CONTACT: Gene Riccio, P.I.O. (401)-243-6161 Tracey Z. Poole-Chief of Information R.I. Dept. of Corrections (401)-462-2609
Providence- On Friday, June 8, law enforcement and legal scholars from across the continental United States will converge on the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University Law School for a one-day symposium, titled “Voting Rights and Reintegration: A Role for Law Enforcement.” Providence Police Colonel Dean M. Esserman and Rhode Island Department Director of Corrections A.T. Wall II have been invited to assist in formulating policy and strategy during the event.
Colonel Esserman and Director Wall are the only individuals from the New England selected to dissect and analyze topics and issues related to voting rights for ex-felons such as; Disenfranchisement and Restoration; The National Landscape; Leadership Within Law Enforcement Communities, and The Case for Post–Incarceration Restoration.
Among the 21 law enforcement and legal scholars selected to participate in this forum are: Peg Lautenschlager, former Wisconsin Attorney General and United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin; John Timoney, Chief of the Miami Police Department and retired commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department; Hubert Williams, President of the Police Foundation and founding president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), and Charles J. Hynes, fifth-term District Attorney of Kings County (Brooklyn) New York.
“I am proud to represent the city of Providence and its officers at such an important conference,” states Colonel Esserman. “These issues affect everyone in our community, and it is important for our region to have our voice included in the shaping of public policy at this level.”
"The Rhode Island Department of Corrections is committed to ensuring the success of our state’s offenders when they leave our custody,” notes Corrections Director A.T. Wall II. “As we focus more and more on issues related to prisoner re-entry, the topics address by this symposium can not be ignored. I look forward to a stimulating discussion about these important issues."