Criminal Justice Matters - CJ Matters

Former New York State Chief Judge Judith Kaye, in a special appearance on John Jay College's "Criminal Justice Matters" TV program, calls on the city's next mayor and board of education chief to end the so-called "school to prison pipeline," which has pushed many students with disciplinary issues on a path that lands them in the criminal justice system. Other guests on the program are Judge Monica Drinane, supervising judge of the Bronx County Family Court; and Timothy Lisante, superintendent of alternative NYC School District 79.

On this episode, Criminal Justice Matters explores the debate about putting more armed guards in schools and campuses. The program will feature Glenn Stanton, a former FBI agent who co-authored a recent training manual for school safety officers, Mike Taylor, Co-Founder of Point: Safety Education and James Mulvaney, a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and adjunct professor at John Jay College.

New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman discusses what our courts and politicians must do to live up that promise, on the 50th anniversary of the Court's Gideon v. Wainright decision, in a freewheeling conversation with host Stephen Handelman on "Criminal Justice Matters." Also on the program: Kumar Rao, an attorney with The Bronx Defenders; and Damon Joe, a 19-year-old CUNY student whose future was saved when a public defender took his case.

Even the best crime reporters today are overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of news they have to cover. Online news sites, Twitter, Facebook, and 24/7 deadlines are the 'new normal' for the media. Are we losing sight of journalists? Role as democracy watchdogs? Is journalism still an honorable occupation? Discussing the issue with Criminal Justice Matters host Stephen Handelman are Dave Krajickek, weekly columnist for the New York Daily News; Alexa Capeloto, former enterprise editor at the San Diego Union Tribune and now a journalism professor at John Jay College, and Ahmed Jaradat, a reporter for The Sentinel, John Jay's student newspaper.

How did they get away with it? Even worse, are they still getting away with it? These are the questions asked by a new book of essays edited by scholars at John Jay College called, How They Got Away with it: White Collar Criminals and the Financial Meltdown published by Columbia University Press. The book is edited by Criminal Justice Matters host, Stephen Handelman (Director of the Center on Media, Crime and Justice) along with Professor Susan Will and Professor David Brotherton of John Jay College. Guests include Professor David Brotherton, Chair of John Jay's sociology department and David Shapiro, Forensic Accountant and Leader of Private Sector Investigative Practice.

President Obama's re-election hasn’t changed the fact that the nation remains divided along party lines. However, there is one important part of his agenda where there seems to be common ground and that is in fixing the nation’s broken criminal justice system. Americans from all parts of the political spectrum are ready to take a more pragmatic approach to justice issues that once divided the country. How will the second Obama Administration take advantage of this shift? Guests: Gloria Browne-Marshall is an associate professor of constitutional law at John Jay College. A former civil rights attorney, she’s founder of the Law and Policy Group. She’s also an award-winning playwright. Glenn Martin is Vice President of Development and Public affairs at the Fortune Society, which works to help ex-offenders reintegrate into their communities. He’s director of the Society’s David Rothenberg Center for Public Policy, and a member of the New York City Council to End Gun Violence.

The United States has over two million people in prisons and jails---more than any other country. An even more troubling figure is that four out of every 10 ex-offenders return to jail within three years of release. Some observers believe faith-based initiatives with prisoner, families and communities can help bring these figures down. It's part of a new approach to reforming our penal and court system that experts call 'smart justice.' But can faith communities really make a difference? And are they worth encouraging with more taxpayer support? Guests include: Angel Ramos, who was formerly incarcerated and is now a John Jay student. He is an active Quaker and found redemption in the silent worship services held by Quakers in his prison experience. An ordained minister, Prof. Kimora, teaches corrections and ethics at John Jay and is the Educational Director for Treatment and Prevention in Services at the Osborne Association in the Bronx.

Three gruesome incidents in two years: Tuscon, Arizona; Aurora, Colorado; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Many Americans wonder whether our society is sadly prone to these acts of evil, since there have been at least 60 of them since 1982. Were the murderers mad, or bad, or a combustible mixture of both? Join host Stephen Handelman, Director of the Center on Media, Crime and Justice, as he discusses this topic with two of the country's foremost experts on extreme criminal violence: Abby Stein, Associate Professor at John Jay College and author of, “Prologue to Violence,” and Dr. Michael Stone, a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University who specializes in personality disorders. He is the author of, “The Anatomy of Evil” and on Discovery Channel’s show titled, “Most Evil,” he examines the criminal mind. Also joining the conversation will be legal journalist and former Manhattan Assistant District Attorney, Robin Barton who will explore how the media covers these tragic events.

Criminal Justice Matters travels to Otisville Correctional Facility in upstate New York to examine a pioneering program that helps offenders attend CUNY colleges after their release. It's called the "Prison-to-College Pipeline" and was the brainchild of John Jay Professor, Baz Dreisinger. Also on the program is State Assemblyman Jeff Aubry from Queens, an ardent champion of education in prisons who helped get the Prison-to-College Pipeline off the ground. Guests are: Prof. Baz Dreisinger, Jeff Aubrey (NY State Assemblyman Queens), Juan Ecchevarria (former offender soon to attend CUNY). Interviewed on location: Kathleen Gerbing, Superintendant, Otisville Correctional Facility and Lesley Hurd, Education Supervisor, Otisville. Produced in collaboration with Audio Visual Services, Marketing and Development and the Center on Media, Crime and Justice. For more information please contact: Stephen Handelman shandelman@jjay.cuny.edu 646.557.4563

Guest: Professor Monica Varsanyi of John Jay, one of the country's leading experts on undocumented immigration issues. Steve is joined also by two students, Angy Rivera and Julian Aldana, from John Jay College who have been deeply involved in the campaign to get the New York State Dream Act passed and have shown great courage in coming out of the shadows to make the DREAM a reality.