Spring Break
Conference covers perception of punishment
Quang Do
Issue date: 4/9/07 Section: News
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In a three-part conference on April 6, the San Jose State University justice studies department hosted a "prison crisis" forum, in the old University Room located on the side of the cafeteria across from the music building.
The conference was catered with food to a capacity crowd of about 120 people including students, faculty and professors from various universities and colleges around California; and two academic representatives from out of state came to SJSU as guest speakers.
"Punishment in California is pervasive, massive and a real issue, which is open for scholarly inquiry and analysis," said Patrick Timmons, an assistant SJSU professor in justice studies, and coordinator of the event.
"On one level, it is the best type of scholarly inquiry and analysis because it has a real connection to what's going on in California," Timmons said.
Before the conference got underway, Mona Lynch, chair of the justice studies department, welcomed the audience with an overview of how the program began as a police school.
The first topic was about race, citizenship and punishment in California, with a panel of three guest speakers.
"The intentions of the conference is to critically examine why we punish in the way that we do," Timmons said, "and part of that includes why do we have so many people in prison?"
Ryan Walton, a senior majoring in justice studies, said overcrowded prisons have a lot to do with the mandatory sentencing that is charged against drug possession.
The topic political economies of punishment followed after lunch was served, along with a discussion about the future of state prison systems.
"To build a country without prisons is to (first) understand crime and history," said Alan Elardio Gomez, an assistant professor at Ithaca College in New York.
Even after four years of crime rates dropping in California, the state continued to develop prisons, said Craig Gilmore, a guest speaker from the California Prison Moratorium Project.
The conference was catered with food to a capacity crowd of about 120 people including students, faculty and professors from various universities and colleges around California; and two academic representatives from out of state came to SJSU as guest speakers.
"Punishment in California is pervasive, massive and a real issue, which is open for scholarly inquiry and analysis," said Patrick Timmons, an assistant SJSU professor in justice studies, and coordinator of the event.
"On one level, it is the best type of scholarly inquiry and analysis because it has a real connection to what's going on in California," Timmons said.
Before the conference got underway, Mona Lynch, chair of the justice studies department, welcomed the audience with an overview of how the program began as a police school.
The first topic was about race, citizenship and punishment in California, with a panel of three guest speakers.
"The intentions of the conference is to critically examine why we punish in the way that we do," Timmons said, "and part of that includes why do we have so many people in prison?"
Ryan Walton, a senior majoring in justice studies, said overcrowded prisons have a lot to do with the mandatory sentencing that is charged against drug possession.
The topic political economies of punishment followed after lunch was served, along with a discussion about the future of state prison systems.
"To build a country without prisons is to (first) understand crime and history," said Alan Elardio Gomez, an assistant professor at Ithaca College in New York.
Even after four years of crime rates dropping in California, the state continued to develop prisons, said Craig Gilmore, a guest speaker from the California Prison Moratorium Project.
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