Students who have been incarcerated, have an arrest record, or have been convicted of a crime face a number of barriers typically not encountered by other students.

In recognition of the cultural and structural barriers these students often face, the university will offer the UNLV Justice Impacted Summer Institute May 19, 20, and 25 from 10 a.m. until noon. Designed to teach UNLV faculty, staff, and students how to better serve those students, the institute is being offered at no charge.

Register online no later than May 13 to attend.

Some estimates are that up to 10 percent of UNLV students may be justice-impacted. And, nationwide, long-term disparities in the criminal justice system, ranging from arrest to sentencing decisions, disproportionately impact individuals of color.

The work of sociology Ph.D. student Jason Scott was instrumental in the creation of the institute. Scott, who has persistently brought the challenges that justice-impacted students face to the attention of UNLV administrators, faculty, and staff, received the Commitment to Diversity Award at the 2021 Division of Student Affairs Rebel Awards.

After meeting with Scott, Renée Watson, associate vice president for Student Life, recognized a void of services, mentorship, and advocacy at UNLV for those students, prompting her to form the Justice Impacted Task Force, which, in turn, led to the creation of the institute.

The institute is intended to be a starter toolkit and will be facilitated by Jason Bell, director of program development for Project Rebound CSU Consortium, San Francisco State University, and other invited experts in higher education. Following the institute, the UNLV Justice Task Force will use participant feedback to develop an action plan for the university. 

More information is available online or by emailing Sunny Gittens, executive director of student engagement.