Great panel series to explore "The Role of the U.S. Sentencing Commission in Decarceration: First Step Act and Beyond"

I keep hoping and hoping that we will be getting nominations from Prez Biden to the US Sentencing Commission just about any day now. Excitingly, even while being kept waiting for long-overdue USSC nominations, I can now look forward to a weekly panel series dedicated to examining thoroughly and thoughtfully what new nominees should be doing.  Specifically, the Center for Justice and Human Dignity (CJHD) is presenting a series of panels on the "Role of the U.S. Sentencing Commission in Decarceration: First Step Act and Beyond," which will run Tuesdays at 12noon ET from May 3 through May 24.

CJHD is a nonprofit organization whose mission is explained here in terms of seeking "to reduce prison incarceration in the United States while improving conditions for those imprisoned and working inside.  We promote values of human dignity and shared safety while keeping in mind the needs of survivors, directly impacted people, and society at large. Alongside diverse partners, we collaborate with judges on alternative sentencing, correctional leaders on the conditions of confinement, and policymakers on early release strategies."

This events page provides this account of this panel series:

While the President considers the U.S. Sentencing Commission appointments, judges and judicial-focused organizations are examining how the agency might better address the myriad ways its guidelines impact mass incarceration.  The nation has an opportunity to reimagine how the Commission might use its authority to further decarceration efforts and address other system disparities through its guidelines and policy statements.

During this symposium, judges, scholars and practitioners will share their thoughts on these topics and reflect on how legislation like the First Step Act has expanded the use of compassionate release and other opportunities for decarceration.

Over the course of four weeks in May, this virtual symposium will offer weekly panels addressing how the U.S. Sentencing Commission can be supportive of federal alternative to incarceration programming, sentencing review mechanisms, promising practices from state sentencing commissions, and changes to the guidelines practitioners and other leaders in the field are interested in seeing once commissioners are appointed.

The Role of the U.S. Sentencing Commission in Decarceration: First Step Act and Beyond. A weekly panel discussion, Tuesdays at 12pm ET, May 3-24, 2022 Click here to register online

I had the pleasure of helping just a bit in planning some of the topics for these panels, as well as the great honor of moderating one part of this important discussion. The speakers involved are really great, and I am looking forward to the whole series (and I sure hope we finally have some Commissions nominees from Prez Biden before the series concludes).