Hastings Institute for Criminal Justice

01/23/2016

Our upcoming eventh showcases social justice defense lawyers! Join us on Thursday, Feb. 11, for a discussion of the ethics and ideals involved in defense practice, and for a screening of a great documentary film about defense pioneer Penny Cooper.

Law and ethical rules require criminal defense attorneys to zealously advocate for their client. However, many lawyers are drawn to criminal defense because of their interest in broader criminal and social justice issues: Sentencing reform, inmates’ rights, racial justice, economic justice, and defe…

09/18/2015

Those of you who missed our event yesterday can watch and listen at this link.

09/15/2015

Did you know? Some of the firefighters working to keep us safe are juvenile detention residents.

We'll be talking about juveniles this coming Thursday afternoon at our special screening of Stickup Kid.

Monday, Aug 31, 2015, 4:00 pm Inmate Firefighters Are on the Frontlines of Fighting the West Coast’s Wildfires By George Lavender Tweet Email Print The Chikamum Fire in the state of Washington. (Washington DNR / Flickr) As a record-breaking wildfire season scorches the West, Inmate firefighters ar…

09/10/2015

We're getting set up and excited about our upcoming event, Juveniles in Adult Institutions! Please RSVP at the link. We'll be delighted to have you with us.

One of the major achievements of 19th Century penal reformers was a new approach toward children, which called for handling them in a more rehabilitative way than adults. This approach, which gave birth to the world’s first juvenile courts, was transformed in the late 1960s with the introduction of…

08/29/2015

Welcome back to school, students!

Please feel comfortable to raise your hand in class and ask a question. You're not supposed to already be perfect or know all the answers. You're here to learn.

08/18/2015

Please join us on Thursday, September 17, for a film screening and discussion of juveniles in adult institutions. Event is free and open to the public; free MCLE credits.

06/08/2015

SCOTUS declined to review today, over the objections of Justices Thomas and Scalia, the San Francisco local ordinance requiring that guns be locked.

Raising significant new questions about how much protection the Constitution's Second Amendment actually gives to gun owners, the Supreme Court on Monday left intact a local ordinance that restricts access to guns even within one's own home. The denial of review drew a fervent dissent

05/18/2015

05/14/2015

Also coming next fall: a special conference on juveniles in adult institutions, including a screening of The Stick-Up Kid.

What happens when we lock up juvenile offenders in adult prisons? “Stickup Kid,” a FRONTLINE digital exclusive, tells the story of Alonza Thomas — sent to adult prison in California at

05/05/2015

Coming next year from HICJ: Ideals, Ethics, and Activism in Criminal Defense Lawyering - a half-day symposium with panels and documentaries about social justice and criminal defense.

03/27/2015

03/20/2015

Thank you all for participating in Policing on Trial. It was an incredibly educational and interesting event and it brought together fascinating perspectives.