Mrs. Amalfi Parker Elder
Amalfi joined Praxis International as a Program and Training Specialist in January 2016. Based in New Orleans, Amalfi works with communities around the country who are implementing the model Blueprint for Safety, a comprehensive approach, policy, and protocol to coordinate criminal justice system agencies.
Amalfi develops programming, provides technical assistance and training, conducts on-site consultations, and provides program support to three Demonstration Initiative sites and additional communities as the Blueprint expands nationally.
A foundational principle of the Blueprint for Safety and a critical component of Praxis’ work is to act in ways that reduce unintentional consequences and the disparity of impact on victims and offenders. Amalfi develops tools and provides technical assistance specific to this principle so that each Blueprint community is positioned to assess for and reduce or eliminate differential treatment, unintended or undesired negative consequences, and disparate outcomes for victims and offenders from historically marginalized populations.
Previous experience
Amalfi’s interest in community service and the advancement, liberation and empowerment of women led her to law school where she first joined the movement to end violence against women. As a student attorney in the Tulane Domestic Violence Law Clinic, Amalfi represented survivors obtaining protective orders, divorce and child custody. The Tulane law clinic emphasized comprehensive representation, including safety planning and advocating for a survivor’s needs – legal and non-legal. Amalfi expanded her legal work with survivors in 2011 when she opened a law practice primarily focused on family law and domestic violence.
In 2013, Amalfi became the Interagency Coordinator for the New Orleans Blueprint for Safety, where she facilitated the adaptation and implementation of the model Blueprint for Safety policies in seven criminal justice agencies, from 911 to probation/parole. She worked closely with criminal justice practitioners, community advocates, and service providers to enhance New Orleans’ CCR to domestic violence.
Amalfi’s greatest passion in coordinating the New Orleans Blueprint for Safety was leading the project’s efforts to address disparity of impact. She formed the Disparate Impact Strategic Planning Committee, comprised of local advocates, to assess domestic violence arrests of African American women in New Orleans and to incorporate victims’ lived experiences into Blueprint policies.
