Experts in corrections and rehabilitation plan to gather for a symposium Friday at the University of Southern Maine.

The day-long conference, entitled “Corrections, Community and Reentry: The Pathway Toward a More Effective System” is aimed at exploring ways to have criminal offenders integrate more successfully into communities after their release from jail or prison.

The symposium will be moderated by George M. Keiser, chief of the community corrections division of the National Institute of Corrections, which is part of the federal Bureau of Prisons.

One of the guest speakers is Edward Latessa, director of the University of Cincinnati’s School of Criminal Justice, who has overseen studies on the effectiveness of reporting centers, juvenile justice programs, training programs, drug courts, intensive supervision programs, halfway houses, and drug treatment in integrating offenders and keeping them from committing new crimes.

Another speaker is Malick Ghachem, associate professor at the University of Maine School of Law, a legal historian who teaches criminal law and procedure.

The conference will include panel discussions on “Reality of Reentry” and “Community Engagement in reentry.”

The symposium runs from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. at Hannaford Lecture Hall at the University of Southern Maine’s Portland campus and is sponsored by the NAACP, the Maine Department of Corrections, and Crime and Justice Institute, a division of Community resources for Justice.

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