The first months of the Trump administration have confirmed that criminal justice will remain a contentious issue for the foreseeable future. Trump's "law and order" rhetoric on the campaign trail has led to significant changes in federal criminal justice policy. At the state and local levels, lawmakers are struggling with the opioid epidemic, overincarceration, and how to work with new federal enforcement goals.

In the current environment, how should legislators tackle the most serious and enduring criminal justice issues? What policies should be implemented? What should officials' priorities be? To answer these and other questions, experts from courtrooms, universities, law enforcement agencies, and think tanks will gather at the Cato Institute for its third annual criminal justice conference, Criminal Justice at a Crossroads. We hope that you will join us.

Panel 2: The Defendant in Court

Hon. Jed Rakoff, Senior Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Scott Greenfield, criminal defense attorney and editor of Simple Justice
Suja Thomas, professor of law at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Moderated by Trevor Burrus, Research Fellow, Cato Institute

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Criminal Justice at a Crossroads: Panel 2: The Defendant in Court