Our Moderators
Our Presenters
Alyssa Aguilerais the Co-Executive Director at VOCAL-NY, a grassroots community organizing group that builds power among low-income people impacted by HIV/AIDS, the drug war, and mass incarceration. Alyssa oversees the organization’s advocacy, development, and communications work. She also leads campaigns to reform discriminatory policing practices, create alternatives to the drug war, and address the collateral consequences of mass incarceration.
Natasha Lycia Ora Bannanis Associate Counsel at LatinoJustice PRLDEF, focusing on working with low-wage Latina immigrant workers, gendered and racialized discrimination and the domestic implementation of human rights. She is also President of the National Lawyers Guild.
Luis Barriosis Professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and member of the Ph.D. faculty in social/personality psychology at the Graduate Center, CUNY. A community organizer and activist priest and educator, Dr. Barrios is a former prisoner of conscience from the School of the America Watch movement.
Joanna Cifredois the Racial & Economic Justice Policy Analyst for the National Center for Transgender Equality. In this role Joanna focuses her work on issues impacting communities of color, immigrants, and lower income transgender people. In addition, Joanna serves as an Advisor to D.C.’s Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs.
Isabel Martínezis Assistant Professor in the Latin American and Latina/o Studies Department and the Director of the Unaccompanied Latin American Minor Project at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Dr. Martínez’s research has focused on post-NAFTA labor migration of Mexican teenagers. She received her Ph.D. in Sociology and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Ramiro Martínezis Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Northeastern University. He received the American Sociological Association Latin@ section Founder’s Award (2015) for his contributions to the section, scholarly work, research, mentoring, and path-setting achievements.
Julio MedinaDriven by faith and mission, Julio Medina founded Exodus Transitional Community in 1999 to serve the needs of persons affected by the criminal justice system. Mr. Medina holds a B.A. from SUNY Albany, a M.A. from N.Y. Theological Seminary and is a Doctoral candidate at N.Y. Theological Seminary.
Samuel Morisonis a nationally recognized expert on federal execu- tive clemency and the restoration of civil rights. From 1997 to 2010, he was a staff attorney in the Office of the Pardon Attorney, where he was responsible for review- ing applications for all forms of executive clemency and advising the President about their disposition. He now maintains a private practice representing clemency applicants.
David Manuel Hernándezis Assistant Professor of Latina/o Studies at Mount Holyoke College. His research focuses on the U.S. mi- grant detention regime. He is completing a book manuscript on this institution titled “Undue Process: Immi- grant Detention and Lesser Citizenship.” He is co-editor of Critical Ethnic Studies: A Reader (Duke University Press 2016).
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Jason Hernándezwas sentenced to life without parole plus 280 years for a non-violent drug crime in 1998. While incarcerated Jason started a grass-roots sentencing reform organization called Crack Open The Door. In 2013, Jason became one of the first individuals to have his sentence commuted by President Obama. Jason served nearly 18 years in prison and continues to advocate and assist those he left behind.
Manuel A. Huertais a filmmaker, educator, and community relations expert from East Los Angeles. He is a member of Film Independent (FIND) and a Community Advisory Board member of public television station KCETLink. A graduate of UCLA and Columbia University, Mr. Huerta is currently working on a documentary film project on Mexican identity in the Southwestern United States.
Ryan Kingis Senior Fellow, Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute, works on sentencing and corrections issues with a focus on mass incarceration. His objective is to produce high-quality empirical research on the impact of sentencing and corrections policies and work with policymakers, practitioners, and community advocates to identify strategies that assist in the pursuit of a fair, effective, and rational criminal justice system.
Louis Kontosis Assistant Professor of Sociology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He is editor of Encyclopedia of Gangs (with David C. Brotherton) and Gangs and Society: Alternative Perspectives (with David C. Brotherton and Luis Barrios).
Jessica Sandovalis Vice President & Deputy Director at the Campaign for Youth Justice, a national organization that is dedicated to ending the practice of prosecuting children under 18 in the adult criminal justice system. She is responsible for the development and implementation of organizational priorities, strategic planning and partnerships. Ms. Sandoval uses her organizing and advocacy expertise to support the organizations overall mission and campaign strategies.
Hector W. Sotois Assistant Professor for the City University of New York at Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College. Professor Soto has more than 35 years of experience as an educator, activist, attorney, advocate and organizer on issues of policing, police-community relations and police accountability, including directing civilian over- sight agencies in New York and Philadelphia.
Jan Suslerworks at the People’s Law Office in Chicago, Illinois and focuses on police misconduct civil rights litigation. Rep- resenting Puerto Rican political prisoners for over three decades, she served as lead counsel in the efforts culminating in the 1999 presidential commutation of their sentences. She continues to represent Oscar López Rivera, who has served more than 35 years for his commitment to the independence and self-determination of his nation.
Jeremy Travisis president of John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York. Prior to his appointment, he served as a Senior Fellow in the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center, where he launched a national research program focused on prisoner reentry into society.
Jasmine L. Tyleris the senior policy advisor for drug policy and global health in the Washington, D.C., office of the Open Society Foundations, where she works with Congress and the executive branch to shape domestic and inter- national policy. Tyler’s firsthand understanding of the harms of our criminal justice system began as a child visiting her father in prison.
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