The Justice Lab
For Faculty interested in developing courses as part of this program, please email Professor Frank Anechiarico.
Program Topics
Upcoming Justice Lab: Immigration and Asylum - Local and Global (Spring 2023)
In the past decade, the global refugee population has more than doubled according to the UN with over 80 million people who have been forcibly displaced worldwide. The Utica area has played a prominent role in refugee resettlement in the United States since the 1970s. The Spring 2023 Justice Lab will be a four-course semester focused on issues of resettlement, religious traditions, and ethical questions related to asylum and immigration policy, both locally and globally.
Courses for the Spring 2023 Justice Lab include:
- Politics of Asylum with Professor Andrea Pena-Vasquez (Government)
- Religion and Immigration in Central New York with Professor Brent Rodriguez-Plate (Religious Studies)
- Philosophy of Immigration with Professor Alessandro Moscaritolo Palacio (Philosophy)
- Justice Laboratory: Internship and Observation with Professor Andrea Pena-Vasquez
Interested students are invited to Apply Here by October 30, 2022
Justice Lab: Community Health & Wellness (Fall 2022)
Community wellness is a holistic concept that includes public safety, care of vulnerable populations, and access to quality medical services and public health (vaccination, mental well-being, sanitation, etc.). The Justice Lab this semester focuses broadly on these issues with particular attention to the homeless population in Utica. Students take four-courses concurrently which includes an internship and regular interaction with local leaders in public health, community wellness, and civic institutions.
Courses for the Fall 2022 Justice Lab include:
- Health Care Systems with Professor Herm Lehman (Biology)
- Urban Homelessness and Social Policy in the US with Professor Gwen Dordick (Government)
- Utica in the Context of US History with Professor Phil Bean (History)
- Justice Laboratory: Internship and Observation with Professor Frank Anechiarico
Justice Lab: Criminal Justice Reform (Spring 2020)
New York State passed two major legal system reforms in 2019 that had a substantial effect on the Oneida County Criminal Justice System: the abolition of cash bail for most offenses and an accelerated and expanded evidence discovery process, both of which took effect in January, 2020. These reforms gave students the opportunity to observe and participate in the implementation of significant changes in criminal procedure. The inaugural Justice Lab featured two concurrent courses, a traditional seminar course taught by Professor Frank Anechiarico and an internship and observation course co-taught by Professor Anechiarico and Utica City Court Judge Ralph Eannace.
Affiliated Programs and Projects
Jurisprudence, Law and Justice Studies
Jurisprudence, law and justice studies is a minor with coursework that provides students with a foundation for understanding how the theory, practice and meaning of law stimulates civic engagement.
American Prison Writing Archive
The American Prison Writing Archive (APWA) is a place where imprisoned people and prison staff can write about and document their experience. It is a site where all who live or work inside can bear witness to what is working and what is not inside American prisons, thus grounding public debate about the American prison crisis in lived experience. In 2017, Professor Doran Larson was awarded $262,000 by the National Endowment of the Humanities for APWA. The three-year grant will enable the APWA to double the size of the archive and increase its search capacities.
Webinar Series
The webinar series covers Black Lives Matter, police use of force, the treatment of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system, domestic violence, and other issues relevant to effective reform.
Contact
Office / Department Name
Levitt Center
Contact Name
Levitt Center
