Why You Should Attend

In the past three decades, incarceration rates have exploded in the U.S., such that today we incarcerate over two million people, more than any other country in the world. The result is that many more people encounter the criminal justice system at some point in their lives. Indeed, an estimated 1 in 3 adults in California has an arrest or conviction record, and low-income people and people of color are disproportionately affected.

A person with a prior record faces significant employment and housing barriers, even when the record is old or unrelated to the job or housing. These barriers impede community reintegration and prevent formerly incarcerated people from being able to support themselves and their families or participate equally as members of their communities. This training is designed to give lawyers a foundation in the collateral consequences that result from contact with the criminal justice system, as well as tools for representing clients in need of reentry legal services.

What You Will Learn

· Reentry and Financial Security - Criminal court debt and its impact

· Reentry & Housing - Sex offender registration and barriers to housing

· Reentry & Employment - Criminal records improperly reported by the DMV, private background check companies, and the Department of Justice

· Reentry & Funding - Strategies for funding reentry work

Who Should Attend

All attorneys interested in or currently assisting pro bono clients with reentry legal services through representation or in clinical settings, law firm pro bono coordinators, managers and partners, law clinic students and faculty, and public interest and non-profit organization attorneys and staff would benefit from attending this program.