Welcome to the Department of Justice Studies at San José State University, one of four schools and seven departments in the College of Applied Sciences and Arts. This has been an exciting year for our department and we look forward to a successful Spring semester.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. De Giorgi, who was appointed book review editor of the prestigious journal Punishment & Society and Dr. Harris who received a Guggenhiem Grant for her work on desistance in sexual offending.
We are also excited to announce our new partnership with Natasha’s Justice Project, an effort brought to fruition by Dr. Steven Lee. This collaboration has led to the development of the NJP Forensic and Investigative Genetics Institute, whose mission is “to eliminate the nation’s rape kit backlog crisis and empower survivors of sexual assault through education, advocacy, and funding”. This collaborative effort will provide opportunities for our students as well as interdisciplinary opportunities for Social Work, Nursing, and Journalism.
Our department is committed to the success of students, thus we continue to develop and implement innovative efforts to enhance retention, persistence, and graduation. This spring, we will be offering 100w workshops throughout the semester, an open house for those interested in graduate school, additional intensive advising sessions, as well as peer-to-peer advising. We have also increased opportunities for student engagement in the department, across the university, and in our communities.
We will continue building our Human Rights Program, which was launched in this past Fall. Under the direction of Dr. William Armaline and Dr. Deric Shannon, the program has already reached unprecedented levels of success and will host its 2nd Annual Lecture Series on March 6th, 4-6 PM in Eng. 189.
This semester, our Ann Lucas Lecture Series finishes its 4th year when we host Dr. Becky Pettit to discuss her book “Invisible Men: Mass Incarceration and the Myth of Black Progress” on April 10th from 3-5 PM in Eng. 189. Our Forensic Science Seminar Series exposes our students to national and international experts in the field and has a great line-up for this academic year.
Our student groups continue to be highly active and will be raising funds over the next couple of months to attend the Annual Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Conference in Dallas, TX and their 3rd Annual Confidence Challenge in April.
Lastly, we are launching Themis, our student operated, peer-reviewed journal in early May. Please check back for more information.
Please take a look at our new website, as we have provided information about our department, students, and faculty. We hope you find the information useful.
Sincerely,
