Transcript Why do we have criminal justice???

Social Justice &
Human Rights
Dr. Matthew Robinson
Associate Professor
Criminal Justice
Appalachian State University
“Social Justice” defined
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“… promoting a just society by challenging injustice and
valuing diversity …
“all people share a common humanity and therefore have a
right to equitable treatment, support for their human
rights, and a fair allocation of community resources …
“… people must not be discriminated against, nor their
welfare and well-being constrained or prejudiced on the
basis of gender, sexuality, religion, political affiliations, age,
race, belief, disability, location, social class, socioeconomic
circumstances, or other characteristic of background or
group membership …
-- Toowoomba Catholic Education
“Human rights” defined
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“… born free and equal in dignity and rights …
… without distinction … to race, colour, sex, language,
religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin,
property, birth or other status …
Includes … “right to life, liberty and security of person” …
freedom from “slavery or servitude … torture or … cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment … right to
recognition everywhere as a person before the law … equal
protection of the law … protection against any
discrimination … arbitrary arrest, detention or exile … full
equality to a fair and public hearing …”
“Human rights” defined
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“… right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty
according to law in a public trial at which he has had all
the guarantees necessary for his defence” … freedom from
“arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or
correspondence” … “freedom of movement and residence
within the borders of each state … right to leave any
country, including his own, and to return to his country …
right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from
persecution … right to a nationality … right to marry and
to found a family … right to own property alone as well as
in association with others … right to freedom of thought,
conscience and religion … freedom of opinion and
expression … freedom of peaceful assembly and association
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“Human rights” defined
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“… right to take part in the government of his country,
directly or through freely chosen representatives … right of
equal access to public service in his country … right to
social security and is entitled to realization … of the
economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his
dignity and the free development of his personality … right
to work, to free choice of employment, to just and
favourable conditions of work and to protection against
unemployment … right to equal pay for equal work …
right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of
his interests … right to rest and leisure, including
reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic
holidays with pay …”
“Human rights” defined
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“ … right to a standard of living adequate for the health
and well-being of himself and of his family, including food,
clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social
services … right to security in the event of unemployment,
sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of
livelihood in circumstances beyond his control … right to
education … Parents have a prior right to choose the kind
of education that shall be given to their children … right
freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to
enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and
its benefits … right to the protection of the moral and
material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or
artistic production of which he is the author …”
-- Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Goals …
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Create and maintain a mechanism on campus
and in the community to achieve social justice
and defend human rights
(Social Justice & Human Rights Center)
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Bring awareness to and engage in meaningful
work on social justice and human rights issues
through teaching, research, and service.
Functions …
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Create and house a cross-disciplinary library
or reading room on social justice & human
rights (SJHR);
Organize cross-disciplinary SJHR classes and
workshops on and off campus;
Encourage scholarship in SJHR from crossdisciplinary perspectives;
Conduct and publish meaningful research in
SJHR using cross-disciplinary perspectives;
Encourage and participate in grant-writing
related to SJHR;
Functions …
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Write regular columns and editorials in local
and regional papers on SJHR issues;
Reach out to media on SCJR issues;
Attract nationally & regionally recognized
experts on SJHR issues from various
disciplines and areas of expertise to deliver
Center-sponsored key note speeches;
Attract nationally & regionally recognized
experts on SJHR issues to present workshops;
Work with local and regional organizations on
a volunteer basis to address SJHR issues.
Working Areas …
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Will depend on interest and abilities of faculty,
staff, and students …
Diversity, poverty & classism, race & racism,
gender & sexism, discrimination;
Peace & justice, anti-war/collaborative &
cooperative conflict resolution;
Protection of civil liberties, academic freedom,
crime prevention, protection of free elections;
Environmental protection and justice, living
wages, workplace safety … ETC…
THOUGHTS, IDEAS???