Responding to the Challenges of Reentry: Guidance for Civil and Criminal Practitioners

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For many of our clients, release from incarceration is only the first step toward re-entry into the community. This program focuses on the problems that arise and what we, as legal service attorneys and public defenders, can do to ease that burden. This program address some of the issues that people face when they return from incarceration, including how to reduce criminal history, barriers to employment and how to tackle the problems related to legal financial obligations.
The morning session will be devoted to criminal history and how this acts as a direct barrier to re-entry. Daron Morris will start the program by discussing how to clear criminal history and the many steps that are necessary in the information age. Sharon Dietrich, an attorney with the Employment Law Project of Community Legal Services in Philadelphia, PA, will address employment barriers and what attorneys can do to help clients overcome these issues. The afternoon is devoted to the issue of Legal Financial Obligations. This portion of the program will start with Alexes Harris on the study she co-authored, “Assessment and Consequences of Legal Financial Obligations in Washington State.” Susan Gasch will address the direct impact that LFOs have on our clients, followed by Joel McAllister, who will speak about how the King County Clerk’s office deals with LFOs. The remainder of the program will be an interactive panel where we will discuss strategies for reducing LFOs.

5.75 CLE credits have been requested for this training.

Schedule
8:30am Registration Outside Room 138; coffee available
9:00am Welcome and Overview (Michele Storms and Travis Stearns)
9:15am Off the Record? Clearing Criminal History in the Information Age (Daron Morris)
10:15am Break
10:30am Criminal Records: Overcoming Barriers to Employment (Sharon Dietrich)
12:00pm Lunch
1:15pm Understanding Legal Financial Obligations (Alexes Harris)
2:15pm Right to a Fair Hearing: Spokane County’s Auto-Jail Policy (Susan Gasch)
2:45pm Break
3:00pm LFO Procedure in King County (Joel McAllister)
3:15pm Advocacy for Addressing Legal Financial Obligations (Beth Colgan, Lila Silverstein, Susan Gasch, Travis Stearns)
4:45pm Wrap up (Michele Storms and Travis Stearns)
5:00pm Adjourn

Sponsored by the Public Defender/Civil Legal Services Collaboration Committee

Columbia Legal Services -  Northwest Justice Project - TeamChild Advocacy for Youth
University of Washington School of Law - Washington Defender Association

Who May Attend
This training is offered at no charge to members of the Washington Defender Association, civil legal services attorneys, select pro bono attorneys and law students.

Location Information
University of Washington School of Law Room #138
4293 Memorial Way Seattle, WA 98195
The UW School of Law is located in William H. Gates Hall near the northwest corner of the University of Washington campus near the intersection of 15th Avenue NE and NE 43rd Street.
Click here for a map and directions