From May 30 to June 1, Arcadia hosted the Justice Studies Association (JSA) conference, an event focusing on building, restoring, and teaching communities.

The conference included a panel discussion about the Inside-Out program at Arcadia, a national endeavor that increases opportunities for men and women inside and outside of prison to have transformative learning experiences that emphasize collaboration and dialogue. Anders Smith ’14 and Tanesha Waid ’13 joined Dr. Sheryl Van Horne, assistant professor and director of Criminal Justice and treasurer of the JSA, Sue Pierce, adjunct professor, who teaches the Inside-Out Storytelling course, and Chandra Nerbecki, adjunct professor, who teaches the Inside-Out Yoga course, in discussing “Breaking Down the Walls: Inside-Out Techniques to Foster Community Trust.” Lori Pompa, founder and director of Inside-Out at Temple University, joined M. Kay Harris, associate professor emeritus, Temple, and Tyrone Werts, consultant for the Philadelphia Public Defenders Association and Inside-Out program at Temple, to discuss “Transcending the Walls that Separate Us.”

On Friday, Van Horne and Sara Kitchen, president of the JSA and professor at Chestnut Hill College, presented Jane Golden, director of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, with the Noam Chomsky Award for her extraordinary commitment to scholarly and intellectual activities related to justice. Mary Beth Appel and Johanna Berrigan, co-founders and co-directors of House of Grace Catholic Worker Free Clinic Kensington, and Sharon Browning, volunteer at the clinic and consultant at JUST Listening Project, received the Activist Award.

Justice Studies Association is a non-profit organization that fosters progressive writing, research, practice and activism in all areas of criminal, social and restorative justice.