Racial Justice Forum

SESSION INFO

Sunday, June 30, 2024
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Session Type: Workshop

The American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) held its first in a series of Racial Justice discussions in August 2020. During the inaugural meeting, leaders from adult and juvenile community corrections agencies spoke frankly about racism in America and the impact of racial inequities on the criminal legal jsystem. This Racial Justice Forum will serve as a continuation of previous conversations wherein panelists and attendees articulated the challenges surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within community corrections agencies. During this panel discussion, leaders will address matters related to DEI and speak to how community corrections professionals, the individuals they serve, and the community are impacted by issues of inequality. The importance of confronting this issue is glaringly clear and it requires much needed work to create a fair and just society for all. This highly interactive forum aims not to rehash previously stated problems, but to move the needle from problem identification to generating solutions that will help agencies enhance their DEI efforts. Key questions to be addressed include but are not limited to: What outcomes are we looking for? What types of enhancements and programs are needed? How do we propel cultural sensitivity training to all levels of staff?

SESSION PRESENTERS

Mark Dyea
Tribal Grants Manager, American Probation and Parole Association


Mark Dyea (Laguna Pueblo) began as APPA Tribal Grants Manager in 2022 and brings 20 years of experience working with Tribal and State Justice agencies and as a consultant to enhance community corrections, therapeutic justice, and reentry programs. He uses his experience to collaborate with Department of Justice agencies, State, Local, Tribal, and other training partners to facilitate training and technical assistance to federal grant recipients to enhance the outcomes of their community corrections and reentry programs. APPA’s Tribal Grants Manager strives to improve Tribal Community Corrections impacts and outcomes through partnerships on programs aimed at improving community reintegration, reducing recidivism, and improving public safety. APPA works on projects to provide resources to the Tribal Justice professionals to improve state/tribal communication, intergovernmental collaboration, conduct forums, develop fact sheets, address racial inequalities in community supervision, and conducting training workshops at state, regional, and national trainings. Mark began his career in 2004 with the Pueblo of Laguna Probation & Parole Services in New Mexico as a Probation Officer and was later promoted to Program Manager. During his time in Laguna, he was a founding member of the Pueblo’s Community Wellness Court program and collaborated with state, federal, local, and other tribal agencies to develop and administer alternative supervision programs including electronic monitoring, community custody, courtesy supervision, and reentry notification. Mark worked as Case Manager for Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court and coordinated the creation of a state/tribal agreement providing courtesy testing to enhance outcomes for native participants of the Specialty Court programs. Mark served as a Sr. Consultant for the NADCP Tribal Healing to Wellness Court Planning Initiative and as faculty for other Training and Technical Assistance providers. As a consultant Mark worked with numerous jurisdictions across the country to develop and enhance Treatment Courts, Community Supervision programs, and enhance intergovernmental collaboration.


Thomas M Gregory
Director, Vermilion County Probation


Thomas Gregory has been most recently elected as your APPA Vice President. Tom previously served two (2) terms as APPA Treasurer. Prior to serving as treasurer, he was a Region Representative for Illinois. He is a proud graduate of APPA’s Leadership Institute 5. Tom is a past President of the Illinois Probation and Court Services Association and current Chair of the Legislative Committee. He is the Director of Probation for Vermilion County Probation and Court Services where he has proudly served since 1997.


Isabel Perez-Morina, PhD
Chief Executive Officer, Advocate Program, Inc.


Isabel Perez-Morina, Ph.D. is the Chief Executive Officer of the Advocate Program. Advocate Program is a private, not-for-profit organization that offers probation, diversion, DUI programs, domestic violence programs, clinical services, and supportive services to court-ordered individuals, veterans, and at-risk children and families. Dr. Perez-Morina obtained her doctorate degree in Clinical Forensic Psychology from Nova Southeastern University. Her work has concentrated on improving the community response to issues affecting public and family safety. She is dedicated to the safety and well-being of individuals, children, and families and the communities they live in. In addition to being a Board Member of the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA), Dr. Perez-Morina is also a board member and Immediate Past-President of the Florida Association of Community Corrections (FACC).


Charles Robinson
Deputy Chief, Probation and Pretrial Services Office Administrative Office of the United States Courts


Charles Robinson is the Deputy Chief of the Probation & Pretrial Services Office of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. Over the course of more than 20 years, he has worked in both county and federal probation, including supervising a caseload of community supervision clients, training officers and developing systems to support successful implementation of risk instruments, and serving as a chief probation officer. Charles has co-authored several widely used client and officer training programs for community and custodial correctional settings. Among these programs are Decision Points, an open-group cognitive-behavioral program that teaches clients to observe and interrupt thinking that leads to trouble; and Effective Practices in Correctional Settings (EPICS) II, a training program for criminal justice professionals based on behavioral change strategies found to be effective with criminal justice clients. He has extensive experience as a consultant training agency leaders and staff in juvenile and adult correctional settings. He has helped leaders and agencies in the U.S. and other countries better align their community supervision systems with practices proven to exert a positive effect on clients and their communities. Charles has also co-authored several articles that contribute to the research literature supporting effective practices in community supervision.