DETROIT (Feb. 25, 2011) - The Journal of Law in Society, a scholarly publication of Wayne State University Law School and the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, is pleased to announce its upcoming symposium titled "Deconstructing the School-to-Prison Pipeline" at 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 25, 2011, in the Law School's Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium.
The symposium will examine the phenomenon of the school-to-prison pipeline, which refers to the policies and practices that systemically push at-risk youth out of mainstream public schools and into the juvenile or criminal justice systems.
"The school-to-prison pipeline has been identified as one of the most important civil rights issues facing our nation today," said Jason Eggert, editor in chief of The Journal. "We hope the symposium will provide a forum to discuss the potential solutions to this national crisis."
Damon T. Hewitt, director of the Education Practice at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, will give the morning keynote address, and Russlynn H. Ali, assistant secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, will give the afternoon keynote address. The event also will feature the following confirmed panelists:
Panel I - Lost opportunities: The criminalization of students
• Mark P. Fancher, staff attorney, ACLU of Michigan Racial Justice Project
• Alexi Nunn Freeman, staff attorney, Advancement Project
• Jeffrey L. Edison, attorney, National Conference of Black Lawyers
• I. India Geronimo, director, Damon J. Keith Law Collection of African American Legal History at Wayne Law
Panel II - Creating an educational environment
• Bill Sower, former regional coordinator, International Institute for Restorative Practices
• Delila Owens, assistant professor and coordinator, School Counseling Program, Wayne State University College of Education
• Johanna Wald, director, Strategic Planning and Development, Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice
Panel III - Structuring legal reform
• Justin Long, assistant professor, Wayne State University Law School
• Kary L. Moss, executive director, ACLU of Michigan
• Daniel J. Losen, senior education law and policy associate, the Civil Rights Project at UCLA
Event registration will begin at 9 a.m. Attendees will break for lunch at 12:15-1:30 p.m. and enjoy a closing reception at 5-6:30 p.m. Visit http://law.wayne.edu/journaloflawinsociety/symposium.php for a full agenda.
This event is free and open to the public. RSVP at http://events.wayne.edu/rsvp/deconstructing-the-school-to-prison-pipeline/#rsvp.
Parking is available in Structure #1 for $4.75 across from the Law School on West Palmer Street. For more information about this event, please contact the Law School dean's office at (313) 577-3933 or send an e-mail to thejournal@wayne.edu.
The Journal of Law in Society
The Journal of Law in Society was established by Wayne Law students in 1997 to provide for the scholarly evaluation of the law in relation to various segments of society. The scholarly arm of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, The Journal addresses social policy issues in a legal context, with participation from legal scholars, jurists, practitioners and students. The Journal is managed and edited by Wayne Law students and published twice annually. Additionally, The Journal board hosts an annual academic symposium every spring.
Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.
For more information about Wayne State University Law School, visit law.wayne.edu.