Bernard Kerik, Former Commissioner of the New York City Police Department

Topic: The Urgent Need for Criminal Justice and Prison Reform in America

Location: President’s Hall, The Penn Stater

Introduction / Moderator:  Blannie Bowen / Patty Satalia

As someone that once ran two of the largest law enforcement organizations in the United Sates, Mr. Kerik’s prosecution and incarceration have given him a very unique and one of a kind perspective of the U.S. criminal justice system that no one with his experience has ever had. There are no surveys or reports to read, tours to take, or crystal balls to loo into to see what he has seen.

Hear why for nearly two decades Supreme Court Justices, U.S. Attorneys General, the American Bar Association (ABA), former state and federal prosecutors and judges, and members of Congress have expressed their concerns about the injustices within our criminal justice systems and why many have called the U.S. sentencing guidelines and mandatory minimums draconian – citing sentences that are too long and punishments too severe. Mr. Kerik knows how the system is supposed to work and what it is supposed to accomplish. Hear his personal observations from the inside- looking out, and his recommendations for a system that he says is in dire need of repair.