This free training will review research on how our words influence our beliefs and actions and how that may impact our collective effort to improve pretrial justice. We’ll discuss how strength-based, people-focused language—increasingly adopted by many pretrial practitioners, professional associations, and media outlets—can aid in advancing system improvements. The training will be held on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. ET. The deadline to register is Thursday, April 17.
About the Training
The words we use in written and verbal communications can help people understand and support the changes we are making in our pretrial systems and contribute to meaningful cultural change. Language helps shape our thinking, which affects our decisions and our actions concerning people affected by the criminal legal system.
Research shows that language and framing can reinforce or deflate stereotypes. In this training, we’ll discuss how pretrial system stakeholders, researchers, and community members can learn and use strength-based, people-centered language. We’ll talk about describing pretrial outcomes in positive ways (such as stressing the likelihood of success and not failure) and other ways to help achieve effective, fair, and equitable pretrial justice.
This training is designed for pretrial practitioners (judicial officers, prosecutors, defense attorneys, pretrial services staff, law enforcement officers, court staff), researchers, technical assistance providers, and community members who want to communicate with pretrial system stakeholders and the public (directly or through the media). It is intended for people with some knowledge of pretrial legal principles and professional standards about best practices.
Learning Objectives
- Engage in thoughtful discussion—in a nonjudgmental and respectful environment—about how we all respond to changes in language
- Understand how words shape the culture of pretrial systems
- Explore the evidence showing a connection between word choices and perceptions about people—and how that may impact the goals we have for improving community safety and well-being
- Be familiar with APPR resources and the APPR Community
Training Faculty
Holly Ziemer, MA, communications director, Center for Effective Public Policy
Ms. Ziemer works with jurisdictions to consider and implement communication strategies that support pretrial improvement that enhance community safety and well-being. She has led public and media relations efforts to increase support for international human rights—including the Campaign to Ban Torture—and domestic public health initiatives.
Spike Bradford, MA, communications manager, Center for Effective Public Policy
Mr. Bradford provides communications training and technical assistance on pretrial justice issues, including pretrial fundamentals, research translation, and effective message framing. He holds an MA in criminology and an MEd in curriculum and instruction.
Kyle Colleen Black, justice policy consultant, Center for Effective Public Policy
Ms. Black was born and raised in Oregon. For more than 20 years, she has volunteered as a life coach for women in need of support and is a licensed Peer Support & Addictions Mentor. Her desire to help people led to her employment as a Policy and Outreach Associate for the Oregon Justice Resource Center (OJRC), a nonprofit law firm that prioritizes providing accessible legal representation and services to community members affected by poverty, gender bias, racial disparity, and the carceral system. Ms. Black represents OJRC at Oregon’s capitol, speaking with leadership about changes to the current incarceration system.
Consuela “Sway” Gaines, justice policy consultant, Center for Effective Public Policy
Ms. Gaines served 22 years at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women in St. Gabriel. She has been home for seven years. For nearly as long as she has been free, she has been a chapter organizer for Voice of the Experienced (VOTE), a nonprofit organization engaged in policy, legislative, and advocacy work for currently and formerly incarcerated people. While incarcerated, she represented women as a jailhouse lawyer, Big Sister, tutor, Advisory Council member, club president, and more. Now she represents incarcerated people as an advocate and supporter. Ms. Gaines earned two awards for advocacy work in her community and was recently nominated again. She is a certified life coach for system-involved people through Morehouse School of Medicine; is a Community Outreach Perinatal Educator, certified to provide doula support, lactation support, and childbirth education; and is working toward her bachelor’s degree in business administration at Strayer University in Virginia.
Application Process
Complete the training registration by Thursday, April 17.
Please direct questions to Spike Bradford, communications manager, at sbradford@cepp.com.