Mass incarceration has a far-reaching impact when an estimated 70 million, 1 in 3 adults have a criminal record (American Civil Liberties Union, Back to Business: How Hiring Formerly Incarcerated Job Seekers Benefits Your Company, 2017). The impact of mass incarceration is exacerbated due to collateral consequences. Collateral consequences can be defined as hidden sanctions which emerge automatically at the onset of a criminal conviction. They are referred to “hidden” since they are not formally quantifiable in a sentence or imposed penalty. Due to the disproportionate rate in which African-Americans are incarcerated, collateral consequences have a profound impact by limiting access to jobs and professional licensure and restricting access to the ladder of economic mobility. This presentation explores the evolution from forced slave labor to convict leasing to the tangled web of mass incarceration; examines how collateral consequences impact the African-American community’s economic mobility and restricts its access to financial liberation; and offers strategies for policy changes.
Presentation Objectives:
· Develop a deeper understanding of the history of mass incarceration and collateral consequences
· Explore legal and policy implications of collateral consequences (i.e. attorneys do not have a duty to warn clients about collateral consequences except when immigration status is impacted in criminal cases)
· Develop systemic change strategies from the theoretical framework of Planting People Growing Justice© (leadership, social justice advocacy, public policy advocacy)
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