Mental Health, Excessive Sentencing, & the Death Penalty: Virtual Conference Series 2022
This free conference – hosted by The Equitas Project and 8th Amendment Project – will offer 60-minute panels each day for five days to explore the intersection of mental health, excessive sentencing, and the death penalty.
Panelists will cover topics such as legislative reform; the importance of mitigation investigation and story-telling through the various phases of a case; the role of mental health in resentencing efforts and challenging conditions of confinement; the impact of trauma and adverse childhood experiences; the impact of racism on mental health, access to services and care, and criminal sentencing; and a 360 degree look at how these issues affect the mental health of everyone involved—including individuals facing excessive sentencing, as well as jurors, corrections officers, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, mental health providers, advocates for social change, and political actors.
◊ Monday | April 25 | 3:00pm – 4:00pmET ◊
- How Racism Impacts Mental Health, Access to Services and Care, and Criminal Sentencing
- Dr. Sarah Vinson, Author of Social (In)Justice and Mental Health
- Danielle Sered, Common Justice
- Dr. Apryl Alexander, University of Denver, Graduate School of Professional Psychology, Denver FIRST, Outpatient Competency Restoration Program, Denver FIRST Juvenile Justice Project
- Henderson Hill, ACLU Capital Punishment Project
EVENT RECORDING:
◊ Monday | April 25 | 4:00pm – 5:00pmET ◊
- Lessons Learned: Legislative Efforts to Protect Individuals with Mental Illness from Excessive Sentencing
- Courtney Atnip, Capitol & 5th Public Strategies
- Ingrid Delgado, USCCB
- Tialisha Lumpkin, Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
- Lauren Snyder, Mental Health Colorado
EVENT RECORDING:
◊ Tuesday | April 26 | 4:00pm – 5:00pmET ◊
- How Mental Health Information Can Be Used in Resentencing and in Challenging Conditions of Confinement
- Dr. Terry Kupers, Forensic Psychiatrist
- Nicole Porter, The Sentencing Project
- Hillary Blout, For the People
- Jamila Hodge, EJUSA
EVENT RECORDING:
◊ Wednesday | April 27 | 4:00pm – 5:00pmET ◊
- The Importance of Story-Telling and Humanizing Clients with Mental Illness in Three Stages: Pre-Trial, Sentencing, and Post-Trial (Clemency and Parole)
- Kristen Nelson, The Powell Project
- Traci Salami, Georgia Resource Center
- Elizabeth Vartkessian, Advancing Real Change, Inc.
- Anthony Ginez, Community Resource Initiative
EVENT RECORDING:
◊ Thursday | April 28 | 4:00pm – 5:00pmET ◊
- Film Screening and Discussion: Too Ill to Execute
- Patricia Earnhardt, Filmmaker and Surviving Family Member of Murder Victims
- Sarah McGee, Tennessee Alliance for the Severe Mental Illness Exclusion
EVENT RECORDING:
◊ Friday | April 29 | 4:00pm – 5:00pmET ◊
- How Trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and Mental Illness Impact the Brain and Behavior
- Dr. Patti van Eys, Licensed clinical psychologist, Expert on trauma-informed care, ACEs
- Dr. Kim Gorgens, Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of Denver
- Judge Sheila Calloway, Davidson County, TN, Juvenile Court Judge
EVENT RECORDING:
