DETROIT (March 30, 2012) - Wayne State University Law School is pleased to host a lecture by Franklin E. Zimring, the William G. Simon Professor of Law and Wolfen Distinguished Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. Zimring will present "Lessons from a city that became safe: What, if anything, can Detroit learn about crime from New York City" at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 4, in Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

Zimring, who received his bachelor of arts from Wayne State in 1963, joined the Berkeley School of Law faculty in 1985 as director of the Earl Warren Legal Institute. He was appointed the first Wolfen Distinguished Scholar in 2006. He was a member of the University of Chicago law faculty as Llewellyn Professor of Law and director of the Center for Studies in Criminal Justice before that. Zimring's major fields of interest are criminal justice and family law, with special emphasis on the use of empirical research to inform legal policy. He is best known for his studies on the determinants of the death rate from violent attacks; the impact of pretrial diversion from the criminal justice system; and criminal sanctions.

"We are honored to host a lecture by renowned criminologist and legal scholar Franklin Zimring," said Wayne Law Dean Robert M. Ackerman. "His insights into this issue are particularly relevant today."

For more information on the lecture, call 313-577-6497 or email b.kersey@wayne.edu.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution 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.