Texas Southern University, the historically Black educational institution in Houston, has announced the establishment of the Center for Justice Research. The new center has the goal of producing innovative solutions to criminal justice reform and addressing challenges in America’s criminal justice system.
The center, funded by a $2.7 million grant from the Center for Advancing Opportunity, has the stated mission “to change the paradigm of how historically Black colleges and universities address criminal justice reform by developing objective, evidence-based research. The goal is to develop and disseminate interdisciplinary criminal justice research to dismantle barriers faced by American citizens in fragile communities. The Center will be an incubator for policy-driven criminal justice research support, increase the research capacity of HBCU faculty in the field, and train and mentor graduate students interested in addressing issues surrounding mass incarceration.”
Austin A. Lane, president of Texas Southern University, stated that “the Center for Justice Research represents a new direction for Texas Southern and will strengthen our commitment to equal justice for all citizens.”
Howard Henderson, professor of the administration of justice in the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University, will serve as the Center’s director. Professor Henderson joined the faculty at the university in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration from Middle Tennessee State University, a master’s degree in criminal justice from Tennessee State University, and a Ph.D. in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.
Best of luck my brother