Alliance questions Criminal Justice Council

Members of the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice had plenty of questions for Christian Kervick, executive director of the Delaware Criminal Justice Council, when he spoke at the Lewes group's January meeting.

Kervick said his agency writes grants and distributes federal funds the state receives through criminal justice grants, but he declined to answer questions about the agencies represented by his council.

"I'm not going to sit here and talk about criminal justice and government budgets," he said. "I would rather sit and talk to you and pinpoint what you need from the budgets."

"We find a problem, and we fund a committee to solve it," Kervick said. "Our job is to work as a clearing house for those federal dollars that come into our state."

The alliance is a relatively new, nonpartisan group that came together last year with broad goals: educating and advocating for change in the justice system and eliminating racism and class disparities within the justice system.

The group seeks to provide racially diverse testimony. They advocate with state and local legislatures for change in policies regarding mandatory sentencing, bail provisions, rehabilitation programs and effective job training for people returning to society after serving their sentences.

Kervick's council is made up of a 28-member board of government officials including judges, the attorney general, chiefs of police, attorneys, a pastor and other and state workers who dispense federal funding to more than 200 programs in the state.

Last year, Kervick said, grant writers brought $16 million into the state, which the council has dispensed through subcommittees to put into action.

Kervick responded to questions from the group about changes to the three strikes law, saying not that many criminals are actually affected by the law. He also addressed bail reform, recidivism, and zero-tolerance programs. He said Delaware is a state under siege.

"The bottom line is, things in Wilmington are hot. Everybody is carrying a gun," Kervick said, "It's a dangerous place."

He advised the alliance that to accomplish more with his and other agencies, the alliance should narrow its focus, which ranges from studying the causes and effects of mass incarceration to advocating for change in legislation and building social programs to increase awareness of black history and black contributions in Delaware.

"The system needs fixing," Kervick said. "I think that conversation is just now starting. When we hear from an organization like yours, that goes into our plans."

For more information about the Criminal Justice Council, go to cjc.delaware.gov.

The SDARJ meets at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month at Trinity Christian Center on New Road in Lewes.  The next meeting is slated for Tuesday, Feb. 9. For more information, go to sdarj.com.