In September, the Justice Lab will kick off a new speaker series examining how research can help reduce scale of incarceration and other punishment, make communities safer, and promote social justice. Once monthly, researchers from a range of disciplines will present innovative work that examines the role of research in reducing criminalization and punishment, has sometimes fueled punitive excess, and assess the potential for university-community partnerships that democratize research and contribute to transformational change in policy and practice.

Speakers include:

• September 11, 2023: Michael Jacobson, founding Executive Director at the CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance and a sociology professor at the CUNY Graduate Center.
• October 9, 2023: Robert Vargas, Associate Professor of Sociology and Deputy Dean of the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago.
• November 6, 2023: Tracey Meares, Walton Hale Hamilton Professor and a Founding Director of the Justice Collaboratory at Yale Law School.
• December 11, 2023: Monica Bell, Professor of Law and Counselor to the Dean at Yale Law School and an Associate Professor of Sociology at Yale University.
• February 12, 2024: Charles Lea, Assistant Professor of Social Work at Columbia University and a Faculty Affiliate of the Columbia Population Research Center.
• March 4, 2024: Emily Wang, Professor in the Yale School of Medicine and directs the SEICHE Center for Health and Justice.
• April 8, 2024: Andrew Papachristos, Professor of Sociology and Faculty Fellow at Northwestern's Institute for Policy Research, and the Faculty Director of Corners: the Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science.
• And others.

All presentations will be recorded and made available on the Justice Lab website. Speakers will present their work in-person at The Interchurch Center (61 Claremont Avenue, New York, NY). Participants may also join online via Zoom. In-person registration is available to the Columbia community on a first come, first served basis, and speakers will be announced as they are confirmed. For more information and to register for upcoming events, visit our events webpage.

This series is supported by funding from the Institute of Social and Economic Research and Policy (ISERP) at Columbia University.

Columbia University makes every effort to accommodate individuals with disabilities. Please notify the Columbia Health Office at least 10 days in advance if you require closed captioning, sign-language interpretation or any other disability accommodations. Alternatively, Disability Services can be reached at 212.854.2388 and [email protected].