Restorative Approaches to Reintegration & Community Supervision

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Associate Director, The Annie E. Casey Foundation

Director of Root Solutions for Public Safety, Government Alliance on Race & Equity, Race Forward Oakland

Alex Frank is GARE’s Director of Root Solutions for Public Safety. Alex has spent her career working in and with state and local justice systems across the country at the intersection of restorative practices, cultural healing, and antiracist policy change with an eye towards addressing the ways in which the legal system perpetuates harm and upcycles racial inequities. Her work ensures all efforts are in close partnership with the people most impacted by mass incarceration, especially currently and formerly incarcerated people, system impacted families, and frontline staff. Prior to joining Race Forward, Alex worked as Assistant Commissioner at the New York City Department of Corrections at Rikers Island Jail, Co-Founded and Co-Directed the Restoring Promise Initiative at the Vera Institute of Justice, and worked at the Annie E. Casey Foundation within their Juvenile Justice Strategy Group. In addition to her work at Race Forward, Alex is an Adjunct Professor at Vermont Law and Graduate School where she teaches courses related to youth and young adult justice. Alex holds a Bachelors in Holistic Psychology from Lesley University, and a Masters in Social Work from New York University. She enjoys cooking, watching documentaries, bird watching, and reading science fiction books.

Assistant Professor, San Diego State University

Kimberly Kras Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs at San Diego State University, where she teaches in the Criminal Justice and Public Administration programs. She earned her Ph.D. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, following a career with the Missouri Division of Probation and Parole. Dr. Kras also holds a Masters in Criminal Justice and Criminology and Bachelors in Psychology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Dr. Kras’ research examines the lived experiences of people experiencing reentry from prison and their process toward desistance. Dr. Kras also considers how community corrections organizations and their staff employ evidence-based practices to help (or hinder) the reintegration of system-impacted people. Recently, Dr. Kras has been working with community-based organizations to understand the role of employment and support in desistance, as well as a project that examines the community management of individuals convicted of sexual offenses. She also serves as the Co-Editor of Perspectives (journal for the American Probation and Parole Association. In addition to her scholarly work, Kim also volunteers with the San Diego Circles of Support and Accountability program, which assists individuals returning from long periods of incarceration who need community support.

Community & Restorative Justice Executive, Vermont Department of Corrections

Derrick Miodownik has been a restorative justice practitioner and program administrator for the past 26 years. Before moving to Vermont in 1999, he worked for the Center for Court Innovation (https://www.courtinnovation.org), where he implemented and directed the Red Hook Youth Court in Brooklyn, NY. Presently, he is the Community & Restorative Justice Executive for the Vermont Department of Corrections (https://doc.vermont.gov). In this role, Derek oversees grant-funded partnerships with statewide Community Justice Centers and Transitional Housing providers. As part of his training in the field of Conflict Transformation, Derek has studied in Rwanda, where he was able to directly observe the post-genocide Gacaca Court process. He has also developed restorative justice program capacity in Armenia and the Republic of Georgia through his work with PH International (https://www.ph-int.org).

RJ Practitioner & Social Worker, Worth Justice, Inc.

Darryl Varlack-Butler is a Co-founder of WORTHshop Inc, a Social Worker, Restorative Justice Trainer and Facilitator, and Reentry Consultant. He graduated from Fordham University with an MSW and a New York Theological Seminary Master's degree in Professional Studies focusing on urban ministry, ethics, and pastoral counseling. He holds a bachelor's degree from Nyack College in organizational management as well as a Credentialed Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor Trainee (CASACT). While at Fordham, he traveled to Haiti to study the resiliency of culture devastated by disasters, global discrimination, and social mapping. He volunteered with the Beck Institute on Religion and Poverty with public speaking, fundraising, and supporting social justice for Veterans, Homeless, Domestic violence, and Returning Citizens. Darryl is a skilled clinician using evidence-based strategies to counsel, educate, empower, and help people overcome situations, circumstances, and injuries to build a life of quality, happiness, and meaning. Darryl addresses issues that adversely impact a person's worth, view of the world, and how they engage it through a Worth Circle for racial healing, family conflict, returning citizens, survivors of domestic violence, and sexual abuse. In his spare time, he hosts a social justice media project, Unbranded- an "on-air" independent show.