Details
The Southern California Secular Coalition (SCSC) is pleased to present a hybrid, one-day free conference entitled “Life Behind Bars: Compassion and Reform” on Saturday, November 12, 2022 from 9 am to 6 pm Pacific Standard Time. The event is being cosponsored by the American Humanist Association and The Freethought Society.
There are three great options to attend.
1. Register and Attend online via Zoom HERE.
2. To join IN PERSON with The Humanist Society of Santa Barbara at Live Oak UU, register HERE.
3. To join IN PERSON in Orange County at the OC Human Relation Council in Santa Ana, register via Eventbrite HERE.
This one-day conference will examine issues around incarceration from various points of view including that of formerly incarcerated people with lived experience, professional in-state, out-of-state, and international perspectives, along with those of effective secular non-profit organizations.
The intention is to educate ourselves on the causes, effects, and challenges of our system of incarceration, and explore reform from a humanistic perspective so we can become informed advocates for an effective and humane system.
Conference Agenda
Session #1: 9:00 am -11:00 am PST
Welcome. Dave Rice - SCSC President, Margaret Downey - Freethought Society Founder & President, and Adam Conover- host of Adam Ruins Everything which has explored several aspects of the criminal justice system,
Why Incarceration Reform Matters to Humanists. Nadya Dutchin, Executive Director of the American Humanist Association,
A Dangerous Culture of Incarceration: Physical & Mental Health in Prison. Dr. Michael Golding, lead psychiatrist for the California Department of Corrections,
The Prison Experience. Jon Guy will speak about what life in prison was like in a Wyoming prison, and what supported him in his journey from being incarcerated to being a published author and science communicator who writes about critical thinking, science, and philosophy. His new book is Think Straight: An Owner’s Manual for the Mind.
Session #2: 11:00 am - 12:30 pm PST
Can Scandinavian Principles of Humanity Work in American Prisons? Preliminary Lessons from Pennsylvania. Jordan Hyatt, Ph.D., J.D. Associate Professor at Drexel University, and Gina Clark, Superintendent of the Little Scandinavia Prison.
Drugs and Punishment in an Exceptional Country. Dr. Paul Larsson, founder of Law Enforcement Action Partnership, (L.E.A.P.) Scandinavia, and Professor of Criminology at Police University College in Oslo, Norway,
Inside Out. Lawrence Larry, sharing his lived experience perspective,
Meal Break: 12:30 pm - 1:15 pm PST
Session #3: 1:15 pm - 3:30 pm PST
Confessions of a Public Defender. Denise Gragg, J.D. an experienced public defender in Southern California capital cases, sharing professional & personal insights gained in dealing with defendants and their families,
Adverse Childhood Experiences Behind Bars. Fritzi Horstman, founder of The Compassion Prison Project,
Free Will and the Crimes of the Criminal Justice System. Dr. J. Anderson Thomson, evolutionary psychiatrist,
Freedom To Choose Project: Change From the Inside. JoAnn Mermis and Benny Gutierrez on the impact of their work teaching emotional intelligence from the perspective of both a volunteer and as a previously incarcerated participant.
Session #4: 3:30pm - 5:30 pm PST
Throwing the Book at Them: Shelving Nontheist Literature in Prison Libraries. Margaret Downey, President of the Freethought Society,
From Prison to Microsoft. Shelley Winner-Dupree speaking on her lived re-entry experience,
Reentry is a Journey: Challenges and Chances When Leaving Incarceration. Dr. Andrea Dauber-Griffin and Dr. Mona Minton, of the Neighborhood House Association, San Diego County,
Imagine No Religion: Towards a More Secular Criminal Justice System. Elizabeth Cavell, J.D. Associate Counsel, Freedom From Religion Foundation.
There will be time for Q&A throughout the day. Come join us!
SCSC is a committee of The Freethought Society.