LEL Spring 2025 Convening

On June 13th, LEL hosted its annual Spring Convening at NYU Law, bringing together 25 members to reflect on LEL’s role in the evolving criminal justice policy landscape, discuss the current challenges to reform, and spotlight innovations led by our members.

The day began with opening remarks from Ruby Nidiry, Advisory Board Chair Ron Serpas, and John Kowal, the Brennan Center’s Vice President of Program Initiatives. In the first panel an ideologically diverse group of experts shared their insights on the federal landscape, prospects for justice reform, and how LEL members can help to advance their advocacy priorities. Moderated by, Brennan Center Senior Policy Strategist JC Hendrickson, the speakers included: Timothy Head, President and CEO of Unify.US; Jessica Jackson, CEO of Reform Alliance; and Saurabh Sanghvi, Chief Counsel for Immigration and Criminal Justice for U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE); and David Ryan, Senior Director of Criminal Justice Initiatives at the Health and Reentry Project (HARP).

Policy Associate Jessie Brenner then moderated a conversation with LEL members who shared reforms they have implemented to provide practical solutions to public safety problems, including:

• County Attorney John Choi of Ramsey County, Minnesota, on substantially improving clearance rates for non-fatal homicides and reducing carjackings and auto thefts through collaborative efforts with law enforcement and building trust with community members;
• Former Police Chief Lou Dekmar on working with a researcher to develop technology that has dramatically reduced child deaths in Georgia by coordinating rapid response and expediting the provision of wraparound services;
• Sheriff Elias Diggins of Denver, Colorado, on successfully implementing a pilot program to facilitate voting in jails that is now state law in Colorado, and remodeling in-person visitation to make the experience less traumatic for children and families; and
• Sheriff Peter Koutoujian of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, on creating specialized jail units to address the unique needs of veterans and older adults.

In the afternoon, Ruby Nidiry facilitated a conversation with Amy Solomon, former Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) at the Department of Justice and now Senior Fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice, that provided a deep dive on DOJ grants recently cut by the administration and the implications for public safety and law enforcement. The full CCJ report is included in our recommended reading section below.

Finally, the day concluded with a closed-door session for LEL members to debrief and brainstorm how to be involved in advocacy efforts and public education on topics like the importance of reentry services and the impact of Medicaid and other funding cuts on public safety, among others.