The Center for Law, Society, and Justice (CLSJ) is home to the Legal Studies major and the Criminal Justice Certificate. The Legal Studies major provides a liberal arts education across traditional disciplines, focusing on law, legal processes, legal institutions, and how they operate in society. The Criminal Justice certificate consists of courses from several disciplines and an intensive field experience/internship that gives students the opportunity to learn about the dynamics of criminal and juvenile legal systems. Students engage in internships in a variety of areas including mental health, alcohol and drug programs, juvenile and court supervision, prevention programs, policing, community corrections, programs working with people who have been victimized, and court programs such as the public defender’s office.
How your gifts make an impact
This year, your gifts will help us honor Carolyn Lesch, a beloved adviser who is now retired but still a champion of our programs. In her name, we will be strengthening our support for the students whom she so strongly advocated for during her time at CLSJ: first-generation students, returning students, low-income students, students with disabilities, and students of color. Our main goal is to broaden these students’ participation in internships, mentoring programs, and other professional experiences, such as local and national conferences. Connecting marginalized students to high-impact, hands-on experiences will help ensure their success. This will also help ensure that our criminal- and civil-justice systems are more representative of the diversity in our society.
Why we need your support
Your gifts will help us ensure that all our students are full participants in our community, creating opportunities for them so that they can go on to fulfilling careers in the world of law and justice. We thank you greatly for your support! Gifts of any size will have an impact on our students’ lives.
Gifts made in support of the Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies will be contributed to the Center for Law, Society and Justice Fund for Legal Studies and Programs at the University of Wisconsin Foundation.