Rutgers logo
Rutgers logo
Rutgers logo
Rutgers logo

Center for Criminal Justice, Youth Rights, and Race

A panel discussion takes place in a Rutgers Law School courtroom-style classroom. Five speakers sit at tables at the front of the room beneath a projection screen and U.S. flag, with a Rutgers Law sign visible on the judge’s bench behind them. Students seated in rows of desks face the panel, some taking notes and one holding up a phone to record. Large windows along the right wall let in daylight, and tall floral arrangements decorate the space.

The Rutgers Center for Criminal Justice, Youth Rights, and Race was created in 2019 to support and facilitate applied research, public policy advocacy, and community education initiatives aimed at interrogating and dismantling the carceral state. Founded by Professor Laura Cohen, the Center hosts numerous interdisciplinary programs each year for scholars, advocates, system-impacted people, and the wider University and Newark communities. Law student fellows, who are selected by a competitive process, help organize these events and provide research support.

Meet the Director

A professional portrait of a woman with long dark hair smiling at the camera with her arms crossed. She is wearing a black blazer, a dark top, and a pearl necklace.

Laura Cohen, Professor of Law, formerly worked for the New York City Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Division. She’s written articles on juvenile justice, parole, legal ethics, lawyering theory, and the legal representation of adolescents. She’s also spearheaded several important amicus briefs before the New Jersey Supreme Court on juvenile justice matters. The Justice Virginia Long Scholar is also Director of both the Criminal and Youth Justice Clinic (CYJC) and the New Jersey Innocence Project at Rutgers.