WHITE PLAINS, NY, October 2, 2003 —At a time when the United States’ prison and jail population has reached an all-time high of two million, the nation’s leading practitioners in criminal justice will gather to discuss strategies for meaningful prison reform. The Symposium will be held at the New York State Judicial Institute at Pace Law School in White Plains, NY from October 16 to 18, 2003 and is co-sponsored by the Open Society Institute (visit www.law.pace.edu/aboutpace/directions.html for directions).

As the prison population has grown, the legal and political environment has shifted making prison reform more difficult to achieve through litigation. The U. S. Supreme Court led the way for reform over thirty years ago, but in recent years has consistently ruled against the claims of inmates and established new doctrines and standards that restrict prisoners’ rights. Congress made a dramatic change in 1996 when it passed the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), which established new barriers between inmates and the judiciary. These significant changes require the development of new responsive strategies.

Among those who will participate at the symposium, entitled "Prison Reform Revisited: The Unfinished Agenda," are:

• Al Bronstein, noted civil liberties lawyer and founder of the ACLU Prison Project;
  
  
• Bob Gangi, Executive Director of The Correctional Association of New York.
  
  
• Don Cravins, State Senator Louisiana;
  
  
• Vivien Stern, Member of the House of Lords and founder of Prison Reform International;
  
  
• Noval Morris, noted author, criminologist, lawyer, Dean Emeritus of the University of Chicago Law School;
  
  
• Jamie Fellner, Director of Human Rights Watch's US Program
  
  
• Margo Schlanger, Professor at Harvard Law School; and
  
  
• Reginald A. Wilkinson, Head of the Ohio Prison System.

The symposium will provide an historic opportunity to take stock of judicially-ordered or inspired reform accomplishments to date; assess the current state of the law and obstacles to court-ordered reform; discuss the issues currently of greatest concern to reformers; consider ways to litigate and settle cases in the post-PLRA era; examine new strategies for reform; analyze what reformers hope to accomplish; and learn about international developments.

As the U.S. prison population surpasses that of any industrialized nation, the mentally ill, the poor, and racial minorities are all dramatically over-represented behind bars. U.S. prisons have become increasingly harsh and now use a segregation-type confinement called "super-max". Although more than 600,000 people leave prison every year, there is a failure to successfully return them home to their communities. Ninety-five percent of all people who go to prison or jail eventually return.

The event will be held at the facilities of the New York State Judicial Institute at Pace Law School, the newly-opened institute usually used for training judges and court personnel. The event is closed to the general public, and attendance by professionals is by invitation only. Press is welcome.

Professor Michael Mushlin is organizing the symposium. He is a Professor of Law at Pace and for seven years served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. He has extensive experience in prison reform as a lawyer, prison reform advocate and academic. Before entering academia, he was Project Director of the Prisoners’ Rights Project of the Legal Aid Society of New York, and Associate Director of the Children’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union where he litigated major cases involving institutional reform. He is the Author of RIGHTS OF PRISONERS (3d ed 2003) published by Westgroup. This three- volume treatise is one of the leading references used in the field of prison law. He is a member of the board of the Correctional Association of New York and is Past Chair of the Board. In addition, he served as Chair of the Committee on Corrections of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.

Founded in 1976, Pace Law School is a New York Law School with a suburban campus in White Plains, N.Y., 20 miles north of New York City. Part of Pace University, the school offers the J.D. program for full-time and part-time day and evening students. Its postgraduate program includes the LL.M. and S.J.D. degrees in Environmental Law and an LL.M. in Comparative Legal Studies. Pace has one of the nation's top-rated Environmental Law programs and its Clinical Education program also is nationally ranked, offering clinics in domestic violence prosecution, environmental law, securities arbitration, criminal justice and disability rights. www.law.pace.edu 

Pace is a comprehensive, independent university with campuses in New York City, Pleasantville and White Plains, NY and a Hudson Valley Center at Stewart International Airport in New Windsor, NY. More than 14,000 students are enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lubin School of Business, School of Computer Science and Information Systems, School of Education, Lienhard School of Nursing and Pace Law School. www.pace.edu