The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey and ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project have released a study today, authored by John Jay College of Criminal Justice faculty who investigated how closely the use of confidential informants conformed to New Jersey policy. The study revealed inconsistent policies governing the use of confidential informants at all levels of government, which have led to violations of informants’ rights and compromises in the integrity of criminal investigations.

NEW YORK, NY, June 23, 2011 —-The Fortune Society, one of the most respected and effective alternative to incarceration and reentry agencies in the country, in partnership with the Prisoner Reentry Institute at John Jay College of Criminal Justice today released a practical toolkit outlining how organizations can successfully employ men and women with criminal [...]

June 16, 2011, New York, NY — John Jay College of Criminal Justice today announced the appointment of Ann L. Jacobs as director of the College’s Prisoner Reentry Institute. “We are indeed fortunate to have Ann Jacobs accept the position of Director of the Prisoner Reentry Institute,” said Jeremy Travis, President of John Jay College. [...]

June 7, 2011, New York, NY –The John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Research and Evaluation Center at John Jay have awarded two 2011 Rudin Fellowships in Applied Justice Research. The Fellowships are made possible by the generous support of the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc. and Mr. Jack Rudin. Rudin [...]

Professor David Kennedy, Director of the Center for Crime Prevention and Control and Professor of Criminal Justice at John Jay College, received an honorary degree from his alma mater Swarthmore College at its 139th Commencement on May 29th.

Vita Carulli Rabinowitz, Hunter’s Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, is the winner of the 2011 Cornaro Award, which is given each year to an Italian American woman who holds a PhD and has “achieved excellence in her chosen field.” The award, presented by the New York Lodge of the Sons of Italy in America, is named for Elena Lucrezia Cornaro, who earned a doctorate in 1678, the first woman in history to do so.

“My First Opera” segment detailing their experience will air on WNET’s SundayArts, Sunday, July 3rd at 12:00 pm on THIRTEEN.

Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab has announced that the Union Settlement Association and Dr. Melony Samuels of Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger are the recipients of the inaugural Joan H. Tisch Community Health Prize. The newly established prize will be administered by the Hunter College Foundation and is earmarked for a not-for-profit organization and individual for distinguished accomplishment in the field of urban public health.

The Friends of CSI held their annual meeting recently and announced the awarding of $26,000 in student scholarship support and $7,500 in support to the CSI Library. During the meeting, Dr. Christine D. Cea, President of the Friends for the past three years, announced that she was stepping down to rejoin the general board of the Friends.

Reuters quotes constitutional law expert and Distinguished Professor Ruthann Robson on same-sex divorce.

Changing the world can be fun, according to Benjamin Shepard, assistant professor of human services at New York City College of Technology (City Tech). His two recently published books explore the use of play as a valuable component of social movements and political activism, from the local to the national level.

At Washington Irving High School in Manhattan, Mariela Zapata was a trendsetter.
“I won ‘Best Hair’ and ‘Best Dressed’ and my clothing was always, always embellished with accessories,” Mariela recalls, laughing.

In keeping with tradition, the Louis Armstrong House Museum will observe the Fourth of July—-the day that Satchmo celebrated his birthday—-with guided tours and special events from noon to 5 pm. This year, enjoy a celebratory performance by the renowned jazz trombonist Art Baron in the Armstrong Garden at 1:00 pm, followed by complimentary birthday cake. Family-friendly 2-for-1 admission is in effect for the day.

The Class of 2010′s Teresa Tomassoni has been named the second Stone and Holt Weeks Fellow. Created by NPR and The Washington Post in memory of two brothers who were killed in a tragic highway crash in July 2009, the fellowship is designed to help a young reporter launch a journalism career. Starting in September, [...]

Community Health Action of Staten Island (CHASI) Executive Director Diane Arneth and Director of Resources and Development Ronnie  DiGiacomo recently heard findings from the College of Staten Island (CSI) Marketing Research 410-student team project headed by Esra Ozdol, Nazia Hussain, and Shammy Shivaprasad.

New York City College of Technology (City Tech) students took their talents onto the global stage by redesigning the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) website. Their work can be seen at http://www.unaoc.org/.

Pamela Spees, senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, is lead counsel in a complaint filed in the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas on behalf of the parents of a 19-year-old who was shot

The Board of Trustees of The City University of New York today adopted new transfer policies, including a new general education framework, to assure that students who transfer within CUNY will get credit for courses they’ve already taken within the University. This change is expected to improve graduation rates, help more students earn their degrees on time, and save money for students and the University – all while raising academic quality and maintaining high standards.

The recently passed legislation in New York State legalizing same-sex marriage was sponsored in the state assembly by Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell (’87), the first openly gay man in the Assembly

The New York Times reports on new restrictions in several states that ban abortions at 20 weeks after conception. The Supreme Court has said that abortion cannot be banned until a fetus is viable