Discussion on Criminal Justice Reform
2 min readYEREVAN, Armenia – On April 11, 2014, the LL.M. program of the American University of Armenia (AUA) organized a presentation and discussion on the problems and solutions surrounding the U.S. experience of criminal justice reforms. The key speaker at the event was Professor Rudolph J. Gerber from the U.S., who is currently a guest lecturer in AUA’s LL.M. program. Participants included members of the Chamber of Advocates of the Republic of Armenia practicing criminal law, as well as young policy-makers, researchers, and leaders from the National Assembly, the Ministry of Justice, and the Human Rights Defender’s Office of the Republic of Armenia.
After LL.M. Program Chair Arman Zrvandyan’s welcome and introductory notes, Professor Gerber presented the current criminal, procedural, and constitutional reforms in the Republic of Armenia and stressed a number of modern and effective solutions in the current justice system. He presented the causes and solutions of wrongful convictions in the U.S., including the methods of interrogation and identification of suspects, the system of independent crime laboratories, post-conviction relief available to convicted persons, as well as the effectiveness of probation service in the sentencing stage of the criminal procedure. The event concluded with a lively debate about certain key provisions of the Armenian criminal procedure reforms in comparison to the U.S. system.
Rudolph J. Gerber received his MA from Columbia University, his PhD in philosophy as a Fulbright Scholar from the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium, his JD from the University of Notre Dame, and an LL.M. from the University of Virginia. After becoming a lawyer in 1972, he worked with the Arizona legislature in an entire redrafting of the state’s criminal code. He was appointed a trial court judge in 1979 and nine years later became a judge in the state’s Court of Appeals. In 2001, after 22 years, he retired from judging and returned to private law practice where, among antitrust and malpractice work, he represented persons charged with the death penalty and worked with the Justice Project on wrongful conviction cases.
Professor Gerber has taught at the Universities of Notre Dame, Arizona State, and the University of San Diego (CA), where he continues to practice law. He has published several books on criminal law as well as over 40 articles in professional journals, some critical of parts of American law such as capital punishment and sentencing. He came to Yerevan previously in 2000 and 2001 to work with Armenian judges in drafting a new procedural codes.
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.
LL.M. Program Chair Arman Zrvandyan’s introductory speech
Visiting Professor Rudy Gerber’s talk
Criminal Justice System Reform Workshop participants
Discussion
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.