Rep. Scott to Host Policy Briefing About Over Incarceration and its Negative Impact on Youth

WASHINGTON, DC – On Monday, May 23, 2011 from 3 to 5 p.m. in 2226 Rayburn House Office Building, Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-Virginia) will host a policy briefing inspired by the recent NAACP report, "Misplaced Priorities: Over Incarcerate, Under Educate." The report explains that the over incarceration of non-violent offenders is a counterproductive approach to crime policy that erodes state budgets at the expense of state public education systems. As a result, the over incarceration of non-violent offenders undermines the promise of our youth.

The briefing, titled "The High Price of Misplaced Priorities: How Over Incarceration and Under Education Undermine the PROMISE of Our Youth," will feature a five-member panel of leading education, justice, and civil rights advocates:

• Steven C. Teske, Judge, Juvenile Court of Clayton County (Ga.)
  Teske will discuss the community-driven process he spearheaded in Clayton County (Ga.) to reform the local juvenile justice system.

• Hilary O. Shelton, Director and Senior Vice President for Advocacy, NAACP Washington Bureau
  Shelton will broadly discuss the findings of the NAACP's recent report "Misplaced Priorities: Over Incarcerate, Under Educate."

• Matt Cregor, Assistant Counsel of the Education Practice, NAACP Legal Defense Fund
  Cregor will discuss the NAACP Legal Defense Fund's efforts through the Dignity in Schools Campaign to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline by pushing for alternative discipline methods to be used in public schools.

• Eric Cadora, Director, Justice Mapping Center
  Cadora will present the Center's "Justice Atlas of Sentencing and Corrections," and interactive mapping tool that shows the concentrated pockets of criminal justice activity in 22 states.

• Michael D. Shields, Director of the Office of School Safety and Security, Chicago Public Schools
  Shields will discuss the Chicago Public School's efforts to reduce violence that occurs within and beyond school grounds.

"There needs to be a paradigm shift in the way America deals with at-risk youth," said Congressman Scott. "The over incarceration of youth for non-violent, drug- related offenses is counterproductive. Those that are incarcerated will eventually be replaced by newcomers, leaving communities no less vulnerable to crime. I hope this briefing will illustrate how alternative strategies to incarceration, such as educational supports and community-based prevention and intervention programs, can be used to move youth from the cradle-to-prison pipeline to the cradle-to-college or cradle-to-workforce pipeline."

For more information, please contact Kamara Jones at (202) 225-8351 or by email at kamara.jones@mail.house.gov.

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