On November 12, 2015, students, faculty and staff gathered on the front steps of the LSU Law Center to honor and celebrate beloved professor and co-dean, Cheney Joseph. Students paused for a moment of respect for Professor Joseph before raising cans of Natty Light and cheering excitedly for him. Read more…
By: Bill Schulz
One of the most talked-about issues this election season is criminal justice reform. While the specifics vary from candidate to candidate, there is rising, bipartisan support for widespread changes to the way the criminal justice system works in America. Among the changes being considered is the idea that reintegrating those convicted of crimes into the community’s economic environment will help rehabilitate them while also reducing the rate of recidivism. The United States Department of Justice has recently published the results of a five-year study of recidivism rates amongst those released from prison in 2005 across thirty different states. The DOJ concluded that by 2010 nearly 80% had been rearrested and nearly 60% had been convicted of new offenses.[1] This is catastrophic and suggests that once convicted, many inmates face a depressingly predictable future of rearrest and subsequent return to prison with little time spent gainfully contributing to society. A possible solution to this problem, as noted above, is the assisted reintegration of released offenders into society. A key element to this reintegration is gainful employment. This factor is understood to be critical to avoiding future criminal behavior. This assumption though, while backed by socioeconomic research, is not without controversy, as three separate studies have demonstrated. (more…)
By: Annie Beckstrom
The fall semester at Paul M. Hebert Law Center has been one of transition. With the departure of Chancellor Weiss, students, faculty, and the surrounding legal community speculate as to the individual bestowed with the task of filling the current void and leading LSU Law into a new era of development. Dr. Jane Cassidy serves on the search commission responsible for selecting the new dean and has provided helpful insight into the nature of the search process. (more…)
By: Jacob Longman
The Louisiana Law Review is hosting a symposium on sentencing reform titled, “Throw Away the Key: Sentencing Reform in the 21st Century” on Friday, January 22. Theories will be debated and solutions to the problems which plague our prison system will be proffered. If you intend to practice criminal law or have an interest in the high rates of incarceration in our state, the symposium is worth attending. (more…)
By: Halee Snellgrove Maturin
Paul M. Hebert Law Center will host its 3rd annual Apprenticeship Week program on January 4-8, 2016. The 170 participants of this program will consist of 2L and 3L law students who are looking to get one more course credit under their belt while also receiving a five-day educational insight into various legal topics. During this week, these students will be divided into one of twelve available course sections, each of which is taught by various lawyers and professionals in our Baton Rouge community. This Apprenticeship Week program gives students an opportunity to get hands-on experience in various legal fields, gaining knowledge that likely would not have been taught in their other law courses, while also receiving one pass/fail course credit. (more…)