GEORGETOWN — A Death By Incarceration (DBI) Summit will be held from 1-4 p.m.  Feb. 1 at Jesus is Lord Church of Deliverance, 40 Ingramtown Road.

The summit will be held by and for previously incarcerated people, family and friends of currently incarcerated people, criminal justice system personnel, academics, policy makers, and members of the general public to:

• Learn about Death by Incarceration (DBI), Life, Life Without Parole (LWOP), and Virtual Life Sentences in Delaware – where a prisoner’s age and/or a sentence of 25+ years are factors in the likelihood of him or her dying in prison.
• Discuss individual- and community-level harms of current sentencing laws and mechanisms for relief.
• Humanize and put a face to people currently facing DBI and their communities, and
• Identify specific policies for reform and ways to people to bring about positive change.

Speakers include:

• Khalil Abdar-Rashid, a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS), a Certified Supervisor of Peer Specialists (CSPS), and a Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor (CADC). He has an MBA and BA in Psychology and over 20 years of experience in the field.
• Kevin O’Connell, Chief Defender, appointed by Governor John Carney in 2021, of Delaware's Office of Defense Services (ODS). He has been with ODS since 2005 and has more than 30 years’ experience representing indigent criminal clients. 
• NaTascha Hughes has over 20 years’ service to others and leadership in behavioral health.  She is a Behavioral Health Consultant, on the faculty of Delaware Technical Community College, a Transformational Life Coach, and an international speaker. 
• Coley Harris is a youth intervention specialist and has worked with adjudicated and non-adjudicated youth through the nationally acclaimed Project Aware Programs. He is the co-founder of Out of the Ashes, Where a Seed Finds Life, an artistic healing experience dramatization of the reconciliation process between his son and him. Mr. Harris has co-founded the My Brother’s Keeper Mentoring program, which connects young offenders with mentors and positive role models while incarcerated which began as a support group and developed into a residential program at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center. 
• Dr. Tanya Whittle, director of policy at the Delaware Center for Justice; University of Delaware, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice adjunct professor; and Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program facilitator.

Other speakers include Department of Corrections representatives:

• Paul Shavack, chief of staff, Office of the Commissioner.

• Jessica Cline, chief of the Planning, Research and Reentry Unit in the Office of the Commissioner.

• Mike Records, chief of the Bureau of Correctional Healthcare, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services.

To register for the summit or for more information, visit   sites.google.com/view/dyingtogetout/home.  For information or to volunteer, contact Khalil Abdar-Rashid at missedopts@gmail.com or 302-401-3371.