On Thursday, February 18th, the Presley Center of Crime & Justice Studies, the Blum Initiative on Global and Regional Poverty, and the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Riverside, will be hosting an exclusive conversation with Sandra Smith about how pretrial detention informs future criminal justice involvement.

Smith is the Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Professor of Criminal Justice and Faculty Director of the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management at Harvard University. According to her profile her research areas focus on “urban poverty and joblessness, social capital and social networks, and, more recently, the front end of criminal case processing, with a particular interest in the short- and long-term consequences of pretrial detention and diversion. In each of these areas, racial inequality and its root causes are core areas of concern.”

Those interested in attending can register for the online event via Zoom. 

“Many people forget that the booking process and awaiting trial impacts the future of people going through the criminal justice system,” said Presley Center intern and junior public policy major Arleth Flores Aparicio. “It's inspiring having someone like Dr. Sandra Smith discussing with the UC Riverside community the importance of the front-end of criminal case processing.”

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The UCR Blum Initiative on Global and Regional Poverty is dedicated to advancing our understanding of poverty – in Inland Southern California and abroad – through world-class faculty and graduate student research, service, teaching, and academic and community events. 

Established in 1994 by the California State Legislature and named after former California State Senator Robert Presley, the Presley Center “offers university level evidence-based research for the better understanding and analysis of crime policies and practices.”