• A panel discussed the Milwaukee Safe Streets Project at the fifth annual Restorative Justice Initiative Conference
• Discussion centered on growing the relationship between police and criminals
• Panelists encouraged community and business involvement

As part of the fifth annual Restorative Justice Initiative Conference held on Tuesday, representatives from various sectors of the Milwaukee Safe Streets Initiative discussed the program's methods, which are aimed at reducing crime.

The project, which is associated with the Law School, works with law enforcement and community residents on gang prevention and helping convicts re-enter the workforce. According to the project's Web site, "Participants can include people who have been formerly incarcerated, faith-based leaders, social service agencies, community organizations, residents and law enforcement."

The project encourages officers to refer potential offenders to the program as an alternative to prison time. The focus of the panel was on "notification sessions," which are forums designed to connect law enforcement officers to former or potential convicts.

"People have a tendency to forget that the police are human," said panelist J. Allen Stokes, executive director of the Inner City Redevelopment Corporation.

The goal of notification sessions is to ensure the former or potential criminal does not fall back into bad habits, through an established relationship with law enforcement officers.

"Had that relationship between them not been there, it could have led to an arrest," said Paulina de Haan, community coordinator for Milwaukee Police Department district two on the city's near south side.

Also emphasized was the need for more business involvement in Safe Streets. Keith Burns, managing partner of Ernst & Young, LLP, said it is a myth that businesses do not want to give convicts a second chance. Companies should spend more time retraining those coming back to the workforce to reduce turnover, he said.

"What needs to happen is training and employing individuals concerned and engaged with the 'American Dream,'" Burns said. "Jobs will be out there — it is whether people are ready (or not) is the issue."

Toward the conclusion of the discussion, moderator Mike Gousha, distinguished fellow in law and public policy, asked panel members to define the success of Safe Streets.

"It's a reduction of sustainable violence in the communities we are serving," de Haan said.

William Lipscomb of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin stressed the need for "long-term system alignment," to make sure all parties are on the same page.

"Very rarely (are we) addressing the same problem at the same time," Lipscomb said.

Stokes emphasized a need for collective action.

"You can gather 50,000 people at a baseball game, 20,000 at a basketball game," Stokes said. "But never have I seen 50,000 people come together and say '(crime) is unacceptable.'"