September 28, 2009

Criminal Justice Expert to Give Lecture on Women Imprisonment in New England

WORCESTER, Mass. – Russ Immarigeon, editor of Women, Girls & Criminal Justice, will give a lecture titled “Women in Prison in New England: What can be done to reduce reliance on incarceration?” on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m. in Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. The lecture, sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture and the College Honors Program, is free and open to the public.

While New England states incarcerate fewer women than other regions of the country, Immarigeon will argue that too many women are being unnecessarily confined. He suggests that community-based infrastructures that encompass economic development, employment, health care, housing and substance abuse treatment should adapt or develop services and interventions to provide an effective system of alternatives to imprisonment.

Immarigeon is a nationally-known expert on issues related to women and girls in the criminal justice system, offender programming, and restorative justice.  He is the editor of Women, Girls & Criminal Justice, a national, bi-monthly report for practitioners and policymakers in the criminal justice system, as well as the Community Corrections Report and the Offender Programs Report, all publications of Civic Research Institute.

He is the editor or co-editor of three books, including After Crime and Punishment: Pathways to Offender Reintegration (Willan Publications, 2004), and two volumes of policy issues and program strategies for women in the criminal justice system. Immarigeon has served as a policy analyst for such groups as the Massachusetts Council for Public Justice, the Maine Council of Churches, and the National Council on Crime and Delinquency and has been a consultant to such groups as the U.S. National Institute of Corrections, the Women’s Prison Association, the Center for Effective Public Policy, and the Center for Court Innovation.

To learn more about this program and other Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture events, visit www.holycross.edu/crec.

About The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:

Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College's commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.

For additional information contact Cristal Steuer at 508.793.2419