Department of Justice, Law & Society

Faculty in the Department of Justice, Law & Society are leading scholars in the fields of criminal justice, criminology, terrorism, law and society, among other areas.

Located in Washington, D.C., the School of Public Affair's Department of Justice, Law & Society offers courses of study at the doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate levels, including master's and PhD programs in Justice, Law and Society.

Through SPA’s Justice Programs Office, JLS faculty scholarship is shared with the AU and Washington communities, and across the nation.

Recent News

Stephen Tankel

Threats from Inside India: Tankel Investigates Indigenous Jihadists

This past summer, on a grant from the National Defense University, Assistant Professor Stephen Tankel spent five weeks researching the nature of the threat to India from its own jihadists and the role that regional actors play in the movement.
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The AU Mock Trial team took home the first-place trophy at the Columbia University CUBAIT Invitational.

Mock Trial Enjoys Winningest Weekend Yet

American University Mock Trial had its most successful weekend to date on October 20-21. Two teams competing (in two different tournaments) brought home first- and fifth-place finishes.
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SPA announces three-year BA program

Politics, Policy, and Law Scholars will complete their degree in three years while using Washington as a laboratory for practical experience. In the JLS department, students can pursue a degree in Law and Society (LS). Learn more »

AU researchers observe Occupy Wall Street participant demonstrating peaceably. Photo: Ed Maguire

Occupy’s Tumultuous Year Yields Rich Research Data

Professor Ed Maguire, chair of the JLS department, is a criminologist interested in how police and legal authorities handle protestors. The Occupy movement provided an opportunity to observe protestors and police in action.

Justice for Youth Summit to Address Outcomes for Incarcerated Youth

The inaugural Justice for Youth Summit will convene policy makers, advocates, experts, families, youth, and students over the issues facing incarcerated youth in order to create better outcomes for this population. The Justice Programs Office will host the summit in partnership with the Campaign for Youth Justice on Friday, October 12 on the campus of American University.

U.S. Department of Justice Awards SPA Research Unit $1.2 Million

The grant will allow the Justice Programs Office, an affiliate of the Department of Justice, Law & Society, to continue providing support to drug courts nationwide. JPO's Adult Drug Court Training and Technical Assistance Project provides research support and on-site training and technical assistance for approximately 350 courts around the country that are planning, implementing, or expanding programs of judicially supervised treatment for non-violent, substance-abusing offenders in lieu of traditional adjudication.