Panel Discussion on The Criminalization of Policy with American Public Square

National Archives at Kansas City
Kansas City, MO

On Tuesday, November 13 at 6:30 p.m., the National Archives in partnership with American Public Square, will host an evening panel discussion on The Criminalization of Policy. This program will take place at Savior Pastoral Center, 12601 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, KS. Reservations are requested for this free program.

Motor vehicle laws, housing codes, civil asset forfeiture, the collection of civil debts, and racial profiling contribute to stark disparities: people with limited income are often unable to afford the fees and fines that result from these policies, and they accumulate debt, entering a cycle of poverty and criminalization. How do we break the cycle? Eliminate or lessen criminal penalties? If so, how can we enforce laws, and how will our criminal justice system make up for lost revenue? 

This is the third program in American Public Square’s KC Common Good series and features panelists Jean Peters Baker, Jackson County Prosecutor; Lavanya Madhusudan, Independent Research Analyst and Advocate; Judge Jalilah Otto, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge; and Wayne Smith, Legal Aid of Western Missouri. The event will be moderated by Debbie Bayless from the Center for Conflict Resolution.