Dear LSJ Alumni:
It is wonderful time in the life of the Law, Societies, and Justice Program!
After years of pining for our own dedicated space, the moment has finally arrived! We are still settling into our new digs on the mezzanine level of Smith Hall (between the 2nd and 3rd floors), but we are much enjoying the opportunity to enjoy each other’s company. And we are excited to share a corridor with the Bridges Center for Labor Studies and the Center for Human Rights.… Read more
As of this fall, Law, Societies, and Justice has a new home! The program’s staff and faculty offices are now located in the Smith Hall Mezzanine, in between the 2nd and 3rd floors of Smith.
Thanks to this new space, students and visitors to the program will now be greeted by the friendly faces of Elizabeth Martin, LSJ Program Assistant, and Alex Lynch, LSJ Adviser, whose offices are located in the new spacious reception area in Smith M253. The new reception area includes a cozy place for… Read more
The recent growth of the Law, Societies, and Justice Program is no more evident than with the recent addition of three new positions.
One faculty member and two new staff recently joined LSJ: Stephen Meyers as Assistant Professor, Alex Lynch as Academic Adviser, and Marilyn Cope as Administrator. Each of them will provide important support as LSJ continues to grow, enabling the program to better serve students, alumni, and the broader community.
Stephen Meyers holds a joint appointment in LSJ… Read more
Originally titled, "Harsh prison sentences swell ranks of lifers and raise questions about fairness, study finds", By Deborah Bach in UW Today
Stricter state sentencing laws in Washington have swelled the ranks of inmates serving life sentences to nearly one in five.
And some lifers… Read more
Can a prisoner chart a successful life course after a lengthy incarceration? Can someone find redemption after committing a serious crime?
These are amongst the questions explored in a recent radio documentary that involved LSJ Professor Katherine Beckett, current and former LSJ students, and two Canadian journalists. The radio program, Cited, tells the story of Jeff Coats, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison at the age of 14 after he was convicted of robbery, conspiracy to… Read more
As happens with many students, Timothy Wettack was transformed by one college course more than any other.
That course, “Anthropology of Prisons”, taught by Lorna Rhodes, was one that he found fascinating. “My eyes and mind were opened to things I have never thought about, seen, or questioned in any way,” he later wrote.
His interest in prisons was so great that he sought out Professor Rhodes after he graduated with an LSJ degree in December 2010. She helped him gain entry to a… Read more