You can check out the schedule Here!

​

Pre-Conference Session

​

​The Human Side of Justice: Building Self-Awareness, Connection & Impact in Leadership

Featuring Steven Shook, Ph.D.

​

Community justice work is deeply human work and humans are complicated.

Every interaction is shaped by personality, values, mindset, emotional intelligence,

and lived experience. In high-pressure environments, misunderstanding these dynamics can

lead to conflict, burnout, communication breakdowns, and missed opportunities for connection

and growth.

​

This highly interactive pre-conference experience helps participants better understand themselves and the people they serve through engaging activities, reflection, discussion, and practical application. Attendees will explore how personality influences communication, how values shape decision-making, how mindset impacts resilience and adaptability, and how emotional intelligence strengthens relationships and leadership.

​

Workshops

We have confirmed our workshops for this year's conference and are incredibly excited to bring you emerging research, highlight the voices of individuals with lived-experience and hope to connect each of you with practitioners in the field. You can check out the workshop schedule Here!

​

Plenaries

We are incredibly excited to announce this year's plenary speakers. 

​​​

Maji Hailemariam Debena, Ph.D.

Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) face disproportionate involvement in the                                                              criminal legal system and encounter significant barriers to care upon reentry. Peer                                                                  navigation - support delivered by individuals with lived experience of both mental illness                                                            and incarceration - offers a promising, community-based approach to bridging this gap.                                                                  This presentation draws on the implementation of a peer navigation program within a jail                                                     reentry context to share practical insights on program development, peer navigator                                                                  training and support, cross-system collaboration, and the structural and relational factors                                                            that shape a successful peer navigation program. Attendees will leave with actionable                                                                      lessons for designing and sustaining peer-led interventions at the intersection of mental                                                         health and the criminal legal system.

​​

Ian Silver, Ph.D.

                                        Youth involved in the juvenile legal system experience negative non-criminogenic outcomes (i.e.,                                                    specific responsivity factors) that could make it difficult to establish a prosocial lifestyle after reentry.                                              Non-criminogenic outcomes include, but are not limited to, health (physical and mental),                                                                  socioeconomic status, homelessness, victimization, and childrearing. While a continued focus on                                                    recidivism and the Risk, Need, Responsivity model is necessary, a gap in research has made it difficult                                            for juvenile legal system agencies to develop strategies to achieve better non-criminogenic outcomes.                                          Improving these non-criminogenic outcomes amongst juvenile legal system involved youth could                                                  improve their lives and promote public safety, while further enhancing the effectiveness of                                                              rehabilitation efforts. The current talk will discuss research focused on the effects of legal system                                                    involvement before 18 on non-criminogenic outcomes. We will then use the research findings to                                                    inform strategies to help youth achieve better non-criminogenic outcomes in the community, with the goal of helping youth reestablish a prosocial lifestyle after juvenile legal system involvement.

​

​​​

Thomas Beridon, Dr. Chris D’Amato, Jennifer Gentry, Judge Alison Hatheway, Tiana Johnson, Sara Shields, Dr. Myrinda Smith, Dan Wunderlich,

Across the country, community supervision agencies are being challenged to do more with limited resources while improving outcomes for individuals and enhancing public safety. The Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Adult Probation Department responded to this challenge by fundamentally redesigning its supervision approach through the implementation of a risk-based supervision model rooted in evidence-based practices and data-driven decision making. Through a multidisciplinary panel of probation leaders, researchers, state justice partners, and implementation experts, attendees will hear the story behind Hamilton County's transformation, from the research and rationale that shaped the model to the practical realities of implementation, staff development, organizational change, and early indicators of impact. This session will offer valuable insights for both practitioners and researchers seeking to better understand how data, evidence, and cross-sector collaboration can be leveraged to improve outcomes, enhance public safety, and drive meaningful innovation in community supervision.

​

Join us for a Lunch & Learn on Tuesday, September 1st! 

Join us for a screening of Returning Home: Prison, Homelessness, or Housing? The Choice That Changes Everything, followed by a panel discussion about the program.

​

Too often, people leave prison with nothing - no job, no ID, no support. It’s a setup for failure that leads many right back to homelessness, arrest, and incarceration. But in Ohio, a groundbreaking approach is changing that narrative. Returning Home: The Choice That Changes Everything, offers a powerful look inside a reentry program where stable housing is the first step toward independence and a new beginning.

​

The Returning Home® model connects people exiting a state prison system with long-term housing and voluntary support services. The model is highly effective in Ohio at dramatically reducing recidivism and helping people transition back into their communities. Returning Home® Ohio is a collaboration between CSH and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC). ODRC supports the coordination required for persons transitioning out of incarceration including covering costs associated with administering the program.

​

Launched in 2007, Returning Home® Ohio has helped more than 1,100 individuals avoid reoffending, demonstrating the power of stable housing and services.