Supporting Successful Reentry Conference
Date: Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Time: 8 am-4:30 pm
Location: UC Riverside HUB
The inaugural Supporting Successful Reentry Conference is a collaboration between California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, University of California, Riverside, Riverside City College and California State University, San Bernardino. The objectives of the conference are to bring awareness to the complex barriers that carceral-impacted and system-impacted individuals face upon reentry within the Inland Empire region, the educational opportunities that are available to them, and the resources that are designed to support their success and development. Additionally, the conference will serve as a means to build partnerships among law enforcement, rehabilitative agencies, institutions of higher education, and community-based organizations that will lead to strengthening network capacity, streamlining services, and promoting higher education. The ultimate goal is to reduce recidivism in the Inland Empire and create a culture of care for those impacted by the justice system.
This one-day conference will feature leaders across the various systems of higher education, law enforcement and corrections, community-based organizations, and those with carceral experiences themselves. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to engage with leaders in the field, learn about data specific to the Inland Empire, as well as partake in conversations centered around reducing barriers for carceral-impacted and system-impacted individuals.
Featuring
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Annika Anderson
Dr. Annika Yvette Anderson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology
who teaches classes on deviant behavior, criminology, reentry, and race and ethnic
relations. She received her B.A. in Public Relations from Pennsylvania State University
and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Washington State University. Since 2016,
Dr. Anderson has served as the Executive Director of Project Rebound. Project Rebound
is a campus-based reentry program that supports the higher education and successful
reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals wishing to enroll and succeed at
California State University, San Bernardino. Her research interests are developmental
and life-course criminology, reentry, social stratification, and race and ethnic relations.
She has presented her research at numerous conferences and has several publications
on crime and reentry based on research conducted in San Bernardino.
Address from the UC Riverside Robert Presley Center of Crime and Justice Studies
The Center of Crime & Justice Studies is an interdisciplinary academic center housed
within the UCR School of Public Policy dedicated to conducting rigorous empirical
research on criminal justice issues in California and beyond. This includes applied
and theoretical studies that help inform evidence-based practice by providing an objective
basis for policy and program improvements. The Center aims to bridge the divide between
scholarship and practice by connecting its research with state- and regional-criminal
justice practitioners, community-based organizations, and policymakers through contracted
work, public events, stakeholder convenings, and sustained community engagement.
CONFERENCE AGENDA:
Conference Registration and Breakfast – 8 - 9 am – HUB 302
Welcome – 9 am – HUB 302
Mariam Lam, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor and Chief Diversity Officer
University of California, Riverside
General Session – 9:10 - 9:50am – HUB 302
Sharon Oselin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Director of the Presley Center of Crime and Justice Studies
University of California, Riverside
General Session – 10 - 10:50am
Building Relationships - Best Practices for Serving Recently Released Students – HUB
367
Breakout Sessions – 11 - 11:50am
The Informal Post-Release Barriers for Formerly Incarcerated Students – HUB 355
Housing Needs of Formerly Incarcerated Students – HUB 367
Lunch and Carceral-impacted Student Perspectives – 11:50 am - 1:20 pm – HUB 302
Breakout Sessions – 1:30 - 2:20 pm
Creating Systems of Support for Youth Reentry – HUB 355
Importance of College Student Engagement – HUB 367
General Session – 2:30 - 3:30 pm – HUB 302
Keynote Address
Annika Anderson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Executive Director of Project Rebound
California State University, San Bernardino
Closing and Post-survey – 3:30-3:40 pm
Resource Fair – 3:40pm - 4:30pm – HUB 302
BREAKOUT SESSION DESCRIPTIONS
Breakout Sessions – 11 - 11:50 am
The Informal Post-Release Barriers for Formerly Incarcerated Students – HUB 355
In this session, we will discuss the role of informal social barriers that can make
formerly incarcerated students feel unwelcome on their college and university campuses.
How can educators help create an inclusive environment that is responsive to the needs,
comforts, and development of formerly incarcerated students?
Housing Needs of Formerly Incarcerated Students – HUB 367
The Inland Empire and desert region presents unique housing challenges for those who
are formerly incarcerated. Starting Over, Inc. will share their insights, successes,
and challenges they have found while providing housing services to those who have
been recently released from jail or prison, are homeless, or are dealing with substance
abuse. Additionally, graduate student Creiselda Terpoorten will share her research
in and firsthand experiences with the limited housing options for those in the justice-impacted
community.
Breakout Sessions – 1:30 - 2:20 pm
Creating Systems of Support for Youth Reentry – HUB 355
This year California will initiate the final stages of youth realignment with the
closure of the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) also formerly known as California
Youth Authority (CYA). As a result, the Office of Youth & Community Restoration was
established in 2021 pursuant to SB 823, created within the Health & Human Services
Agency, which solidifies a shift in California’s approach to youth who commit law
violations from a correctional lens of punishment to a health based, developmentally
appropriate, dated driven lens of treatment. This breakout session will highlight
the mission, values, and goals of OYCR as they pertain to the educational health of
youth involved in the justice system in California. It will also highlight the promising
work being done locally through a partnership between Riverside City College and Riverside
County Probation Department’s Pathways to Success (SB 823) program.
Importance of College Student Engagement – HUB 367
Research has shown that college students who are actively engaged in their classes
and on-campus activities are more likely to be successful while in college and achieve
higher graduation rates than those who are not active. Additionally higher education
attainment reduces recidivism rates and connects students to potential careers that
match their interests and passions. Then why can it be so challenging for our carceral-
and system-impacted students to get involved at their colleges? Hear from a panel
of college students who are meeting those challenges head-on, taking control of their
futures, and finding success through student leadership.
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