Duquesne’s next Forensic Fridays seminar will address the issues facing prisons, which have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Corrections in the Time of Coronavirus: Balancing Public Health and Safety in the Prison Pandemic Response will take place on Friday, Sept. 25 from 9 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. via Zoom.
COVID-19 cases in U.S. federal and state prisons from March 31 to June 6 were 5.5 times higher – and death rates three times higher – than among the general population, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Friday’s event will feature legal, correctional and medical experts discussing Pennsylvania’s and the nation’s efforts to grapple with the complex set of challenges created by the virus and the ramifications for public health, safety and the future of correctional policy.
Speakers will include:
- Pennsylvania Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel
- Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing Executive Director Mark H. Bergstrom
- Dauphin County District Attorney Francis T. Chardo
- Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus at Western Psychiatric Hospital Edward Mulvey
- Duquesne Professor of Law and Sentencing Commission member John T. Rago
- Former Department of Corrections Medical Advisor Nicholas Scharff.
Registration for this event is requested. The Pennsylvania CLE Board has approved this course for four hours of substantive CLE credit. This program is offered for four hours of Social Work continuing education through co-sponsorship of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work. These credit hours satisfy requirements for LSW/LCSW, LMFT and LPC biennial license renewal. For information on social work continuing education, call 412.346.8044.