Recognizing the mutual responsibility of those in the criminal justice community to close the opportunity gap created by collateral consequences, the American Bar Association (ABA) Criminal Justice Section brought together the collective minds of the leadership of myriad distinguished organizations in February 2015. Their purpose was to examine and debate potential solutions, to further the dialogue on systemic reform, and to find new ways to collaborate with one another on the local, state, and national levels.

The major themes and ideas that emerged from the summit—including collateral consequences generally and the NICCC, criminal records and expungement, and employment—and are captured in this report. It was the hope of the Criminal Justice Section that this report would be shared and discussed, thereby continuing the dialogue started on that day. 

The report includes summaries of opening remarks by ABA and U.S. Department of Justice administrators, plenary sessions with practitioners and experts from around the country, and closing remarks from the ABA Criminal Justice Section co-chair. The report also provides as summaries of the event's key themes.