Department of Justice Studies Statement

The recent death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have left African American/Black communities, and their allies, profoundly shaken. Their deaths are not isolated incidents, but rather represent a longstanding legacy of violence and brutalization by police organizations against communities of color.

Throughout the history of this country, police agencies have enforced slave codes and black codes, ignored or condoned lynchings and other forms of racial terror, enforced the segregationist Jim Crow regime, and helped to build the contemporary era of mass incarceration.

The nationwide protests of our time urge us not only to reflect on the centuries of injustice against Black individuals and communities, but to act immediately to end it.

We stand in solidarity with all those who have expressed outrage against police violence, with our sisters and brothers of all colors and creeds who stand together to create social change, as well as those law enforcement officers who have joined protestors to denounce state-sanctioned violence.

We recognize how systemic racism is deeply embedded into social institutions, including Universities. In the Department of Justice Studies, we are committed to examining our curriculum, resources, and practices to become more aligned with social justice values and anti-racist practices. 

Below are some initiatives that will be undertaken by our faculty:

1. Removal of scholarships with a legacy of white supremacy.

We pledge to divest from student scholarships that are tied to white supremacy such as our J. Edgar Hoover and Willard “Huck” Schmidt scholarships.

2. Funding initiatives for college students.

We are committed to identifying and making socially just funding opportunities available to students who encounter challenges paying for their education.

3. Reforming, demilitarizing, or defunding police departments.

We embrace our wide spectrum of scholars and practitioners, all with different methods but similar goals, who aim to end state-sanctioned violence. 

4. Curricular innovations.

We will work to identify gaps in our curriculum to help students fully understand the relationship between structural racism, the criminal legal system, and state-sanctioned violence. 

5. Community panels/discussions.

We commit to developing lectures on state-sanctioned violence, police brutality, and mass incarceration that will be open to students and the community.

6. Systemic racism.

We recognize that systemic racism and state-sanctioned violence have historically impacted the lives of many groups. Our approach is to be inclusive in our initiatives and programming. 

7. Faculty hiring.

We remain committed to hiring critical scholars whose work prioritizes police and prison abolition, demilitarization, racism, anti-blackness, and community restorative justice.

 

In solidarity,
The Department of Justice Studies Faculty

 

 

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Attention All Students!

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• Important Information for Fall 2020 Classes

For Fall 2020, the Department of Justice Studies' courses will be offered online. As you register for Fall classes, you will see two options for online classes:

Synchronous: classes that will have scheduled online meeting times via Zoom.      (example: M/W 9:00-10:15)

Asynchronous: classes that will not have scheduled online meeting times.

 

• New Student Aid Grants

Visit the SJSU Cares Act website for more information on eligibility and how to submit a grant request.

 

• Credit/No Credit Grading Option for Spring 2020

As of April 7th, students can change their individual course grades from A, B, C, D, F grading scheme to Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) grading scheme. This is only applicable to Spring 2020 courses. If you are considering the CR/NC grading option, please download this PDF to review what the CR/NC grading scheme entails if you do decide to switch. To review frequently asked questions or to submit a request, please visit the Registrar's page HERE.

More information to follow.

 

• Listed Internships for Summer 2020 and Fall 2020

Due to COVID-19, many internship sites have been affected. Here is a short list of available internships for Summer 2020 and Fall 2020. Make sure to check back regularly, as it is updated as more information comes available.

 

• How do I find a Justice Studies or a Forensic Science major advisor?

Major Advisor online ZOOM links can be found HERE. 

 

• Where do I go when I have a quick question?

Justice Studies Department MAIN OFFICE Virtual Hours (ZOOM)

Spring 2020 Office Hours

Monday - Friday:
10:00 am - 12:00 pm Pacific Time (US and Canada)

(You may also reach out to us via email: justice-studies@sjsu.edu)

 

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android:

https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/106745140

Or iPhone one-tap:

US: +16699006833,,106745140#  or +13462487799,,106745140#

Or Telephone:

Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location)

US: +1 669 900 6833  or +1 346 248 7799  or +1 253 215 8782  or +1 301 715 8592  or +1 312 626 6799  or +1 646 876 9923 

Meeting ID: 106 745 140

International numbers available: https://sjsu.zoom.us/u/adcM4YELti

Or an H.323/SIP room system:

H.323:
162.255.37.138
Meeting ID: 106 745 140

SIP: 106745140@vip2.zoomcrc.com

   

• Important information regarding Graduation Applications

All graduation paperwork, including Graduation Application, Major/Minor Forms, and Substitution Forms, must be signed off by your advisor electronically.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your JS or FS major advisor online via email or ZOOM HERE.

 

• CAPS is operating all of its services remotely.

As of April 8th, CAPS is operating all of its services remotely. Students can receive services by calling the CAPS main line at (408) 924-5910 during their hours:

Monday - Thursday:
8:30 AM - 5:30 PM

Friday:
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Services are being provided either by phone or video conference, utilizing Zoom Health for our video sessions—a secure, encrypted, HIPAA compliant service.

Individual personal and educational counseling, as well as clinical case management appointments, are available and students can get a scheduled appointment within 7-10 days. Crisis intervention services are currently being covered by our clinical counselors during business hours. After-hour crisis intervention services continue to be available by calling the main line at (408) 924-5910, and selecting option 4. Psychiatric services are available Tuesday - Thursday, by calling the Student Health Center appointment line at (408) 924-6122.

For more information, please visit the CAPS website.

 

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Welcome Our New Department of Justice Studies Faculty!

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Dr. Mark Barash

Dr. Mark Barash has earned his Ph.D. in Forensic Genetics from Bond University, Australia in 2014. His research focused on the genetics of the craniofacial morphology and predicting externally visible traits from a DNA sample. His work has been recognized at international level through several awards and peer-reviewed publications. After graduation he has continued for a post-doctoral fellowship in the Center for Forensic Science at the University of Technology Sydney, where he was involved in multi-disciplinary research, teaching forensic science curriculum and co-supervising over 15 undergraduate and graduate students.

Mark’s passion to forensic science began in 2001, when he joined the Division of Identification and Forensic Science (DIFS) in the Israeli Police, where he worked for almost 9 years as a forensic DNA reporting officer in the rank of Chief Inspector. During his career in Police he analyzed biological evidence from hundreds of criminal cases, including robberies, sexual assaults, homicides and terrorist attacks.

Dr. Barash’s research interests span multidisciplinary areas such as craniofacial genetics, anthropology, biometrics, forensic genealogy, secondary DNA transfer and implementation of massively parallel sequencing in operational casework. Mark’s primary research focuses on bioinformatic analysis of human and microbial DNA evidence towards prediction of externally visible traits, such as facial appearance and pigmentation, as well as other characteristics of potential investigative value on a person-of-interest.

Dr. Barash strongly believes in the importance of understanding both the strengths and the limitations of forensic science, which led him to establish a forensic consulting company “GATACA”, providing independent expert opinion and DNA testing services on criminal and civil cases for private and legal enforcement customers.

 

Dr. Jodie Warren

Dr. Jodie Warren earned her Ph.D. from Simon Fraser University in the School of Criminology in 2018. Her research was recognized with distinction and the presentation of the Dean’s Convocation medal. Dr. Warren’s research interests include forensic entomology and estimating time since colonization of insects using innovative techniques that employ remote sensing to infer an estimated post-mortem interval in death investigations. Dr. Warren’s most recent research interests involve applying those same techniques to age bloodstains to estimate time since bloodshed in death investigations. She teaches courses in forensic science and death investigation as well as courses in biological explanations and psychological explanations of criminal and deviant behavior. Dr. Warren is proud of her First Nations ancestry and her membership in  the Métis Nation of British Columbia.

Dr. Grace Howard

Grace Howard earned her Ph.D. in Political Science at Rutgers University in 2017. She was an American Fellow with the American Association of University Women from 2016-2017 and is Co-Director of the Rutgers University Informed Consent Project.

Grace has authored several published works, including The Gender of Crime (2nd edition), “The Limits of Pure White: Raced Reproduction in the Methamphetamine Crisis,” in the Women’s Rights Law Reporter, and “Informed or Misinformed Consent?: Abortion Policy in the United States,” published in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law.

Grace’s research areas include law and society, bioethics, the politics of reproduction and reproductive law, gender and public policy, feminist theory and critical race theory. She is currently working on a manuscript that examines the dimensions of legal personhood of pregnant people through the lens of pregnancy-specific crime. Grace is a certified cat lady and sci-fi nerd.

 

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Graduate Programs: M.S. Justice Studies and M.S. Criminology

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 Are you interested in continuing your education in justice studies?

By obtaining an M.S. in Justice Studies, graduates are prepared for careers in criminal justice administration, research and policy centers, public institutions, community organizations and nonprofit agencies, as well as for doctoral programs and research positions in public agencies.

If you are interested in furthering your education in justice, we encourage you to learn about the opportunities available to you in the Department of Justice Studies.

For more information about what the program entails or if you have any specific questions, please visit the Graduate Page.