Creating Dialogue

The ABA initially established the Working Group on Building Public Trust in the American Justice System to collaborate with state and local bar entities, actively recruiting local organizations and stakeholders to host meetings in their communities, to create dialogue and promote the critical work needed to improve the public’s trust in the American justice system.

The below resources are intended to serve as a guide for hosts and facilitators at local community meetings.  This website also serves as a compendium of bar efforts in this area.  We hope that you will find it useful to your efforts in your community.

Dialogue Toolkit

• Why You Should Join In This Project
• Who Should Participate
• Selecting the Best Model for Your Meeting
  
• Participant Handout for Meeting
• Sample Meeting Agenda

Planning Checklist (Courtesy of Divided Community Project)

Facilitator's Guide Materials
(Courtesy of Kettering Foundation - National Issues Forum Institute)

• Probing Deeper Deliberation in Safety and Justice Forums
  
• Recognizing and Supporting Deliberations
  
• Fostering Deeper Deliberation
  
• Deliberative Facilitator Cheat Sheet
  
• How to Moderate a Panel Like a Pro | Harvard Business Review by Scott Kirsner

Report: Task Force on Public Trust in the American Justice System | January 2017

Additional Resources

• Final Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing (U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2015) Website
  
• President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing Implementation Guide: Moving from Recommendations to Action. (U.S. Department of Justice's Office of  Community Oriented Policing Services, 2015) Website
  
• The Divided Community Project, housed at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. Website
  
  Key Considerations for Community Leaders Facing Civil Unrest (PDF)
  
  Planning in Advance of Civil Unrest (PDF)
• Harold Franklin Remarks (PPT) | Equal Justice in Law Enforcement ("EJLE") Initiative | Presentation to National Conference of Bar Presidents
• Dana Tippin Cutler Remarks (PPT) |"Building Bridges: Lessons Learned from Ferguson" | Presentation to National Conference of Bar Presidents
  
• The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation Resource Center.  Website
  
• A Public Voice 2017, Safety & Justice toolkit, “How Should Communities Reduce Violence”, especially the Issue Guide, Issue Map and Moderator Resources. Website
  
• United States Department of Justice Community Relations Service. Website
  See especially the Community Relations Services Toolkit for Policing, “Policing 101,” click here and "Perceived Excessive Use of Force: Addressing Community Racial Tensions," click here
  
• S.L. Carpenter & W.J.D. Kennedy, Managing Public Disputes: A Practical Guide for Government, Business and Citizens' Groups (Wiley & Sons 2001), a hands-on guide for handling public disputes.  See especially "Ten Proven Principles for Managing Conflict and Step-by-Step Procedures for Creating Productive Outcomes."
  
• ALI Principles on Use of Force to be presented for approval at the ALI's Annual Meeting. View Video