When COVID-19 recedes, it will leave behind an unprecedented economic crisis. Businesses have shuttered. Unemployment rates are expected to reach 20%. And, shrinking revenues and stimulus spending will leave federal, state and local governments with long-lasting debt. These legacies of the pandemic will remain for some time and will force us to reflect on very pressing policy questions, including the best uses of our public funds, how to address the needs of our businesses and support a healthy workforce.
These questions can’t be answered and a robust economic recovery will not exist without addressing the inequities and inefficiencies of our criminal justice system. COVID-19 has mercilessly exposed a multitude of problems in how and who we incarcerate, and ways in which we support reentry to our communities – we criminalize poverty through excessive fines and fees; we hand down overly harsh sentences, leading to an overabundance of elderly inmates in overcrowded and unsanitary prisons; and provide very little services and resources to those attempting to transition back home.
Speakers will address their perspective on the role that businesses can play in shaping how our communities, and in return, economies respond to this crisis. They will discuss the need for companies to fight for fair and equal justice systems, reduce barriers to employment, as well as the practical steps they can take to drive change in their communities and beyond.
Speakers:
Celia Ouellette, Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (moderator)
Genevieve Martin, Dave's Killer Bread Foundation
Laura Bisesto, Checkr
Sam Lewis, Anti-Recidivism Coalition
