On November 4–6, 2015, the Charles Koch Institute hosted “Advancing Justice: An Agenda for Human Dignity &Public Safety” in New Orleans. During the breakout “Striking the Balance: Sentencing and Public Safety in America,” panelists examined the history of criminal sentencing laws in the United States and highlighted the need for reform. In particular, they acknowledged how a “tough on crime” approach was increasingly recognized as ineffective and discussed current successful reforms that could have a wider application. Learn more about our work and share your proposal for criminal justice and policing reform: http://cki.io/1H9h9QC Featuring: Julie Stewart, Families Against Mandatory Minimums Erik Luna, Arizona State University Stephen Walker, California Correctional Peace Officers Association Nkechi Taifa, Open Society Foundations Ewan Watt, Charles Koch Institute (Moderator)

Susan Rosenberg, a former political prisoner turned writer and teacher, and Nkechi Taifa, Senior Policy Analyst with the Open Society, discuss how movements for change and justice have developed over the last twenty-five years. What has women's leadership meant for the prison movement? How has mass incarceration continued the long history of racism in American life? "Black Panthers Revisited" (c) Stanley Nelson. Posted and reproduced here with permission of the copyright holder. This event took place at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art on March 22, 2015. Video courtesy Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation. www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/video/

For more information on the 2015 Data & Civil Rights Conference, visit http://www.datacivilrights.org/2015

Reflection on the past 50 Years of the Criminal "Punishment" System: Is it Justice or Just Us? For full symposium, visit: http://ibw21.org/videos/ibw-symposium-111813/?doing_wp_cron=1399730509.8223099708557128906250

The United States incarcerates more than 2 million people, imprisoning more people than any other country in the world. This unprecedented prison population can be attributed to federal and state policies implemented over the past few decades, including mandatory minimums, three strikes, and life without parole. Our culture of incarceration is reflected in a variety of contexts, from the War on Drugs to the School to Prison Pipeline, where criminalization has prevailed over other approaches to social problems. Mass incarceration has had a disproportionate impact on people and communities of color, with African-Americans and Latinos constituting approximately 60% of the prison population. What are the consequences of mass incarceration for our society? What policies and practices are driving these high levels of imprisonment? Are there constitutional tools at our disposal, like the pardon power and the Eighth Amendment, which can assist in ending the era of mass incarceration? Judge Mark W. Bennett, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa Mark Osler, Professor of Law, University of St. Thomas School of Law Matt Pillischer, Producer and Director, Broken On All Sides Kemba Smith Pradia, Author, Poster Child: The Kemba Smith Story; Founder, Kemba Smith Foundation Nkechi Taifa, Senior Policy Analyst, Open Society Foundations and Open Society Policy Center (moderator) James E. Williams, Jr., Public Defender, Orange and Chatham Counties, North Carolina

Nkechi Taifa, senior policy analyst for the Open Society Foundations & the Open Society Policy Center, and the convener of the Justice Roundtable, talks to ACSblog about the modern era of mass incarceration.

On Friday, June 17, 2011, the American Constitution Society featured a panel discussion on the collateral consequences of criminal convictions, featuring: Judge Lynn S. Adelman, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Cynthia Jones, Professor of Law, American University, Washington College of Law U.S. Representative Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, U.S. House of Representatives Nkechi Taifa, Senior Policy Analyst for Criminal Civil, and Racial Justice Reform, Open Society Policy Center Yolanda V?zquez, Clinical Supervisor and Lecturer, University of Pennsylvania Law School Melvyn I. Weiss, Founder, MIW Mediating Consulting LLC