting ages 11 – 25 to get them to change their mindsets and behavioral norms.  The VIP program consists of wrap-around services that include crime victim advocacy.  For individuals on probation or parole, we offer the My Purpose project, a second chance initiative supported by the Reform Alliance that is designed to help individuals meet and complete their supervisory requirements. Ivette Muhammad, COO, April Wells, Crime Victims Advocacy Project Director; Tim McCoy, VIP Director, Langston Hughes, My Purpose Director, Creative Visions, Inc.

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• 2E Are the Juries in Your County Racially Representative?  Learn How to Read Iowa’s Jury Data & Compared to Jury-Eligible Census Data. The Iowa Court System’s jury demographic data, with its County-by-County breakdown by race and ethnicity, and the Iowa Data Center’s county-by-county demographic breakdown of Census jury-eligible population are the Nation’s gold standard and are publicly available.  Learn how to access and interpret the data so you can determine whether your county’s juries are as diverse as the Constitution requires. Russell Lovell, Jr. and David Walker, Co-Chairs, Iowa-Nebraska, Des Moines NAACP Legal Redress Committee, Retd. Drake Law Professor and Dean