UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH Office of the Chancellor Institute& of Politics retreatelected officials The Social and Political Economy of Poverty and Mass Incarceration in America: Causes and Consequences September 10 and 11, 2015 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR and INSTITUTE OF POLITICS welcome you to the NINETEENTH ANNUAL ELECTED OFFICIALS RETREAT The Social and Political Economy of Poverty and Mass I ncarceration in America—Do Costs and Consequences Provide Cause for Change? September 10-11, 2015 Sheraton Hotel Pittsburgh at Station Square If you have questions about the materials or any aspect of the program, please inquire at the registration desk. 1 Table of Contents About the Institute 3 Director’s Note 4 Program Agenda 6 Biographies 10 Program Criteria and Strategies 24 Board of Fellows List 27 Policy Committee Lists 30 For Further Reading 44 Evaluation Instructions 50 2 About the Institute MISSION The Institute of Politics delivers timely information about the great issues affecting our region to elected officials and community leaders—and the public whom they serve—and provides a neutral forum where that knowledge and associated diverse viewpoints are discussed, digested, enriched, and applied to the goal of promoting an improved quality of life, government efficiency, and economic vitality in Western Pennsylvania. VISION The Institute of Politics will be recognized as the region’s most effective partner in the development of enlightened public policy that promotes the vitality of Western Pennsylvania to the benefit of individuals, institutions, and businesses. ELECTED OFFICIALS RETREAT STATEMENT OF PURPOSE The March 7, 1997 Institute of Politics Board of Fellows meeting produced a request that the University of Pittsburgh host a retreat for public officials from different levels of government in Western Pennsylvania. Its principal purpose is to provide an informal forum for the discussion of strategies to address regional issues. The meeting also aims to enhance professional relationships among the participants. PURPOSE OF BRIEFING BOOK This book provides program materials retreat participants will find useful. Within the briefing sections of this book, we have provided information on the Institute of Politics, its board members, and its committees; an agenda for the retreat; and useful information about the speakers who will be presenting and the organizations they represent. 3 Director’s Note Welcome to the 19th Annual Elected Officials Retreat! We are delighted that you are joining us for two days of thought-provoking presentations and discussions on two topics of critical importance to our region. For more than 20 years, the Institute has been a trusted partner in the development of public policy solutions to address some of southwestern Pennsylvania’s thorniest problems. We have tackled municipal pensions, regionalization, and shale gas development, to name a few. And Morton Coleman and Elsie Hillman, the namesakes of the Institute’s two awards honoring the community and public service of the region’s leaders, have always encouraged the exploration of challenging issues, issues that normally divide people and cause discord. Moe and Elsie have a history of bringing people together around difficult issues, and we strive to emulate their efforts. The topics for this year’s retreat were chosen with that legacy in mind: poverty and criminal justice system reform. As daunting as these issues may seem, we know we are in good company. Our efforts follow on the heels of the work of Majority Leader Dave Reed, who several years ago began under the auspices of the House Majority Policy Committee to look at barriers to exiting poverty for people across Pennsylvania. The committee’s subsequent report, Beyond Poverty, has inspired a number of legislative and regulatory changes to make state programs work better for those they are designed to assist. In addition, at this year’s retreat the Institute will be offering a first look at Municipal Poverty: Beyond the Urban Core, a policy brief under development by a subcommittee led by Democratic Caucus Chairman Dan Frankel and Majority Leader Dave Reed. This subcommittee has just begun to meet, and the product of Thursday’s discussions and sessions will be used to inform its work. On Friday, the Institute will be addressing the topic of criminal justice system reform with a welcome and introduction of the topic from the Institute’s new chair, University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Emeritus Mark Nordenberg. The Institute is certainly not the first organization in Allegheny County to examine this subject closely, but, as Fred Thieman and other community leaders have noted eloquently in recent years, greater attention needs to be paid, as jail and prison populations continue to rise and the financial and social costs of incarceration continue to escalate. 4 We are grateful that you will join us in examining these difficult topics over the course of the next two days. We believe that, through your participation, we will help elected officials and other community leaders build relationships and craft solutions to just a few of the many challenges they face each day. Sincerely, Terry Miller 5 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR and INSTITUTE OF POLITICS present the NINETEENTH ANNUAL ELECTED OFFICIALS RETREAT The Social and Political Economy of Poverty and Mass Incarceration in America—Do Costs and Consequences Provide Cause for Change? September 10-11, 2015 Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel at Station Square Thursday, September 10, 2015 12:15-1:15 pm General Registration Grand Station I (Ballroom) 1:15-1:20 Welcome and Introduction by Terry Miller, Director, University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics and Elsie Hillman Civic Forum 1:20-1:45 Presentation of Coleman Award by Mark Nordenberg, Chancellor Emeritus, Distinguished Service Professor of Law, and Chair, Institute of Politics, University of Pittsburgh 1:45-2:00 Introductions and Retreat Overview by Terry Miller 2:00-2:30 Experiencing Poverty—National Trends by Alexandra Murphy, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Michigan 2:30-3:05 Open Discussion moderated by Walter Smith, Deputy Director, Office of Children, Youth, and Families, Allegheny County Department of Human Services 3:05-3:20 Break 3:20-3:25 Speaker Introductions by Mark Nordenberg 6 3:25-3:40 Beyond Poverty Overview by Dave Reed, Majority Leader, PA House of Representatives 3:40-4:50 Perspectives on Moving Forward Panel Discussion moderated by Maxwell King, President, The Pittsburgh Foundation • Community Voice Panel - video • Esther Bush, President and CEO, Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh • Marc Cherna, Director, Allegheny County Department of Human Services • Karen Dreyer, Director, Southwestern PA Food Security Partnership • Dan Frankel, Democratic Caucus Chair, PA House of Representatives • Dave Reed, Majority Leader, PA House of Representatives 4:50-4:55 Introduction of Chancellor Pat Gallagher by Mark Nordenberg 4:55-5:10 University Welcome by Pat Gallagher, Chancellor, University of Pittsburgh 5:10-5:45 Reception Reflections Room 5:45-6:30 Dinner 6:30-6:35 Speaker Introductions by Terry Miller 6:35-6:45 Introduction of Poverty in Rural, Suburban, and Urban America by Dan Frankel 6:45-7:15 Geography and Inequality Discussion moderated by Walter Smith featuring Alexandra Murphy 7:15-8:00 Roundtable Discussions 8:00-8:15 Closing Remarks by Morton Coleman, Director Emeritus, University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics 7 Friday, September 11, 2015 8:00-8:30 am Breakfast Grand Station I (Ballroom) 8:30-8:45 Mass Incarceration in America: National Momentum for Change by Mark Nordenberg 8:45-9:05 A Closer Look: Jail Population in Allegheny County— Preserving Public Safety, Enhancing Fairness and Controlling Costs by Fred Thieman, former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania and President, The Buhl Foundation 9:05-10:20 Discussion of Jailing Policies and Practices moderated by David Harris, Distinguished Faculty Scholar and Professor of Law, University of Pittsburgh School of Law • Cameron McLay, Chief, City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police • Thomas McCaffrey, Administrator, Criminal Division, Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas • Stephen A. Zappala, Jr., District Attorney, Allegheny County • Elliot Howsie, Chief Public Defender, Allegheny County • Philip A. Ignelzi, Judge, Criminal Division, Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas • LaToya Warren, Deputy Warden, Allegheny County Jail 10:20-10:30 Comments by Rich Fitzgerald, County Executive, Allegheny County 10:30-10:45 Break 10:45–11:20 Working Sessions Grand Station I, Brighton II, Brighton III, Brighton IV Facilitators: • Janice Dean, Director, Pretrial Services, Fifth Judicial District of Pennsylvania • Eric Holmes, Commander, City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police • Shanicka Kennedy, Deputy Director, Allegheny County Office of the Public Defender • Larry Scirotto, Commander, City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police • Rebecca Spangler, First Assistant/Chief of Staff, Office of the District Attorney of Allegheny County 8 • Angharad Stock, Deputy Administrator-Special Courts, Fifth Judicial District of Pennsylvania • LaToya Warren 11:20–11:50 Working Session Review by Marc Cherna, Director, Allegheny County Department of Human Services Grand Station I 11:50-12:00 Closing Remarks by Mark Nordenberg 12:00-12:45 Lunch Fountainview Room 9 SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES ESTHER L. BUSH As the President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, Esther L. Bush has established herself as a voice of reason, a coalition builder and a force for positive change in the Greater Pittsburgh community and throughout the United States. Under her leadership, the Pittsburgh Urban League recently ranked as one of the nation’s top performing affiliates– for the second time in succession; a feat accomplished by only two affiliates. In February 2013, Esther was one of ten Americans recognized at the White House as a Champion of Change in the Educational Excellence for A frican Americans program. Ms. Bush is nationally recognized as a strong and very vocal advocate for economic and social equality initiatives that benefit African Americans and thereby the whole community.