The day-long event, "The Incarcerated Women's Initiative, Then and Now: Vermont Summit on Women in Corrections," is open to the public and press and will include panel discussions and a keynote address by Brenda Smith, professor at Washington College of Law at American University. An expert on issues affecting women in prison, Smith is widely published and a frequent speaker on topics ranging from sexual abuse of incarcerated women to alternative models for addressing domestic violence.
"We are pleased to welcome Professor Smith to Vermont Law School and look forward to giving summit participants an opportunity to examine the history of incarcerated women in Vermont, discuss current issues facing incarcerated women and their children and families, and propose new policies," said VLS Professor Margaret Barry, associate dean for clinical and experiential programs and practicing attorney at VLS's South Royalton Legal Clinic.
"Not only do we encourage students to attend, but also community members interested in weighing in on these issues that impact so many Vermonters and their families," Barry added.
The Incarcerated Women's Initiative (IWI) summit is co-sponsored by Vermont Law School; Vermont Commission on Women; Vermont Bar Association; VLS student groups, Black Law Students Association, Women's Law Group, and National Lawyers Guild; Vermont Women's Legislative Caucus; and Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform.
Registration for the IWI summit must be completed by Sept. 15. The required $20 registration fee covers lunch. (VLS students may opt to bring their lunch instead of paying the fee.) Continuing legal education (CLE) credits are available. To register for the summit, email Claire Greene at claire.greene@state.vt.us.
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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, has the top-ranked environmental law program and one of the top-ranked clinical training programs in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; two Master's Degrees (Master of Environmental Law and Policy, and Master of Energy Regulation and Law), and three post-JD degrees — LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, and LLM in Environmental Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, the South Royalton Legal Clinic, and the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic. For more information, visit www.vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.