Racial Justice Initiative Teleconference Presentation

7/30/2019 Racial Justice Initiative Teleconference Presentation

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TimeBanks USA

Racial Justice Initiative

LegalandSystemsChangeStrategy

e econ erence

Wednesday,

July

22,

2009pm as ern me

Pleasenotethatachimesoundsaseachnewcallerjoinssoweareaskingfolkstocallinpromptlyandnonewcallersmayjoinafter2:10pm

DialinAccessNumber:

17124323100on erence o e:

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Articulatethelegalandsystemschangestrategy

Addressquestions/concernssubmittedduringthe

Fieldnewquestionsfromparticipants

Discussnextstepsforfollowup

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GuestspeakersincludeProfessor&CoAuthorEdgarCahn,

Co

Author

Cynthia

Robbins,

Professor

Joe

Tulman Allotherparticipantswillremainmutedthroughoutthecall

unlesstheyrequesttospeak

Participantsmay

request

to

have

their

phones

unmuted

to

quest on comment ypress ng ont e rp one eypa

Duetothenumberofcallers,onlyoneparticipantatatime

Questionswillbeaddressedintheordertheyarereceived

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TimeBanking,developedin1980byEdgarCahn,isanetworkforpeop e oexc ange mew e rne g ors nor er oserve e r

respectiveneeds,

build

social

capital,

and

achieve

systems

change.

TimeBankingisin40statesand32countries.

TimeBanksUSA(TBUSA),formedin1995,isaThink andDo Tankforreweavingcommunity.TBUSAcreatednovelinnovationssuchas

TimeDollar

Youth

Court,

alarge

scale

diversion

program

for

reducesjuvenilerecidivism.

TBUSAhashosted5internationalTimeBankingconferences. The, ,

DismantlingStructuralRacisminJuvenileJusticeandChildWelfare.TheColloquiumpubliclylaunchedTUBSAsRacialJusticeInitiative.

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RacialJustice

Initiative

Colloquium

DismantlingStructuralRacisminJuvenileJusticeandChildWelfare

June26,2009

8:30a.m.12:30p.m.

WelcomeMessage

EdgarCahn Founder,TimeBanksUSAandCoLeaderoftheInitiative

VoicesfromtheRealWorldofJuvenileJusticeandChildWelfare

YakuaBanks YouthAdvocateProgram,Newark,NJ

FrankDAgostino ProgramCoordinator,YouthAdvocateProgram,Newark,NJ

GregoryRossetti PoliceOfficer,CityofMadison,WI

LeahGjertson AdvocateJudge,DaneCountyTimeBankYouthCourt

ShaneSalter ExecutiveDirector,CASADC,Author,FosterParent,FosterCareSurvivor

ANewTheorytoEnforceCivilRights

CynthiaRobbins CoLeaderoftheRacialJusticeInitiative

PrototypeHearingonEffectiveRemedies

HearingOfficers: JoAnnWallace,ExecutiveDirector,NationalLegalAid&DefenderAssociation

LindseyDraper,DMCCoordinator,OfficeofJusticeAssistance,Wisconsin

ShirleyMarcusAllen,Partner,VenturePhilanthropyPartners

Panel#1: DataonInjury

ChrisBaird,ExecutiveVicePresident,NationalCouncilonCrimeandDelinquency;PerryMoriearty,ClinicalProfessor,

UniversityofMinnesotaLawSchool;andJamettaAlston,RhodeIslandChildAdvocate,OfficeoftheChildAdvocate

Panel#2: SystemsChangeAgents

BartLubow,DirectorofPrograms,AnnieE.CaseyFoundation;JamesBell,FounderandExecutiveDirector,W.Haywood

BurnsInstitute;andVincentSchiraldi,Director,DCDepartmentofYouthRehabilitativeServices

Panel#3: AlternativesthatWork

DanaNewman,YouthAdvocateProgramsInc.;CathyCiano,ParentSupportNetwork,RhodeIsland;andMattFraidin,

Professor,UDCDavidA.ClarkeSchoolofLaw

Panel#4: AlternativesthatWork

RonLospennato,Director,SouthernPovertyLawCenter; ToussaintTinglingClemmons,JuryTrainingCoordinator,Time

Dollar Youth Court; and Joseph Tulman UDC David A Clarke School of Law


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OverviewofTBUSAs

RacialJustice

Initiative

In2008 Ed ar Cahn secureda lannin rantfromthe

WKKellogg

Foundation

and

began

alandmark

effort

to

addressstructuralracism,andrecruitedCynthia(Robbins)

oco ea ee or .

TBUSAsRacial

Justice

Initiative

combines

atargeted

legal

t eoryw t me an ng scorepr nc p estoa ress

disproportionalityinjuvenilejustice,childwelfareand

s ecialeducation.

Thisteleconference,likethelawreviewarticle,AnOffer

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Backgroundofthe

ega

an

ystems

ange

trategy OnJune30,2009,UniversityoftheDistrictofColumbia(UDC)LawReview

releasedaprepublicationversionofAnOfferTheyCantRefuse:RacialDisparityinJuvenileJusticeandDeliberateIndifferenceMeetAlternativesThatWork,byEdgarCahnandCynthiaRobbins(AnOfferortheArticle).

TheIntentDoctrinesetforthinWashingtonvDavis (1976)createdasignificantburdenforplaintiffsseekingrelieffromgovernmentdiscriminationbecauseitrequiresthemtoprovethatthegovernmentintendedtodiscriminate.

s ntent octr ne as n ere e ortsto smant estructura rac smandaddresswelldocumentedDisproportionateMinorityContactandConfinement(DMC)withintheJuvenileDelinquencySystem.

waytoovercomethe30yearoldchallengeofprovingthediscriminatoryintentofgovernmentofficialsincivilrightscases,whileenfranchisingyouth,familiesandcommunityadvocatestoholdofficialsaccountable.

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ThebasisoftheArticlesnewtheoryisauniqueapplicationintheuven e us cean qua ro ec oncon ex o e e era e

Indifferencestandard

from

CityofCantonvHarris (1989)

USC 1983onlywhereitspoliciescausetheConstitutionalviolation

indifferencetotherightsofitsinhabitantscansuchashortcomingbeproperlythoughtofasacitypolicyorcustomactionableunder42USC 1983(inthiscase,itwasafailureto

ra n

semp oyees

Municipalliabilityunder42USC 1983attachesif,andonlyif,citypolicymakersdeliberatelychooseapracticeorpolicyfromamongvar ousa ternat ves

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Textof42USC 1983(Codificationof

theCivil

Rights

Act

Everypersonwho,undercolorofanystatute,ordinance,regu a on,cus om,orusage,o any a eor err oryor e s r c

ofColumbia,

subjects,

or

causes

to

be

subjected,

any

citizen

of

the

UnitedStatesorotherpersonwithinthejurisdictionthereoftothede rivationofan ri hts rivile es orimmunitiessecuredb theConstitutionandlaws,shallbeliabletothepartyinjuredinanactionatlaw,suitinequity,orotherproperproceedingforredress,

exceptthat

in

any

action

brought

against

ajudicial

officer

for

an

act

,shallnotbegrantedunlessadeclaratorydecreewasviolatedordeclaratoryreliefwasunavailable

Forthe

purposes

of

this

section,

any

Act

of

Congress

applicable

exclusivelytotheDistrictofColumbiashallbeconsideredtobeastatuteoftheDistrictofColumbia

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AfailurebypolicymakerstouseknowledgeabouteffectivealternativestoincarcerationthatreduceDMCgivesrisetoliability

under

42

USC

1983

Toprovedeliberateindifferenceforpurposesofaclaimunder42USC 1983,aplaintiffmustdemonstrate:

n ury oar g pro ec e y e ons u onor e era aw

Thattheinjurywasrelativelycertaintooccur

That the overnments course of action was one selected from amon

variousalternatives

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APathtoProvingDeliberate

Indifference

Onceofficials

receive

formal

notice

of

the

racially

disparate

injurycausedbytheirpresentpracticeandnotice,aswell,,

governmentscontinuationofthestatusquoconstitutes

deliberateindifference

and

proves

intent

for

42

USC

.

Inthe uvenile usticecontext continuin toincarcerate

youthof

color

at

disproportionate

rates

instead

of

using

moreeffective,lessexpensivealternativesconstitutes

.

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APathtoProvingDeliberate

Indifference

Toestablishdeliberateindifferenceinthe uvenile ustice

context,

An

Offer

They

Cant

Refuse

proposes

a

Public

Hearingprocesstoputofficialsonformalnoticethat:

Constitution;

The

racial

disparity

remains

even

when

accounting

for

all

race

neutral

Injuriesflowfromthisdisparity,specificallyfromthe

disproportionatelyhighdetentionandincarcerationratesforyouthof

, , ,

subjectedtoharshertreatment;

Highlyeffective,evidencebased,replicable,andlesscostly

.

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Achievin

S stemsChan e

Afterreceivingnotice,ifofficialsoptnottousemoreeffectiveandessexpens vea erna ves o ncarcera onan con nue es a us

quoof

disproportionate

incarceration,

then

they

would

be

liable

under42USC 1983

c a sw oma nta nt estatusquow epo t ca yvu nera e

Litigationiscostlyandtimeconsuming;itisalastresort

,willfeelcompelledtoadoptalternatives

TheRacialJusticeInitiativestrategywillgiveofficialsthepolitical

foryouth;

the

Initiative

will

insulate

officials

against

tough

on

crimeopponents

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Comments

e nv es a emen so suppor or e n a ve s ega an sys ems

changestrategy. Please

send

an

email

with

any

support

statement

or

indicatingawillingnesstobecalledtodevelopabriefstatement

.

Wealsoinvitecommentsonthelawreviewarticle,AnOfferTheyCant

Refuseuntil

July

30,

2009

via [email protected]

Actions

Wouldyouoryourorganizationbeinterestedinhelpingtoorganizea

publichearingtoaddressdisproportionality? Doyouknowlegislators,

judgesand/or

administrators

who

might

be

willing

to

convene

ahearing

to

putofficialsonnotice?

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Documents

Racial Justice Initiative Teleconference Presentation