Events

Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPOs) laws authorize law enforcement with a civil restraining order to temporarily remove and prohibit access to firearms for individuals who pose a significant risk of harming themselves or others. As ERPOs have been implemented in 22 states, Washington, DC, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, they increasingly operate at the intersection of public health and the criminal legal system. This webinar brings together national experts in law, public health, policy, and law enforcement to examine the current state of ERPOs. Panelists will explore the evidence on ERPO effectiveness, the realities of implementation, the role of law enforcement discretion, and the tension between improving enforcement of gun laws and reducing unnecessary criminalization. They will also discuss how ERPOS can be used to promote deflection and diversion from the criminal legal system as well as how states and municipalities can ensure procedural fairness and address racial disparities in their use.

This three-part webinar series brought together researchers and individuals directly impacted by North Carolina’s driver’s license suspension policies to explore how they affect employment, economic mobility, and reentry. The ultimate goal, was to understand the human impact of the suspensions for the approximately one million people in North Carolina who are currently affected. The final session examined strategies states and localities are using to encourage court appearance and compliance without requiring license suspension. Panelists discussed policy reforms and practical alternatives, such as reminder systems, flexible scheduling, and fee reductions that improve outcomes for individuals while supporting public safety and court efficiency.

This three-part webinar series brought together researchers and individuals directly impacted by North Carolina’s driver’s license suspension policies to explore how they affect employment, economic mobility, and reentry. The ultimate goal, was to understand the human impact of the suspensions for the approximately one million people in North Carolina who are currently affected. This webinar takes a deep dive into “failure to appear,” a leading driver of license suspensions. Speakers will explore why people miss court dates—from logistical barriers and lack of notice to fear and confusion—and how the consequences of nonappearance often compound financial instability and system involvement rather than promote compliance.

This three-part webinar series brought together researchers and individuals directly impacted by North Carolina’s driver’s license suspension policies to explore how they affect employment, economic mobility, and reentry. The ultimate goal, was to understand the human impact of the suspensions for the approximately one million people in North Carolina who are currently affected. This opening session features people directly impacted by driver’s license suspensions. Panelists will share how losing the ability to drive affected employment, family responsibilities, health care access, and day-to-day survival, revealing the human costs that rarely show up in statutes or court records.

November 19, 2024 — An expert virtual roundtable discussion exploring new areas for problem solving from public health, crime control, economics, law, justice, politics and the media. Panelists included Panelists will include: Kami Chavis, JD (William & Mary Law School Center for Criminal Justice Policy and Reform), Philip Cook, PhD (Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy), Josh Horwitz, JD (Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions), Mark Rosenberg, MD (Assistant Surgeon General, USPHS, ret), Sheryl Gay Stolberg (The New York Times). Moderated by Jeff Swanson, PhD, Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law, Duke University. Sponsored by the Wilson Center for Science and Justice, the Duke Center for Firearms Law, and Duke Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

October 10, 2024 — A discussion of the wide-ranging impacts of the criminal legal system on individuals and communities. Members of our Duke Law community involved in criminal defense were in conversation with artist Sherrill Roland, in conjunction with the exhibition, Processing Systems: Numbers by Sherrill Roland on display at the Nasher Museum of Art. Panelists included Sherill Roland (Artist and Assistant Professor of Sculpture, Department of Art and Art History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), James E. Coleman, Jr. (John S. Bradway Distinguished Professor of the Practice of Law and Director of the Wrongful Conviction Clinic and Center for Criminal Justice and Professional Responsibility), Elana Fogel (Assistant Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Criminal Defense Clinic), Max Tinter (Duke Law ’26 and Research Assistant with the Wilson Center for Science and Justice and member of the Duke Decarceration Project). Cosponsored by the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law, Duke Law Alumni and Development Office, Duke Law Triangle, the FHI Social Practice Lab, the Duke Artistic Research Initiative supported by Mellon Foundation, and the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies Visiting Artists Series.

September 30, 2024 — This panel discussion focused on community-based solutions to gun violence, including those based in violence intervention, diversion programs, and restorative justice. Panelists included speakers Dana Bazelon, Senior Manager, Quattrone Center at Penn Carey Law School; Krystal Harris, Director of Community Intervention & Support Services, Durham County; and Marcia Owen, Co-Director of Prescriptions for Repair and Co-Chair of the Durham City and County Taskforce on Community Safety. The event is sponsored by the Duke Center for Firearms Law and the Wilson Center for Science and Justice.

May 2, 2024 — Ronnie Long in Conversation with Professor Jamie Lau of the Wrongful Convictions Clinic. This was part of the Thirteenth Conference on the Future of Adversarial and Inquisitorial Systems, hosted May 2-3, 2024 at UNC School of Law and Duke Law School. The conference series, “The Future of Adversarial and Inquisitorial Systems” is a collaboration between the Universities of Warwick, North Carolina, Bologna, Basel and Duke University. This year’s conference was made possible by support from the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law School, the University of North Carolina School of Law and the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University.