Speakers:
Daniel Fetsco, University of Wyoming
Dr. Ashley Nellis, American University
Tommy Rivera III

Date: Wednesday, March 4
Time: 9:30am - 10:45am
Location: Salon H,I, J

Keynote Address: "Redemption as Public Safety: Reforming Sentencing Through Evidence and Restorative Justice"

About the Speakers:

Dan Fetsco is an attorney, professor, and author. He has served as a public defender, prosecutor, and represented the Wyoming Board of Parole and Department of Corrections. Dan was Deputy and Executive Director for the Board of Parole for 10 years. Since 2017, he has lectured in Criminal Justice & Sociology at the University of Wyoming. Dan has published on parole and reentry and has a forthcoming book, Cutting Life Short, out in April 2026. The book explores clemency, parole, and profiles people in Wyoming serving life sentences, some released through commutation and parole. Dan also serves as secretary for Compassion Wyoming, an advocacy group focused on second chances and life sentence reform.

Dr. Nellis is a nationally recognized scholar in the study of punishment in America's criminal legal system. Her research focus on life sentences and long-term imprisonment is cited widely because of its unique contribution to the field of criminology and its broad accessibility to policymakers, advocates, litigators, and the public. Dr. Nellis is the author of two books and eight book chapters. Her work has appeared in scholarly journals and law reviews, she regularly appears in the media, and she presents regularly before numerous professional and academic audiences. Dr. Nellis has also served as a sentencing expert in nearly a dozen cases, evaluating the fairness and proportionality of life sentences imposed on young people. She is an Assistant Professor at American University.

Thomas R. Rivera III is a system-impacted practitioner, psychology student, artist, and public speaker focused on juvenile sentencing, trauma, and rehabilitation. Sentenced to life as a teenager, he served twenty-six years in prison before being released under the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Miller v. Alabama. He now speaks to universities and community audiences about desistance, human development, and the real-world harms of extreme sentencing. Rivera argues that redemption strengthens public safety when systems use individualized assessment, periodic review, and restorative approaches that reduce harm and build safer communities. He is pursuing a J.D. to help turn evidence and lived experience into effective sentencing reforms.