Panel Discussion for Incorrigibles: Bearing Witness to the Incarcerated Girls of New York

Incorrigibles: Bearing Witness to the Incarcerated Girls of New York by Alison Cornyn is a documentary art project borne of the stories and lives of girls and young women incarcerated for being “incorrigible” at the now closed, New York State Training School for Girls.

Incorrigibles aims to reexamine and challenge the language and conceptions that have historically been used to label, define, and confine girls from 1900 to the present day.  This multi-media exhibition opened on October 11, 2018, International Day of the Girl, at the Charles P. Sifton Gallery, Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, NY, and includes a short film, archival and contemporary photographic prints, paintings, embroidery, and letters from the girls, oral histories from women incarcerated when they were young, and the work of artist Beth Thielen, known for her one-of-a-kind artist books and public art projects.

On January 31, 2019, Ms. Cornyn will hold a panel discussion at the Courthouse to explore the past, present, and future of girls’ and women’s justice in New York. The panelists will look at past practices, current issues, and innovative practices, with a focus on the role of courts and the justice system.

Yale Law School Professor Judith Resnik will moderate. Featured speakers include women who were incarcerated at the New York State Training School for Girls; Columbia law professor Brett Dignam; neuroscientist Laurie Leitch; Ruth Hamilton, of Still She Rises; and several women graduates of the Eastern District’s alternative to incarceration and reentry programs.

This event is free and open to the public and is associated with the exhibition currently on view in the Charles P. Sifton Gallery at the Courthouse, which will be open until February 15th, 2019. 

The Ceremonial Courtroom, Brooklyn Federal Courthouse
US District Courthouse, Eastern District of NY
225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn, NY 11201