Law and Public Policy
Mission Statement:
The ACJS Law and Public Policy Section (LPPS) seeks to raise the awareness of ACJS members to law and policy concerns relevant to criminal justice issues. Our objective is to support members of the ACJS with research, curriculum development and networking. Individuals are encouraged to offer their academic findings to all level of governments for law and policy development.
Any current member of ACJS is welcome as a new member of the Law and Public Policy Section.
TO JOIN THE SECTION
Only members of ACJS can join a Section. To join ACJS and add a Section, complete the membership application. If you are an existing member and would like to ADD a Section to your membership, please select the Section (only) on the membership application and complete the payment process.
Section dues are $10.
Annual Meeting, March 2024 (Chicago)
The section had an official business meeting at the March 2024 annual meeting. The section did not select a Justice Innovators award at the conference.
The section hosted two showcase events.
The first showcase panel was Law and Public Policy Section Showcase Panel One: Research on Policing in America with members from the section: Chuck MacLean, Metropolitan State University School of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, Delores D. Jones-Brown, John Jay College of Criminal Justice (retired), Arthur Garrison, Kutztown University, and Sheryl Pelletier, Jacksonville State University.
The second showcase panel was Law and Public Policy Section Showcase Panel Two: Marijuana Policy, Juvenile Justice, and Human Trafficking with members from the section: Arthur Garrison, Kutztown University, Kellie Wallace, Ph.D., Lasell University, Stuti Subbaiah Kokkalera, Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice, and Cassandra Mary Frances Young, Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Sam Houston State University.
March 2023 Annual Meeting Joint Section Social
Annual Meeting, March 2019 (Baltimore)
From right to left: Dale Willits, Washington State University, Heidi S. Bonner, East Carolina University, and Andrew Costello, NYIT.
Annual Meeting, February 2018 (New Orleans)
The Law and Public Policy Section organized three showcase panels for the February 2018 Annual Meeting.
The first panel was Law and Public Policy Section Showcase: Reflections on Crime and the Criminal Justice System. The panel was comprised of practitioners and community leaders who discussed the causes of crime and how crime policy should be constructed. Panelists discussed both the politics and policy of criminal justice operations.
The second panel was Law and Public Policy Section Showcase: Reflections on Race, Crime and Politics. The panelist of criminal justice practitioners the issue of crime and race, particularly slavery to Jim Crow, the disproportionate incarceration of Blacks has been a topic of debate within the Academy and American politics. Theories on crime and race have ranged from the criminal justice system being racist to Blacks being criminogenic either by birth or by culture. Panelists of criminal justice practitioners will discuss the issue of crime and race.
Both panels hosted local New Orleans criminal justice and policy leaders.
From right to left: Flozell Daniels, Jr., Board of Directors, Chair of the New Orleans Urban League Policy Committee, Norma Broussard DuBois, Director of Felony DWI & Traffic Safety Outreach Jefferson Parish District Attorney, Leon A. Cannizzaro, Jr., Orleans Parish District Attorney and Arthur Garrison, moderator, Law and Public Policy Chair.
The second panel was Law and Public Policy Section Showcase: The Goal of the Academy, Politics or Science?. The panelist discussed the issue that each year hundreds of articles and studies are published by academics on the causes of crime and theories on how to address the operation of the criminal justice system. The conclusions of these many studies are used to support the liberal or conservative political agendas of policy makers and politicians.
From top left to right: Arthur Garrison, Section Chair and Moderator, Faith Lutze, Washington State University; Francis M. Williams, Plymouth State University; Jason Williams, Montclair State University; Michael J. DeValve, Fayetteville State University; seated left to right: John Paul Wright, University of Cincinnati and Delores Jones-Brown, Professor, John Jay College (Retired)
2018 Section Award Winner Andrea Armstrong
2018 Winner Justice Policy Innovator Award, Andrea Armstrong pictured with Section Chair, Arthur H. Garrison.
Andrea Armstrong is a professor of law at Loyola University New Orleans, College of Law and a founding member of the Promise of Justice Initiative--a non-profit dedicated to the humane, fair, and equal treatment of individuals in the criminal justice system. Her work in criminal justice includes death penalty reform, conditions of confinement, eliminating poor representation of criminal defendants and ending racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. She serves on the board of the Capital Appeals Project.
Annual Meeting, March 2017 (Kansas City)
The Law and Public Policy Section organized two showcase panels at the March 2017 Annual Meeting.
The first panel was Law and Public Policy Showcase Event: American Law Enforcement – What Police Want CJ Scholars to Understand about Policing. The panelist discussed the literature of policing in America provides both depth and width in understating police operations, police administration and policy psychology. The purpose of the panel was to provide an avenue for five local police chiefs to discuss their perspectives and critiques on how the profession of policing is studied by the Academy and how its research could improve policing on the street and operational levels.
The second panel was Law and Public Policy Showcase Event: The “Ferguson Effect” Race and Police Interactions: Academics and Media Portrayals. In light of the events in New York (Eric Gardner), Baltimore (Freddie Gray), Ferguson (Michael Brown), Chicago (Laquan McDonald), Cleveland (Tamir Rice and John Crawford), St. Paul (Philando Castile), and Baton Rouge (Alton Sterling) among many other recent incidents of police use of deadly force on Black males; a narrative has developed that police are killing Blacks with impunity. A panel of police chiefs discussed their perspectives on police use of force, types of force, race and policing, the intentional ambush and killings of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, the legitimacy of the “Ferguson Effect” and how the police are portrayed in the media. The chiefs reflected on whether the dynamics of race and policing is as bad as the academy and the media portray it to be and what impact does the media and the Academy have on street level policing in Black and minority communities.
Both panels hosted local police chiefs from the Kansas City area.
From left to right panelists: Chris Skinrood, Chief, Riverside Missouri Police Department; Robert Kuehl, Major, Deputy Superintendent, Kansas Regional Police Academy, Arthur H. Garrison, panel moderator, Chair of Law and Public Policy Section; Det. Brad Lemon, President & Department Liaison, Kansas City, MO Police Union; and Captain Charles Huth, Staff Inspector, Chief’s Office, Kansas City Police Department.
2016 Denver Section Award, Mitchell R. Morrissey
Mitchell R. Morrissey was elected District Attorney of Denver in November 2004 and was sworn into office on January 11, 2005. As the chief prosecutor for the Second Judicial District he is responsible for the prosecution of more than 6,000 felony and 18,000 misdemeanor criminal cases every year. He is nationally known for his expertise in DNA technology, applying that technology in criminal prosecutions and working to ensure that DNA science is admissible in our courtrooms. He recognized the potential of DNA science early on and prosecuted the first trial in Denver to utilize DNA. Mr. Morrissey is nationally recognized for establishing a systematic process for the use of DNA evidence to solve cold cases and DNA familial searches to identify suspects in rape and property crime cases; twenty-one percent of property crimes leave blood and saliva evidence. Mr. Morrissey believes that a prosecutor should be academically minded as well as practical in approaching methods for solving crime.
At the 2016 Law and Public Policy Section meeting in Denver, Colorado: From left to right: Melanie Worsley (Section Secretary), Brenda Rowe, Greggory LaBerge, Director, Forensics and Evidence Division, Denver D.A. Office – representing Mitchell R. Morrissey (2016 award recipient), Arthur H. Garrison (Section Chair), Amy Memaen.
2015 Orlando Section Award,
Robert Westley
Robert Westley, Public Defender, 9th Judicial Circuit Orange and Osceolo Counties Florida. Mr. Westley in an elected Public Defender with a dedication to making sure all defendants are to be treated as human beings by both his attorneys and the criminal justice system. He operationalizes this principle by telling his public defenders, “never waive speedy trial” and “always be ready to go to trial.” Mr. Westley asserts that by doing these two things consistently, you will always get the best result for your client. When it comes to pleas and engaging the prosecutor, he says, “Be a warrior and you will be treated as a warrior, be a beggar and you will be treated as a beggar.”
At the 2015 Law and Public Policy Section meeting in Orlando Florida: From left to right: Randall Grometstein (Immediate Past Chair), John Cencich (Vice Chair), Robert Westley (2015 award recipient), Arthur H. Garrison (Section Chair), Brenda Riley and David Jones.
Other Section Meeting Photos
