Hamsa Murthy Reviews Sally Merry's Human Rights & Gender Violence

JSP student Hamsa Murthy has just published a review of Merry's study of the role of NGO's in "translating" the products of international law drafters into "local justice" in Asia and the United States. Professor Merry, a distinguished anthropologist of law, is the Director of New York University's Institute for Law & Society.

Murthy's review appears in the most recent issue of Law, Culture & the Humanities

Before Life Meant Life: NPR interviews Prof. Simon on California's Growing Population of Lifers

Twenty years ago, when many California life sentenced prisoners first went to prison for second degree murder, they could reasonably expect to be paroled within 15 to 25 years if they took advantage of rehabilitative programming and kept their record free of disciplinary problems. Today those prisoners find themselves facing the likely prospect of dying in prison no matter what they do. The law remains the same, but the politics of parole has in fact amended it.

JSP Professor Jonathan Simon spoke with NPR correspondent Nancy Mullane, in a segment that aired during Morning Edition on Sunday, March 16.

JSP Prof Sarah Song Comments on the Controversey over Islamic Law in UK Courts

In a column published in the March 7 edition of the Recorder (online here but requires a subscription), Professor Sarah Song explores the complicated legal and social controversy opened up recently when the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke in favor of opening UK courts to enforcing Islamic law principles in some areas like family law. While the Archbishop's comments were greeted by harsh criticism from many British newspapers and politicians, Professor Song suggests that both the Archbishop and critics need to look beyond the label of "Islamic courts" to question the interpretation of Islam being promoted in those courts and the impact of that interpretation on the rights of Muslim women in the UK.