Contributors: Cathy Lesesne and Lindsey Barranco October 28, 2016, the Community Psychology tig held its 4
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Contributors: Cathy Lesesne and Lindsey Barranco 
October 28, 2016, the Community Psychology TIG held its 4th Annual Walk the Talk session at the Evaluation 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a warm afternoon perfect for walking from the downtown Atlanta conference hotel to the home of the Georgia Justice Project in the historic Auburn and Edgewood corridor. The walk to the site led the group through streets where Dr. Martin Luther King was raised, preached, and led a nation on a path toward social justice and civil rights for all. Around 40 conference goers joined our TIG in this walk which ended at the Georgia Justice Project (GJP) office. GJP works to strengthen the community by demonstrating a better way to represent and support individuals in the criminal justice system and reduce barriers to reentry. They promote innovative change through direct legal representation, policy advocacy, education and coalition building (http://www.gjp.org/advocacy/ ). In addition, GJP’s advocacy efforts focus on changing counter-productive laws that keep people with a criminal record from becoming economically self-sufficient following an arrest or conviction. Staff shared the exciting GJP story with conference goers—the importance of the work that they do, their history, challenges, future directions and experience with evaluation. Attendees were treated to a wonderful video that shared the highlights and importance of GJP work both locally and throughout the state of Georgia. This was followed by a discussion led by Executive Director, Doug Ammar, about why this work is so critical. As Doug explained, unemployment, poverty and crime are linked – with over 90% of those involved in the criminal justice system falling below the poverty line. Unfortunately, the criminal justice system itself can contribute to keeping those coming out of prison stuck in poverty as they attempt to transition back into our communities. Simply the presence of a criminal record can be a huge impediment to getting a job or even obtaining or remaining in forms of public housing. Without a job and a place to live, it is extremely challenging for persons with criminal records to successfully re-enter their community. A large portion of GJP’s work today is focused on helping clients to correct, restrict or even expunge records that are limiting their ability to obtain gainful employment, housing, and other services after being released from prison. Helping to remove or correct criminal records can have a powerful effect on individuals’ ability to live their life free from instability. 
While GJP cannot help nearly all those who need their help, for the clients they do accept, they are committed to their success by using a comprehensive approach to their reintegration. For each client, GJP creates a contract with the person seeking representation. This contract include activities that the person will engage in exchange for GJP services—it represents their commitment to changing their life just as GJP is committing to do their best to help them change it. Clients are part of the GJP program before, during and after their case is settled. Their social services director, Julie Smith, described the work that her team does to help each person and their families realize safety and stability through assistance getting housing, job training, seeking employment, and connection to social services that may be needed. For instance, if he or she hasn’t graduated from high school, GJP provides access to GED classes. If a client is unemployed, they provide job readiness support. Clients do not have to pay anything for these services. GJP may even provide cash assistance to help stabilize their clients once they are released from prison. Directory: EVAL EVAL -> Example of a Program’s Goals & Objectives EVAL -> Affective computing vs usability ? Insights of using traditional usability evaluation methods EVAL -> Usability and fun An overview of relevant research in the hci community EVAL -> Zoom Technologies, Inc EVAL -> How to Conduct a Heuristic Evaluation EVAL -> Records Management Evaluation Guide EVAL -> Priory Integrated College Evaluation Report-Student Council EVAL -> Executive summary EVAL -> B. Cahour (1), P. Salembier (1), Ch. Brassac (2), J. L. Bouraoui (1), B. Pachoud (3), P. Vermersch EVAL -> Academic Competitiveness and Download 256.63 Kb. Share with your friends:
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