Law symposium at KU to highlight barriers to re-entry after incarceration

An upcoming symposium will focus on the barriers that people face when they’re trying to re-enter society after they’ve been imprisoned.

The program will examine current issues surrounding housing access, employment, fines and fees, and financial marginalization, according to a news release about the event.

The symposium will host academics, legal scholars, and re-entry court graduates who will share ideas about how to reform the current system and “discuss the most prominent barriers preventing a successful reentry for formerly incarcerated persons,” Lauren Lindell, symposium editor, said in the release.

“The United States continues to have one of the highest recidivism rates in the world,” according to the release. “How can formerly incarcerated people successfully reenter society when so many barriers have been put in place against them?”

The lineup of speakers includes the following, according to the release:

• Judge Stephen Bough, U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Missouri
• Mike Fonkert, Kansas Appleseed
• Lucius Couloute, Assistant Professor of Sociology & Criminal Justice, Suffolk University
• Emily Salisbury, Associate Professor, College of Social Work, University of Utah, Director, Utah Criminal Justice Center
• Chidi Umez-Rowley, Deputy Program Director, Counsel of State Governments Justice Center

The 2023 Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy Symposium, “Re-entry into Society: Examining the Barriers Formerly Incarcerated People Face for Successful Re-entry,” is set for Friday, Feb. 10. The event will open with a breakfast and social hour starting at 8:30 a.m., and the programming will run from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the KU School of Law in Green Hall.

The symposium is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Register at this link. See the full schedule and learn more at this link.

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