/news-archive/tag/center-for-racial-justice-and-criminal-justice-reform/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Wed, 12 Oct 2022 13:11:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2022/10/12/cesar-cuauhtemoc-garcia-hernandez/ Wed, 12 Oct 2022 13:11:58 +0000 /news/?p=82371 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock welcomes C茅sar Cuauht茅moc Garc铆a Hern谩ndez]]> The free event is open to the public and is part of Bowen鈥檚 Diversity Week. It is hosted by Bowen鈥檚 chapter of the Latin American Law Students Association, and co-sponsored by the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Office of the Chancellor: DEI Fellow Initiatives, the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform, and the law school鈥檚 Student Bar Association. Registration is requested to ensure venue capacity. . For attorney attendees, continuing legal education credit is pending. Hern谩ndez is the Gregory Williams Chair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at Ohio State University where he writes and teaches about the intersection of criminal and immigration law. He is recognized as one of the nation鈥檚 leading experts on the history and legality of criminalizing immigration. His 2019 book, 鈥�,鈥� examines the immigration prison system’s origins, how it currently operates, and why. In his 2015 book 鈥�,鈥� Hern谩ndez tracks the legal developments that have created crimmigration law and highlights crimmigration law’s most salient features. A second edition of 鈥淐rimmigration Law鈥� is scheduled for release later this month. His scholarly articles about the right to counsel for migrants in the criminal justice system, immigration imprisonment, and race-based immigration policing have appeared in the California Law Review, UCLA Law Review, BYU Law Review, Maryland Law Review, and Georgetown Immigration Law Journal, among others. He also publishes the blog crimmigration.com. In 2020, Hern谩ndez delivered the Buck Colbert Franklin Memorial Civil Rights Lecture at the University of Tulsa, named after the pioneering African-American lawyer who devoted countless hours to assisting victims of the Tulsa Race Riots. In 2019, the Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center honored him with its . He is a past Fulbright Scholar and has been a scholar-in-residence at the University of California, Berkeley and Texas Southern University. He is also a past recipient of the Derrick A. Bell, Jr. Award by the Association of American Law Schools Section on Minority Groups, an honor issued to a 鈥渏unior faculty member who, through activism, mentoring, colleagueship, teaching and scholarship, has made an extraordinary contribution to legal education, the legal system or social justice.鈥� Hern谩ndez will be speaking in Bowen鈥檚 Friday Courtroom.]]> /news-archive/2022/08/02/law-school-concludes-judicial-listening-series/ Tue, 02 Aug 2022 12:14:51 +0000 /news/?p=81940 ... Law school concludes judicial listening series]]> Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform together with the hosted a Judicial Listening Series from March 28 through April 14. Events were held in each corner of the state and Little Rock, bringing together communities in these areas and the judges serving them. Samantha Alexander, Philip Hood, Elizabeth Kimble, and Zoya Miller, all community engagement fellows at the Center, planned, coordinated, and moderated the events with the assistance of local judges, under the light supervision of Center co-directors, Anastasia Boles and andr茅 douglas pond cummings. 鈥淓veryone came to listen,鈥� said Alexander. 鈥淭here was a lot of conversation between the participating judges and the community. I believe each group walked away with a deeper understanding and broader perspective.鈥� In many cases, community members discussed their experiences or those of loved ones and/or friends, how they believed the system had operated unjustly, and how that influenced their perception of the judiciary. In response, judges were able to explain their roles in the justice system and how factors such as funding and legislation can impact the judicial process. 鈥淔or example, one concern was that the judges were an extension of law enforcement and that judges, prosecutors, and police officers all work together,鈥� said Hood. 鈥淭he judges were able to address that concern and explain that the judiciary is the last line of defense for justice, including remedying any bias that might be present.鈥� Another topic was how advocates, such as those for mental health or veterans鈥� services, might be involved to provide better outcomes for defendants and keep them out of the court system. 鈥淐ommunity advocates and pastors encouraged the judiciary to look at the cycle and see the person, not necessarily the recurring behavior,鈥� said Kimble. A common thread in each session was the use of technology in the courts. Attendees discussed how Zoom hearings and virtual attendance had improved access to justice in their communities and what changes they hope will stay in place after Covid restrictions end. 鈥淭he series was a great opportunity to open a channel that can lead to real change,鈥� said Miller. At each event, the Center gathered data on individuals鈥� experiences with the Arkansas judiciary. The fellows will use this data to produce a final report that stakeholders can use to assess needs in the areas of racial justice and criminal justice. The Arkansas Judicial Council will continue its ongoing project, through the Center, by conducting future listening series events every few years.聽 Community members and judges are eager to see the listening events continue and expand. The fellows echo that hope. 鈥淲ith this series, the judiciary is really doing something out of the box and continuing to restore public trust in the judiciary,鈥� said Kimble. 鈥淭his is needed and a benefit for the state.鈥� The Judicial Listening Series was created in partnership with the Arkansas Judicial Council and the . The series was funded by a grant from the .]]> /news-archive/2022/03/18/enhanced-community-policing-project/ Fri, 18 Mar 2022 16:56:52 +0000 /news/?p=81190 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Bowen School of Law Announces Financial Gift from Walmart to Create Enhanced Community Policing Project]]> Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform announced that Walmart Inc. has contributed $210,000 to the Center to develop an enhanced community policing project. The program aims to foster greater collaboration between local law enforcement and the communities they serve and protect. The project will apply foundational research to reimagine and enhance law enforcement outreach efforts by working with Walmart and its stores in local markets. This work will include development of training materials, assessment tools, best practices for engaging in local communities, and a pilot program in Northwest Arkansas. 鈥淲almart is committed to strengthening community cohesion through police community engagement programs,鈥� said Frank Johnson, Senior Director, Community Law Enforcement Liaison at Walmart. 鈥淲e recognize that building trust with law enforcement is a key enabler for communities to thrive.鈥� The reimagined program will align with the recommendations from the Arkansas Governor鈥檚 Task Force Report on Policing released in November 2020. One primary recommendation was that law enforcement work more diligently to increase trust within local communities, in part by conducting engagement events in rural and minority communities to build greater trust between citizens and the police, as well as a better understanding of the law. 鈥淭he collaboration between the Center and Walmart can provide immediate outcomes in community policing and improve the relationships between Arkansas communities and law enforcement agencies,鈥� said Center Co-director andr茅 douglas pond cummings. 鈥淲e are enthusiastic about beginning this research and critical work.鈥� The development phase will focus on establishing standards for Walmart stores to collaborate with local law enforcement agencies. Student fellows will research nationwide best practices on community policing programs, design a paradigm for Walmart as a community policing collaborator, and draft procedures and training materials. Participants will be asked to provide input to measure the program鈥檚 success. During the pilot phase, the Center will work with several cities, including in Northwest Arkansas, to deploy the guidelines and training materials. Data from the pilot locations will be used to finalize the program. 鈥淒ata-driven solutions will be a crucial part of this project as we pilot and assess best practices in community policing,鈥� said Center Co-director Anastasia Boles. 鈥淭his collaboration has the potential to significantly impact justice outcomes.鈥� Ultimately, the objective is to scale the program to a national level. Law enforcement agencies and store managers will use the new program model to develop and support local community policing initiatives. 鈥淭his project is an excellent fit with the Center鈥檚 expertise and its other initiatives,鈥� said Theresa Beiner, Bowen鈥檚 dean. 鈥淲e are pleased Walmart has chosen to work with the Center and Bowen.鈥漖]> /news-archive/2021/09/17/walmart-bowen-justice-initiative/ Fri, 17 Sep 2021 15:06:17 +0000 /news/?p=79916 ... Bowen Law School Receives $1 million from Walmart to Fund Court Observation Project]]> Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform. The project will introduce a state-wide court observation initiative that will create and share a transparent body of reliable data and research about Arkansas鈥檚 criminal justice system that is otherwise unavailable in the state. The goal is to use the data collected to craft targeted solutions, such as policy changes and training materials. The project has two inaugural research modules. The first will survey pre-trial detention practices. The second will collect data on criminal charging. 鈥淭he project can provide valuable information and data about how the Arkansas criminal justice system operates. Policymakers can then use this data to develop strategies to improve the criminal justice system in Arkansas,鈥� said Anastasia Boles, a law professor at Bowen and the center鈥檚 co-director. Project faculty and staff will work with consultants, stakeholders and subject-matter experts to design the data collection sheet. After that, student fellows will work with court personnel and the project鈥檚 program manager to gather and compile data from criminal court proceedings throughout Arkansas. Law school faculty will help develop assessments to track student progress. In addition, the project plans to work with faculty from partner institutions each semester to include as court observers a small cohort of undergraduate students who are interested in criminal justice and the project’s research. 鈥淒eveloping the instruments used for court observations and sharing the data this project generates will improve the lives of all Arkansans,鈥� said andr茅 douglas pond cummings, associate dean for faculty development and the center鈥檚 co-director. The primary goal is gathering data about the incarceration for many–particularly nonviolent offenders – and then improving outcomes for those already impacted by the justice system in its current form. These solutions will, for the first time in Arkansas, be based on accurate observed data that can be shared across the nation, building an infrastructure for positive change that can eventually have a global impact. 鈥淭he project is positioned to become a valuable part of Bowen鈥檚 core values of access to justice, public service, and professionalism,鈥� said Dean Theresa Beiner. 鈥淚 am grateful for Walmart, Inc.鈥檚 support.鈥漖]> /news-archive/2021/09/01/bowen-center-for-racial-justice-and-criminal-justice-reform/ Wed, 01 Sep 2021 21:01:53 +0000 /news/?p=79773 ... Law school creates Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform]]> Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform. The Center recently received approval by both the 糖心Vlog传媒 System Board of Trustees and the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. The Center鈥檚 mission is to advance legal equity, access to justice, and fairness in Arkansas and the region. Bowen professors Anastasia Boles and andr茅 douglas pond cummings co-founded the Center and will act as its co-directors. 鈥淭he Center will provide educational and professional development opportunities for Bowen law students, empowering them to become the next generation of legal leaders,鈥� said Boles. 鈥淩esearch fellowships, such as the newly created Sam Reeves Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform Fellowship, will provide stipends for student researchers.鈥� In addition, the Center will focus on specific criminal justice research projects while offering workshops and educational events for the legal community and the community as a whole. 鈥淭he Center is enthusiastic about engaging with stakeholders across the state, including the legal and law enforcement communities, academics, students, and community members, in developing research tools and sharing data to improve the lives of all Arkansans,鈥� said cummings. Another part of the Center鈥檚 mission is to increase diversity in law school and the legal profession. The law school recently received a $25,000 grant from the Building Black Communities Fund, coordinated by the Arkansas Community Foundation and the Arkansas Black Philanthropy Collaborative, to create and implement a law school pipeline program that will include an LSAT prep course as well as prospective student visits to the law school to sit in on classes and learn how to navigate the law school application process. The course will be part of Bowen鈥檚 existing pipeline programs with Arkansas historically Black colleges and universities. An advisory group of leaders, policymakers, and criminal justice experts from across the state representing a range of perspectives and experiences will support the Center鈥檚 work. This will ensure the Center and its initiatives are designed and executed in a way that maximizes collaboration, engagement, efficiency, transparency, and credibility. 鈥淭he Center is firmly rooted in Bowen鈥檚 core values of access to justice, public service, and professionalism,鈥� said Dean Theresa M. Beiner. 鈥淭he events over the past year have brought these values to the forefront. Many students choose to attend law school because they seek to improve their communities and to be part of local, regional, and national conversations about the legal system. The Center, through research opportunities and educational programs, will give them the opportunity to achieve those goals.鈥� The Center will build on other Bowen initiatives, including the Racial Disparities in the Arkansas Criminal Justice System Research Project. That project released a 2015 report analyzing racial disparities in Arkansas criminal sentencing and has worked with the community to examine criminal justice issues. In addition, the Rural Practice Incubator Project trains and supports new attorneys who wish to open law practices in underserved counties in Arkansas. Bowen鈥檚 public service externship program also provides students opportunities to work in federal, state, and local court systems, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. 鈥淭he Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice at the Bowen Law School builds on a long-standing institutional commitment to foster discussion of racial equity issues in our communities,鈥� said 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Chancellor Christina Drale. 鈥淐hancellor Joel Anderson made this commitment explicit in 2003 when he implemented the annual Racial Attitudes Survey to promote racial equity through research and dialogue. We are proud to continue this public service tradition through our new center at the Bowen School of Law.鈥漖]> /news-archive/2021/08/31/khan-and-gray-join-faculty/ Tue, 31 Aug 2021 13:49:42 +0000 /news/?p=79703 ... Bowen Law school welcomes Khan and Gray to faculty]]> Dr. Almas Khan joins the faculty as an assistant professor of law. She will be teaching Research, Writing & Analysis I and II. She holds an M.A. from the University of California, Irvine, a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia. Her scholarship focuses on law, literature, and citizenship studies. She researches how intellectual movements in law and letters have sparked the reimagination of U.S. citizenship since the Civil War, with a focus on African American, working-class, and women鈥檚 experiences. Khan鈥檚 research has been published in several edited collections and in journals including the “Chicago Journal of International Law”, the “Washburn Law Journal,” and the “Cambridge Journal of Postcolonial Literary Inquiry.” Organizations such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Legal Writing Institute have supported her scholarship. She has also presented at conferences sponsored by the American Studies Association, the Association for the Study of Law, Culture and the Humanities, as well as the African American Intellectual History Society. Dr. Tyson-Lord (T.L.) Gray joins the faculty as a visiting assistant professor of law. He will be teaching Research, Writing & Analysis I and II. Gray will also have a scholarly affiliation with Bowen鈥檚 new Center for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform. He holds an M.Div. from the Morehouse University School of Religion, a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt, and a J.D. from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. His scholarship focuses on environmental law, food law, and cannabis law and policy. His research interests are in the intersection of racial justice and environmental law and in legislation that would redress the harms caused to communities impacted by cannabis prohibition and policies that promote equity in the emerging cannabis industry. Prior to joining the Bowen faculty, Gray was a research associate at the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty and taught Professional Responsibility at NYU Stern School of Business. He also spent two years in practice at the Richman Law Group, where he assisted in litigation against corporations in the areas of environmental law and food law. 鈥淲e are excited to welcome both Professor Khan and Professor Gray to Bowen,鈥� said Dean Theresa Beiner. 鈥淭heir research and scholarship will add to the conversation on a variety of legal and social issues, and I believe our students will benefit greatly from their expertise.鈥漖]>