News and views for the UB community
Published February 14, 2020
Experts that include formerly incarcerated individuals and professionals working in the field of criminal justice reform will meet at UB on March 4 to take part in a panel discussion on “Crime and Justice Issues in Western New York.”
Part of the events launching the Department of Sociology’s undergraduate major in criminology, the discussion will focus on experiences with the criminal justice system, as well as past and ongoing reform initiatives. It will take place at 6 p.m. in the Student Union Theatre, North Campus.
Panelists include Cindi McEachon, executive director of Peaceprints of WNY; Rebecca Town, a staff attorney with Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo Inc.; and Jerome Wright, Western New York organizer for the New York Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement.
“We’re excited to offer our new bachelor’s of criminology in response to growing demand from students interested in pursuing careers in the crime, law and justice professions, as well as those intending to pursue further studies in law and criminology,” says Kristen Schultz Lee, associate professor of sociology, director of undergraduate studies and co-organizer of the panel discussion with sociology student Eric Iglesias. “These events are a way for us to showcase the critical conversations happening in our criminology courses at UB surrounding crime, punishment and inequality.”
In addition to this panel, the department will host other events this semester — all are free and open to the public — to celebrate the launch of the new major: