Karen Tokarz (left), JD, the Charles Nagel Professor of Public Interest Law & Public Service, director of the Civil Rights & Community Justice Clinic and of the Negotiation & Dispute Resolution Program and professor of African and African-American studies in Arts & Sciences, and Kimberly Norwood, JD, professor of law and of African and African-American studies, attended events at the U.S. Department of Justice and at the White House Dec. 2-3 on “A Cycle of Incarceration: Prison, Debt, and Bail Practices.”
The events aimed to bring public attention to the connection between poverty and the criminal justice system and to highlight state reform efforts.
Norwood and Tokarz are both members of the Missouri Supreme Court’s Racial and Ethnic Fairness Commission and have been active in working toward municipal court reform in St. Louis and St. Louis County in the wake of the shooting of Michael Brown.
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch delivered the keynote speech at the White House.
For video of the event, visit youtube.com/watch?v=BLzec5R8LWw.
For more information, visit the Justice Department website.