Conferences & Training

Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB) Conference

Driving Change Together

The 2026 CJAB Conference "Driving Change Together" was held on April 21-22, 2026 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in State College. The conference brought together criminal justice, behavioral health, and treatment partners for an engaging and thought-provoking one and a half-day event, featuring an exciting line-up of national and local experts who will examine rethinking the criminal justice system, shifting from reactive measures to cooperative solutions to foster meaningful change.

In the powerful and deeply personal opening keynote, "Find Your Voice - Reclaim Your Power", Allan Kehler challenged the cultural myths around mental health, resilience, and emotional expression.
Public health researcher and advocate Dr. Sylvia C. Washington challenged attendees to expand their understanding of Gun Violence Prevention - not just as a matter of policy, but as a public health imperative rooted in equity, prevention, and collective care - in "Expanding the Frame: Advancing Intersectional Approaches to Community Violence Intervention".
Media in Neighborhoods Group (MING) co-founder El Sawyer outlined how social isolation, chronic stress, loss of agency, and institutional trauma fundamentally reshape behavior, identity, and decision-making, long after a person returns home in "Missing Persons: Reentry, and the Aftermath of Incarceration".

The Details

View the 2026 CJAB Agenda

When: April 21-22, 2026

Where: The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College

Fee: There is no fee to attend. Continental breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be provided on both days.

For overnight accommodations, please click here, or contact 800-233-7505 and utilize the booking code CJAB26A.

The deadline for the discounted room rate of $139.00 is Friday, March 20, 2026.

To ensure that this conference continues to be free for attendees, PCCD asks that registrants make every effort to notify staff of cancellations by Friday, April 10, 2026. Cancellations after the deadline or 'no shows' to the conference may be subject to a fee of up to $78.00 per person. This amount is based on the Premium Day Meeting package rate charged by the Penn Stater and paid for by PCCD.

Judges may earn up to six (6.0) substantive CJE credits. Please click here to download a CJE Request Form.

Lawyers may earn up to seven (7.0) CLE credits. Please click here to download a CLE Credit Request Form.

Social workers may earn up to seven (7) credits from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). The process has changed somewhat from last year.

Attendees eligible to receive Social Work credits must submit an evaluation form using this link: https://www.nasw-pa.org/page/certificatesurvey

This is the information you will need to include on the form (in addition to your personal information):

Date of Workshop: April 21-22, 2026
Title of Workshop: CJAB Conference: Driving Change Together
Sponsoring Agency: PCCD/CCAP
Location of Workshop: Penn Stater Conference Center, State College, PA.

Once you submit the form, you will be given instructions on how to pay for the credits. PCCD/CCAP is not collecting the forms or payment; all payment and inquiries must go directly to NASW.

Please note: NASW requires conference hosts to send them a copy of the daily sign-in sheets, which we have done. According to NASW, they will check your attendance with our records in order to grant credits. Any questions must be directed to continuingeducation.naswpa@socialworkers.org.

Thank you for attending the 2026 CJAB Conference! To help us make future events even better, we’ve created several short surveys focusing on different parts of the conference experience.

Share your thoughts on individual sessions
Provide feedback on speakers
Tell us about your overall conference experience
Comment on logistics, venue, and more

Your input is incredibly valuable. Please take a few minutes to complete the surveys that matter most to you.

Day 1, AM Plenary

Share your feedback on the opening plenary session that kicked off the conference. This survey focuses on keynote speakers, featured presentations, and how well the session set the tone for the day.

Day 1, AM Sessions

Attended breakout sessions on the first morning? Use this survey to provide input on the topics, speakers, and overall value of the sessions you joined.

Day 1, PM Sessions
Help us improve afternoon breakout offerings by sharing your thoughts on session content, speaker effectiveness, and relevance to your work.

Day 1, PM Plenary
Provide feedback on the Day 1 closing plenary, including reflections on key takeaways, speaker engagement, and how the session wrapped up the day’s themes.

Day 2 Plenary
Tell us about your experience with the Day 2 plenary session, including overall impact, speaker quality, and how effectively it addressed key issues in criminal justice.

Day 2 Sessions
Attended sessions on Day 2? Share your feedback on the breakout sessions you participated in, including content quality, applicability, and presenter effectiveness.