WWU / Fairhaven College of Interdiscipinary Studies
Center for Law, Diversity & Justice
About CLDJ
The Center for Law, Diversity & Justice (CLDJ) was established in 2006 at Fairhaven College of Interdisicplinary Studies and:
- supports the work of students, faculty and community members on issues of Law, Diversity & Justice
- pulls together various threads of justice work at WWU, including Fairhaven, and among the diverse communities in Whatcom and Skagit Counties.
- supports students designing interdisciplinary concentrations in areas of Law, Diversity, and Justice
News & Events
For upcoming events, news, and programming, see the CLDJ calendar. Events Calendar
Please join us at the CLDJ and World Issues talks coming up: Visit of Mr. Reginald Pulley
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 Noon,
Fairhaven Auditorium: World Issues Forum
Reginald Pulley, former Warden of San Quentin Prison "The Monstrosity: San Quentin Prison" When Reginald L. Pulley was appointed warden of California State Prison at San Quentin in February 1982, he happened to be the first Black person to be appointed in California to head a maximum security prison. During his tenure as warden he was quoted at a public hearing as calling the prison a "monstrosity" that should be closed down. Mr. Pulley will discuss his views on the reality of the prison system and his involvement in it. He will discuss the constitutional issues of prison conditions that existed during his tenure, issues that still persist today. The 2011 U.S. Supreme Court opinion Brown v. Plata requires California to release tens of thousands of felons from prison within two years as the current overcrowded conditions violate the Eight Amendment prohibition against "cruel and unusual punishment." Come learn what role prisons should play (if any) in society's efforts to deal with people convicted of crimes.
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7 p.m., Fairhaven Auditorium: Center for Law, Diversity and Justice Speaker's Series
"Mass Incarceration, Rehabilitation, and San Quentin Prison"
Reginald L. Pulley, former warden of California State Prison at San Quentin (and the first Black person who happened to be appointed to head a maximum-security prison in that state), will reflect on his career from half-way house director to prison warden to Deputy Commissioner for the Board of Prison Terms. What is the reality of mass incarceration? How does the legacy of slavery affect today's prison culture? Who has responsibility to control crime: the legislature, the police, or the prisons? If most prisoners will return to the community, what should rehabilitation look like? Should prisons be built at all?
