Past Events

At the NACOLE annual conference, Michele and Alycia introduced the National Resource Center for Correctional Oversight website and reviewed the various components that can be of help to oversight practitioners, policymakers, and advocates. Attendees learned how to use this new resource in their work.

Michele and Alycia presented on "The Nightmare of Sleep in Prison at the 2023 International Corrections and Prisons Association in Antwerp, Belgium.

The Prison and Jail Innovation Lab hosted a symposium that will bring together the country’s leading experts on prison and jail conditions to reflect on some of the most critical and challenging issues in our field. We discussed what can be done to address the seemingly intractable horrific conditions in certain correctional systems, and debated whether meaningful reform of America’s prisons and jails is truly possible. 

At the National Association for the Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) annual conference, Alycia facilitated a panel, “A Gender-Responsive Approach to Corrections During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” that examined the distinct challenges faced by women in custody during the COVID-19 pandemic and identified ways to mitigate the harm women experienced during the pandemic. The panel explored the possible steps policymakers and corrections officials could take to strengthen public health and improve safety for women in custody, their families, and communities. In “A Conversation with New Jersey’s New Corrections Ombudsman” at NACOLE 2022, Michele spoke with Terry Scheuster, the newly-appointed Corrections Ombudsman in New Jersey, about lessons he has learned about launching a new oversight body.

Join us for “’We Are Not Slaves’: A book talk and panel discussion” on November 3, 2022 at 5:00pm-6:30pm at UT’s School of Law, Sheffield-Massey Room (TNH 2.111).

Michele Deitch and Alycia Welch, authors of the report “The Pandemic Gender Gap Behind Bars: Meeting the Needs of Women in Custody During COVID-19 and Planning for the Future,” will examine the distinct challenges faced by women in custody during the COVID-19 pandemic and strategies to address those needs. This panel was held at the International Corrections and Prisons Association's Annual Conference.

PJIL hosted an evening of conversation with author and journalist Keri Blakinger, as she discussed her new acclaimed memoir, Corrections in Ink, with PJIL Director Michele Deitch.

Alycia joined a roundtable discussion hosted by U.S. Representative Karen Bass (D-CA) and U.S. Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) to share her expertise on women in the criminal justice system and ways to reduce the harm women experience in correctional facilities.

Social Justice Research Forum, Office of the Vice President for Research, University of Texas at Austin. Alycia Welch and Michele Deitch highlight findings in their forthcoming report, “Pandemic Gender Gap Behind Bars: Meeting the Needs of Women in Custody During COVID-19 and Planning for the Future.”

In this episode of the LBJ School's new podcast series "Eye on the Lege: Inside the 87th Texas Legislature," PJIL Directors Michele Deitch and Alycia Welch discuss the bills surrounding criminal justice policy and policing this session, including Second Look, Raise the Age, parole reform, independent oversight for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the George Floyd Act and bail reform. They also look at what legislators aren't addressing as the session nears its close.