Identifying and Understanding Employment & Housing Barriers with the National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction (NICCC)

SESSION INFO

Tuesday, August 20, 2019
11:45 AM - 12:45 AM
Session Type: Workshop

Access to meaningful employment and stable housing is critical to promoting successful reentry outcomes and reducing recidivism among probationers, parolees, and others with criminal convictions. Yet efforts to connect individuals with these essentials are often stymied by the “collateral consequences of conviction,” --the thousands of obscure and complex state and federal laws that limit employment, housing, and other opportunities for people convicted of crimes. The recently revamped National Inventory of the Collateral Consequences of Conviction (NICCC), a searchable database of over 40,000 state and federal collateral consequences, makes it easier for criminal justice stakeholders to identify and understand these barriers and develop responsive reentry and recidivism-reduction strategies. This workshop will examine the significance of collateral consequences across the country and introduce participants to the NICCC, how it works, and how it can be used to promote successful reentry outcomes for people with criminal convictions.

SESSION PRESENTERS

Josh Gaines
Senior Policy Analyst, Council of State Governments


Josh Gaines focuses on issues involving the collateral consequences of conviction at the Justice Center and supervises the development & maintenance of the National Inventory of the Collateral Consequences of Conviction. He previously served as the deputy director of the Collateral Consequences Resource Center, worked extensively on the Restoration of Rights Project, and provided counsel for federal pardon applicants. Josh received his BA in sociology from North Carolina State University and his J.D. from the Washington College of Law at American University.


Ms. Chidi Umez-Rowley, Esq
Project Manager, Criminal Records, Council of State Governments


Chidi Umez, oversees the Justice Center’s Criminal Records project, which includes topics surrounding collateral consequences, occupational licensing, and criminal record clearance and other relief mechanisms. In her duties, she manages the Clean Slate Clearinghouse and the National Inventory of Collateral Consequences. Chidi previously provided training and technical assistance to Second Chance Act grantees that utilized adult mentors in their reentry programs. Prior to joining the Justice Center, she served as a Court Attorney in the New York Civil Supreme Court and as an indigent defense attorney in Harris County, TX. She received a BA in English and corporate communications from University of Houston, and a JD from Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law.