2018-2019 Events
Kim Kardashian-West Visits the DC Jail
On July 23, the PJI Team was excited to welcome Kim Kardashian West as our Lecture Series speaker for the Scholars Program at the DC Jail!
Making an Exoneree
Wednesday, May 1, 7-9pm
Lohrfink Auditorium
The second annual “Making an Exoneree,” was a powerful and moving event that highlighted the life-changing work of the 18 Georgetown students taking the “Prison Reform Project” class, taught by Professor Marc Howard and Adjunct Professor and 2008 Exoneree Martin Tankleff.
“Growing Up in Prison: The Future of Juvenile Life Sentences in America”
Tuesday, April 23, 7-9pm
ICC Auditorium
In conjunction with Georgetown’s MLK Initiative, the Prisons and Justice Initiative was honored to host an important and timely panel discussion about juvenile life sentences.
“Inside Voices: The Free Speech Rights Of Incarcerated Americans”
Tuesday, April 16, 7-9pm
Gaston Hall
The Free Speech Project and the Prisons and Justice Initiative at Georgetown University were proud to host this major public forum focusing on the free speech rights of incarcerated Americans. The program addressed such issues as the censorship of thousands of books from prison libraries, restrictions on mail and other information and materials that prisoners can receive or obtain, and limitations on what incarcerated authors can write and publish.
The Jumpsuit Project
Thursday, April 11, 6-8pm
Maria & Alberto de la Cruz Art Gallery
3535 Prospect St. NW
Washington, DC 20007
The Prisons and Justice Initiative and The Maria & Alberto de la Cruz Art Gallery were pleased to present the unique artistry of Sherrill Roland in The Jumpsuit Project. After spending nearly a year in the DC Jail for a crime for which he was later exonerated, Roland created this performance as an artistic response to his own experience.
Faculty Seminar Series: Keesha Middlemass
“Life After Prison Is No Walk In The Park”
Tuesday, March 19
ICC 550
Georgetown University
The Prisons and Justice Initiative welcomed Professor Keesha Middlemass, Associate Professor of Public Policy in the Department of Political Science at Howard University, for a discussion on the collateral consequences of a felony conviction. She is the author of Convicted and Condemned: The Politics and Policies of Prisoner Reentry (NYU Press, 2017).
Meek Mill in Conversation with Marc Howard
Wednesday, November 7, 7:30-9:00 PM
Lohrfink Auditorium
Georgetown University
The birth of the #FreeMeekMill movement put a much-needed spotlight on mass incarceration and the probation system, considering Mill has undergone a 10 year probation. In co-sponsorship with the Georgetown University Lecture Fund and The Georgetown Radio, The Prisons and Justice Initiative was excited to welcome Meek to the Hilltop.
Valentino Dixon: Golf Art Saved Me, Georgetown Set Me Free
Thursday, November 1, 7:00-9:00 PM
Gaston Hall (Healy Hall, 3rd Floor)
Georgetown University
The Prisons and Justice Initiative was thrilled to welcome Valentino Dixon to the Georgetown campus for an extraordinary event and celebration of his exoneration and release from prison.
Jesus saves: Escaping Gang Violence in El Salvador
Wednesday, October 24, 6:00-8:30 PM
Riggs Library
Georgetown University
In El Salvador, gang violence plagues communities. Wars between prominent gangs, such as MS-13 and 18th Street, have exacerbated homicide rates across country. Journalist and Pulitzer Grantee Danny Gold examines how “The Only Way Out Is Through Jesus.” In this Guardian video feature, Gold reports on how evangelical churches help gang members escape by becoming born-again Christians. Marc Howard, Director of Georgetown’s Prisons and Justice Initiative, joined Gold in conversation to discuss this work.
The Crisis Facing Immigrant Children and Youth in the United States
Tuesday, October 9, 4:00-6:00 PM
Copley Formal Lounge
Georgetown University
In a context of increasingly restrictive immigration policies, enhanced enforcement initiatives and limited protections, PJI and the Department of Anthropology brought together a panel of immigration experts—academics, advocates, practitioners, and youth—who all spoke to the intensifying challenges of life for young immigrants in the current moment.
Film Screening: “the Sentence”
Tuesday, September 11, 7:00-9:00 PM
Hart Auditorium
Georgetown University Law Center
In co-sponsorship with FAMM and the Georgetown Law Center’s Criminal Law Association, PJI hosted our first event of the year with a pre-release screening of the new award-winning HBO documentary, The Sentence.