This article appears in the Nov. 28, 2014 edition of New Canaan Exchange Express newsletter, published by the New Canaan Exchange Club, New Cannaan, Connecticut.  It meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month (7pm cocktails, 8pm dinner) at The Roger Sherman Inn, 195 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan, CT.

Nick Yanicelli is one of a dedicated group of professionals from the fields of law, academia, business, religion and corrections, who took a unique approach to the problem of mass incarceration in Connecticut and the United States and wrote a book – together! The book is titled, The Justice Imperative – How Hyper-Incarceration Has hijacked the American Dream

He will share their findings with you and discuss one of the most important civil rights issues of the 21st century, including concerns you should have as a citizen and as a taxpayer, where your money is going and what it is doing. He will also talk about whether or not communities are safer, how smart we are on crime and what is being done about it.

Nick Yanicelli. President of Malta Justice Initiative, is a retired corporate sales and marketing executive, having worked for investment banks in NYC and Houston for 30 years, following seven years with the Pennwalt Engineering Corporation in New Jersey and Texas.

He currently serves on the board of the Norwalk Hospital Whittington Cancer Center Institutional Review Board, the State Board of the Home Builders Association of Connecticut, the Fairfield County Board of the Home Builders and Remodelers Association, and is an active member of the Senior Men’s Club of New Canaan.