Second Annual Second Chances and Empathy Hackathon

PROJECT CONTEXT Across the country, dozens of states have enacted “second chance” legislation, designed to help Americans with criminal records to shorten or downgrade their past convictions, clean their criminal records, and/or regain the right to vote. In theory, second chance legislation removes barriers to full reintegration into society and unlocks opportunity for tens of millions of Americans. However, while many new laws have been passed, research shows that only a small fraction of those eligible for relief have received it,  Building on the passage of California Bill 1076's historic passage clearance of expungements through automation, the hackathon will work to develop data for reform efforts around the country as well as support reentry projects by several non-profit groups. Speakers will include national criminal justice changemakers and impacted leaders Antonio Reza (upcoming TedX talk: From Felony to 4.0)  and Jay Jordan, the head of Californians for Safety and Justice, which just celebrated the passage of enactment of four second chance laws in California.  After a day of hacking, we will watch the award-winning movie Life After Life and hear from a speaker from the movie.  HACKATHON DETAILS The second chances hackathon brings together advocates, public servants, students, and experts in tech and law to develop technologically-driven strategies. Working in teams, participants will receive instructions and mentorship to develop tools for criminal justice “second chances” alongside nonprofits. Participants will learn skills such as how to develop algorithms for parsing public records, and apply search criteria to expunge convictions. End products will be presented to a panel of judges at the end of the hackathon. Event sponsors and co-organizers: High Tech Law Institute, Leavey School of Business, Black Law Student Association, La Raza, Internet  Law Society, Northern California Innocence Project, and others SCHEDULE  8:00 Breakfast, Check-in, Project Signup 9:00 Opening Speakers: Judge Zecher, Jay Jordan, Antonio Reza, and Professor Sanjiv Das 10:00-6:00 Hacking  6:00-7:00 Judging and dinner 7:00-9:00 Movie Screening and Speaker Learn more here. WHY ATTEND New skills and projects for your resume/portfolio Mentorship from industry Software Engineers & Data Scientists Social impact of your work! Free food and souvenirs! BRING YOUR COMPUTER, LEAVE WITH NEW SKILLS AND FRIENDS! POST HACKATHON If you’re interested in continuing with the project, we’ll share opportunities to do so. A $20 donation will be requested from attendants working in the private sector. Proceeds will be donated to Uncommon Law, a nonprofit focused on transforming the lives of people overlooked by society.  Interested in sponsoring? Want more infromation? Contact Colleen (cchien@scu.edu) or Laura (lnorris@scu.edu).