Center for Criminal Justice Reform

The Center for Criminal Justice Reform supports community-driven efforts to improve public safety and address the harm and inequity caused by the criminal legal system, bringing together diverse voices and decision-makers to examine how the criminal legal system currently functions, and to collaborate on strategies that promote justice throughout the country and in Baltimore.

CENTER NEWS AND EVENTS

The Center and the Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform present a Sept. 9 conference, "Beyond Confinement: Rethinking Corrections & Rehabilitation in Maryland," at the University of Baltimore School of Law. The conference will explore innovative approaches to transforming the current system, aiming to create a more effective, humane and equitable approach to rehabilitation. Attendees will engage with directly impacted people and other experts, and contribute to the conversation on reshaping Maryland’s corrections and rehabilitation landscape. Learn more and register.
Heather Warnken , executive director, co-authored a report, Realizing the Promise of Crime Victim Compensation: Recommendations to Help Community Violence Intervention Meet the Needs of Underserved Victims, published in July 2023 by New York University's Marron Institute. Crime Victim Compensation is a federal- and state-level program designed to reimburse victimes for certain out-of-pocket expenses resulting from their victimization. Realizing the Promise recommends reforms to address inequiities and improve the effectiveness of Crime Victim Compensation throughout the country.
Executive Director Heather Warnken participated in the national Safe and Just Communities Summit in New York City, co-hosted by the National Urban League and John Jay College (CUNY), on May 8-9, 2023. Warnken was a featured speaker in a panel entitled "Fair and Accountable Policing for Safe Communities."
Executive Director Heather Warnken was honored as a Maryland Daily Record Leader in Law at an April 25, 2023, event.
In April 2023, Executive Director Heather Warnken co-authored a report, " Equity Across a Continuum in Public Safety Grants Administration ." The report was released as part of a sustained effort toward advancing equity and reducing disparities in the criminal justice system led by the National Criminal Justice Association.
The Center was featured in the Fall 2022 issue of Baltimore Law magazine.
Heather Warnken , executive director, was profiled in the Maryland Bar Journal's Fall 2022 issue.
The Center was mentioned in an article in preLaw magazine’s Fall 2022 issue that listed the School of Law as one of the top schools in criminal law.
The Center's executive director, Heather Warnken , gave a plenary presentation at the National Public Safety Partnership Violence Reduction Summit, hosted by the US Department of Justice in Tulsa, OK, on Tuesday, Dec. 13.
The Center's executive director, Heather Warnken , presented at the December 6 Center for American Progress 8^th Annual Gun Violence Prevention Summit in Washington, D.C., on a panel titled “Increasing Access to Victim Services for Gun Violence Survivors.”
Heather Warnken , executive director, testified at an Oct. 6 City Council hearing about her report outlining poor treatment of gunshot victims in Baltimore city.
Heather Warnken , executive director, co-authored the publication, "Racial Equity Framework for Community Violence Intervention," which was released to the public in August 2022.

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