dr. sanaz alasti, criminal justice program piper award ......dr. sanaz alasti, criminal justice...

Dr. Sanaz Alasti, Criminal Justice Program Piper Award Application Career highlights include: Section A:

Teaching:

1. Taught 12 different courses since 2011 at Lamar University. 2. Designed 7 new Courses designed for Lamar University since 2011:

-‐Death Penalty -‐Criminal Women -‐Women in Criminal Justice (Graduate course) -‐Comparative Criminal Justice Systems -‐Comparative Criminal Justice Systems (Graduate course) -‐Juvenile Justice in International Perspective (Graduate course) -‐Comparative Penology (Graduate course) -‐Current Legal Scholarship on Capital Punishment (Graduate course) -‐Death Penalty Clinic

3. Consistently high teaching evaluations.

See the attachment: Summary of Teaching evaluations. See the attachment: A sample syllabus.

Section B: Research:

1. I’ve received numerous scholarships and academic honors throughout my academic and professional career. These honor include a Merit Scholarship award from Golden Gate University and Fellowship from Harvard law school. More recently, in 2013 & 2014, I received a very competitive award from the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA) and Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME).

Please check the CV: Awards received for excellence in the field.

2. As an internationally researcher in comparative criminal justice systems, and the role of religion in criminal punishment, I’ve authored seminal research work which has appeared in various scholarly journals and books. Some of these articles have subsequently been cited by other researchers in the field, both in the US and internationally, in the course of their respective research work. I’ve published my books, book chapters, and articles in English, French and Persian.

3. In addition to these citations to my published work, I’ve been interviewed in various media discussing my views on legal issues and death penalty. One example is my interview with the New Yorker about the Oscar movie winner “A Separation” and the judicial system in the movie. Also, I have weekly interviews with the Radio and TV channels located in LA regarding the death penalty.

A sample of my interviews from Law Library of Congress: http://blogs.loc.gov/law/2013/08/an-interview-with-sanaz-alasti-scholar-in-residence/ A sample of my TV interviews: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%AA%DB%8C http://ofoghiran.tv/?p=1736 https://vimeo.com/96183067

4. My published books appear in at least 84 law libraries in the US and across 5 continents, according to WorldCat online database.

5. My book “Criminal Infringement of Copyright”, second edition (2011) has been

assigned as a required reading by faculty in Iran.

6. Presented at 23 professional conferences since fall, 2011.

Check my CV: A representative sample of my publications, presentations & my invitations as a speaker at seminars and lectures in the field.

Section C:

Service & Leadership PROFESSIONAL ACHEIVEMENT

- Invited to attend Counter-‐Terrorism Briefing hosted by Texas House of

Representatives on behalf of Lamar University.

- Organized an International workshop on Comparative Criminal Justice Systems

in Onati, Spain, summer 2015.

- Consultant with Australian Government in regard to Refugee Review Tribunal, Summer 2015.

- Awarded Faculty Development leave, Fall 2015.

- Phi Beta Delta honor society member, from 2014 to present.

- Nominated for 2013 Emerging Scholar award.

- Invitee presenter, Spindletop Unitarian Church of Beaumont, A conversation on Death Penalty, Beaumont TX, September 2013.

- Invitee Lecturer, Law Library of Congress, Capital Punishment Law of Iran, Washington DC, August 2013.

- Appreciation award from Law Library of Congress, summer 2013.

- Board member, East Coast Colleges Social Sciences Association (ECCSSA),

from spring 2013. - Fellow, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME), from spring 2013. - Scholar in residence, Law Library of Congress, Summer 2013.

- Invitee Lecturer, NATO School and International Institute of Higher Studies in

Criminal Sciences Military Operations Seminar, Italy, November 2012.

- Advisory Board of Persian Freedom Institute, from summer 2012 to present.

Chair of the following panels:

• Capital Punishment: International Perspectives, Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Washington DC, November 2015.

• Co-Chair with Jim Mann, Contemporary Issues of Criminal Justice Systems Workshop, Onati International Institute for the Sociology of Law, Onati, Spain, May 2015.

• Chair, Contemporary Challenges of the Middle Eastern Criminal Justice Systems & Military Operations, Onati International Institute for the Sociology of Law, Onati, Spain, May 2015.

• Chair, Perceptions and Errors in Capital Punishment, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Conference, Orlando, FL, March 2015.

• Chair, Economics, Interventions, and Law, Annual ASMEA Conference, Washington D.C., October 2014.

• Chair, The Role of Democracy in Drafting a New Constitution in the Middle East, ECCSSA Annual Conference, Herndon VA, April 2014.

• Chair, Cross Cultural Comparisons on Capital Punishment, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Conference, Philadelphia, PA, February 2014.

• Chair, US Foreign Policy & International Terrorism Panel, By Institute of World Politics & Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, November 2012.

• Chair, Serious Juvenile Offenders, Life Imprisonment, and the Death Penalty, Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Chicago IL, November 2012.

SERVICE TO THE DEPARTMENT:

-Advised freshman students, 2012.

-Organized a panel on International Terrorism for criminal justice department, November

2012.

-Advised junior students, from 2012 to present.

-Member: Criminal Justice Faculty Search Committee 2013.

Chair: Criminal Justice Methods Faculty Search Committee 2014.

-Member: Criminal Justice General Faculty Search Committee 2014.

Students Organization: -Director, Center for Death Penalty Studies at Lamar University, from spring 2013.

Center for Death Penalty Studies at Lamar University: The center for Death Penalty Studies at Lamar is striving to achieve the following aims:

1. provide information about the application of the death penalty in the U.S. and Internationally; 2. assist in developing an informed position on capital punishment; 3. produce a better understanding of capital punishment laws in Texas and Middle Eastern countries; The Center for Death Penalty Studies provides internship and research opportunities for Lamar students. Please check the center webpage and facebook page: http://artssciences.lamar.edu/sociology-social-work-criminal-justice/death-penalty-studies/index.html https://www.facebook.com/deathpenaltylamar

-Advisor of Persian Cultural Association of Lamar University, from fall 2012 to

present.

SERVICE TO THE UNIVERSITY/Discipline:

-Nominated for University for piper Award, 2015.

-Offered Spain study abroad program, summer 2015.

-Nominated for University for piper Award, 2014.

-Nominated for Distinguished Lecture Series, 2014.

-Nomination of Samereh Alinejad for the Nobel Peace Prize, official nomination

letter has been sent to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, Fall 2014.

-Coordinating the following Pre-Homecoming event, fall 2014: Lamar students met with representatives of Center for Death Penalty Studies to support forgiveness in death penalty, fall 2014.

-Supervised Lamar students to make the following video (Forgiveness in Death

Penalty):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeNWUvtcbXk

Selected On-campus Presentation:

- Invited speaker by Ken & Nancy Evan, Cardinal Conversation, President’s house,

February 5, 2014.

- Invited speaker for Phycology Department, Life or Death: A Conversation on

Capital Punishment, January 31, 2014.

- Invited speaker for STARS program, Life or Death: A Conversation on Capital

Punishment, Academic Enhancement Workshop: Spotlight on Faculty Research, April

18, 2013.

-Attendee, Faculty Workshop of Center for Distance Education, "Quality Matters",

Summer 2012.

-Attendee, Faculty Workshop of Center for Distance Education, “Student Engagement”,

Summer 2012.

-Attendee, Faculty Workshop of Center for Distance Education, “Creating Video

Content” Fall 2012.

- Attendee, Faculty Workshop of Center for Distance Education, Blackboard Training”

Fall 2012.

Section D: Student Relationships

• Advising Freshman students, Criminal Justice program, 2012.

• Advising Junior students, Criminal Justice program, from 2012 to present.

• Advising Graduate Students: Thesis committee member, Ghaliah Hanafi Thesis committee member, Dustin P. McAlpine Thesis committee member, Joseph Wells, work in progress Thesis committee member, Diego Snyder-Zuasnabar, work in progress Involvement of graduate students in research, creative, and scholarly activities:

- Mentor to Masoumeh Hassanpour (graduate student), Penal Proportionality and the Young Offender, Paper presented at the International Society of Criminology Meeting, Vienna Austria, June 2005. - Mentor to Mina Seddihfar (graduate students), Alternatives to Imprisonment: Rehabilitation and other Programs, summer 2007. This research was featured in the Justice Department Journal, and in the Student Spotlight section on the Tehran University Alumni newsletter. The paper was published as an article in the Prisons Organization Journal. - Mentor to Masoumeh Hassanpour (graduate student), The Effectiveness of Restorative Justice Practices, research project at Criminology Institute, Tehran University, summer 2007. -Mentor to Hallie Gates (graduate student), Geographical Disparities in the Application, Retention and Abolition of the Federal Death Penalty with International Perspective, fall 2012. - McNair mentor to Cynthia Offordile. 2013. -Mentor to Dustin McAlpine (graduate student), Factors Leading to Family Reunification: IN CPS Cases, Lamar University, Spring 2014. -Mentor to Ghaliah Hanafi (graduate student), Death Penalty in the United States and Saudi Arabia, Fall 2014. -Mentor to Amunique Love (graduate student), Individual Study. -Encouraging and helping all my graduate students to submit their proposal to the American Society of Criminology Conference, Spring 2014.

Co-authoring of papers/presentations with graduate students (if presented at an association meeting or submitted for publication: Publication: Mohammadreza Goudarzi and Sanaz Alasti, Juvenile Delinquency, Justice Department Journal, Tehran, Iran, fall 2005. Presentation: Masoumeh Hassanpour and Sanaz Alasti, Penal Proportionality and the Young Offender, International Society of Criminology Meeting, Vienna Austria, June 2005. Hallie Gates and Sanaz Alasti, Geographical Disparities in the Application, Retention and Abolition of the Federal Death Penalty with International Perspective, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Dallas, TX, March 2013. Justin Templain (advisor), Death Penalty in Texas and Finland, paper presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, Feb. 2014. A Sample of my students’ comments: http://blog.beaumontenterprise.com/newsworthy/2013/12/02/criminal-justice-major-reaches-back-home-with-research/

Section E: Letters of recommendation by colleagues and experts in the field are attached: 1. Jim Mann, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at Lamar University 2. David Greenberg, Professor of Sociology, NYU. 3. Mohammad Ashouri, Professor of Criminal Law & Criminology at Tehran

University. 4. John Trumpbour, Research Director, Labor and Worklife Program,

Harvard Law School.

Education

Harvard University School of Law, Cambridge, MA Post-Doctoral, July 2011

Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, CA Doctor of Judicial Science, S.J.D. (Ph.D. equivalent), May 2008

With emphasis on Comparative Criminal Justice Systems

Honors: Merit Scholarship Recipient

GPA: 4.00

Tehran University School of Law, Tehran, Iran Master of Law (LL.M), with honors, Criminal Law & Criminology, July 2003

Class Rank: Top 1%

GPA: 3.80

Activities: Successful Participation in Judgment Examination & Bar Exam

Allame Tabatabaee University School of Law, Tehran, Iran

Bachelor of Law, LL.B (J.D. equivalent), summa cum laude, July 2001

Class Rank: Top 1%

Curriculum vitae - current as of September 2015

Dr. Sanaz Alasti

“I call upon you to remember that cruel punishments have an

inevitable tendency to produce cruelty in the people” Sir Samuel Romilly

Dr. Sanaz Alasti, Assistant

Professor of Criminal Justice

&

Director of the Center for Death

Penalty Studies

Lamar University:

Texas State University System

P.O. Box 10026, Beaumont, Texas 77710

(409) 880-8549,

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

GPA: 3.92

Sanaz Alasti

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Teaching & Academic Experience Lamar University, Criminal Justice Department Beaumont, TX Assistant Professor August 2011- Present

Director, Center for Death Penalty Studies September 2013- Present

Courses taught: -Intro to Criminal Justice

-Legal Research & Writing

-Crime & Criminals

-Death Penalty

-Criminal Women

-Comparative Criminal Justice Systems

-Theoretical Foundations (Graduate course)

-Juvenile Justice in International Perspective (Graduate course)

-Comparative Penology (Graduate course)

-Current Legal Scholarship on Capital Punishment (Graduate course)

-Women in Criminal Justice (Graduate course)

-Comparative Criminal Justice Systems (Graduate course)

Harvard University, School of Law Cambridge, MA

Visiting Fellow February 2011- July 2011

Project: Capital Punishment: Comparative Perspective

Golden Gate University, School of Law San Francisco, CA Post-Doctoral Scholar October 2009- July 2011

Project: The Abolition of Death Penalty in International Law

Heald College, Criminal Justice Department San Francisco, CA

Adjunct Faculty July 2009- July 2010

Courses taught:

-Legal Research

-Legal Writing

-Criminology

-Introduction to Criminal Justice System

-Introduction to Corrections

-Organized Crime, Gangs & Terrorism

Harvard Law School Cambridge, MA

Lecture: April 2011

What is Wrong with Capital Punishment?

Golden Gate University, School of Law San Francisco, CA

Fulbright Symposium April 2010

Presentation:

The Impact of International Law on Abolition of Death Penalty in a Time of Change: The Widening

Divide between the United States and Iran

Course designed:

-Death Penalty: This course is intended to introduce a comparative study of the death penalty in

abolitionist versus retentionist countries. It is designed primarily for use in US law schools, with

emphasis on US law, but should prove instructive in other locations.

Tehran University, Criminology Institute Tehran, Iran

Lecture: Death Penalty in the US September 2007

Sanaz Alasti

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Teaching & Research Interests

Death Penalty, Corrections, Penology, Comparative Criminal Justice Systems, Criminology,

Victimology, Legal Research, Criminological Theories, Criminal Justice & Human Rights.

Awards & Grants Research Grant, Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA, 2014).

Scholar in Residence, Law Library of Congress, summer 2013.

Fellowship award, Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME), 2013 Fellowship, Harvard University School of Law, 2010.

Teaching Appreciation Award, Criminal Justice Department, Heald College, San Francisco, 2010.

Merit Scholarship, Golden Gate University School of Law, 2004.

Graduate Student Award, Criminology Department, Tehran University, 2003.

Top Student Award, Allame Tabatabaee University School of Law, 2001.

Professional Experience

Law Library of Congress Washington DC

Legal Specialist June 2013, August 2013

Conducting legal research on legislation of foreign countries. This includes writing research reports on

various legal topics for the United States Congress, executive agencies and the judicial branch.

Habeas Corpus Resource Center San Francisco, CA

Lawyer October 2009- January 2010

Analyzing the relationship between sentencing outcomes and racial characteristics in homicide cases

charged and sentenced in Tulare County, CA.

Death Penalty Focus San Francisco, CA

Researcher January 2009-April 2009

Worked on “Teaching Abolition Project” a project proposing death penalty curriculum to stimulate

broader exploration and discussion of capital punishment topics in law schools.

ACLU of Northern California, Policy Department San Francisco, CA

Death Penalty Intern January 2008- January 2009

Developed projects aimed at bringing community and media attention to flaws in the California death

penalty system. Current efforts focus on highlighting the reversal reasons of death sentences in

California.

Golden Gate University, School of Law San Francisco, CA Research Assistant January 2008- May 2008

Worked on the Comparative Criminal Justice Reader Project supervised by Professor Susan Rutberg,

decided on topics and syllabus of criminal justice from civil law countries to common law in the

United States.

Sanaz Alasti Page 4

Golden Gate University, School of Law San Francisco, CA Research Assistant September 2006- May 2007

Assisted in the projects supervised by Professor Sompong Sucharitkul in the center of Advanced

International and Comparative Legal Studies. Conducted research in the field of human rights and

comparative criminal justice systems.

Iran Judiciary, Legal Department Tehran, Iran

Researcher May 2005- August 2005

Conducted research and complied a brochure regarding new human rights achievements of Iran

criminal justice system, in the fields of legislative, judicial and executive criminal policy.

Iran Judiciary, Mirdamad Judicial Complex Tehran, Iran

Judicial Internship January 2000-July 2001

Observed trials and procedures and provided case summaries after sentencing, reported to the judge.

Prepared legal memoranda in the areas of criminal, criminal procedure, and property law, as well as

worked closely with clerks to provide effective and efficient services to clients.

Languages & Professional Affiliations Fluent in English, Farsi, Arabic (Criminal Law Texts), knowledge of Italian

American Society of Criminology

International Society of Criminology

Southern Criminal Justice Association

Law & Society Association

Phi Beta Delta Honor Society

Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa

Course & Curriculum Designed

Capital Punishment Curriculum for Law Schools Chatillon, France

World Coalition, available at www.worldcoalition.org June 2009

The Death Penalty: Undergraduate Course Beaumont, TX

Criminal Justice Program, Lamar University Fall 2011

Comparative Penology: Graduate Course Beaumont, TX

Criminal Justice Program: Lamar University Fall 2011

Juvenile Justice in International Perspective: Graduate Course Beaumont, TX

Criminal Justice Program: Lamar University Spring 2012

Women in Criminal Justice: Graduate Course Beaumont, TX

http://www.phibetadelta.org/

Criminal Justice Program: Lamar University Summer 2014

Comparative Criminal Justice Systems: Undergraduate/Graduate Onati & Madrid, Spain

Study Abroad Program: Onati International Institute for the Sociology of law & Lamar University Sanaz Alasti

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Publications

Books Author, History of Corporal Punishment: A Comparative Historical Perspective, work in

progress [In English].

Author, The Death Penalty in the Middle East, work in progress, Submitted to Harvard

University Press [In English].

Co-editor with Jim Mann, Contemporary Issues in the Criminal Justice Systems, Hart

Publishing, Oxford, UK, Submitted to Hart Publishing.

Author, Cruel and Unusual Punishment: Comparative Perspective in International

Conventions, the United States and Iran, Vandeplas Publication, Florida, US, March 2009

[In English].

Author, Criminal Law & Criminology Dictionary, Mizan Publication, Tehran, Iran, winter

2009 [English to Farsi].

Author, Pioneer Criminologists, Mizan Publication, Tehran, Iran, winter 2009 [In Farsi].

Translator, Crime & Punishment: A History of the Criminal Justice system, Mitchel Roth

(Translation), Vol. 1, Mizan Publication, Tehran, Iran, summer 2006 [In Farsi].

Translator, Crime & Punishment: A History of the Criminal Justice system, Mitchel Roth

(Translation), Vol. 2, Mizan Publication, Tehran, Iran, fall 2007 [In Farsi].

Co-Translator, Oxford History of Prison: The Practice of Punishment in Western Society,

Norval Morris, David J. Rothman (Translation, Collective Work) Mizan Publication, Tehran,

Iran, winter 2005 [In Farsi].

Author, Criminal Infringement of Copyright, Mizan Publication, Tehran, Iran, winter 2004

(Second edition, 2011) [In Farsi].

Book Chapter

Author, Juvenile Death Penalty in Islamic Countries: The Road to Abolition is paved

with paradox, Edited by Peter Hodgkinson in Capital Punishment Collections: New

Perspectives, Ashgate Press, London, UK, Fall 2013 [In English].

-Co-Author with Eric Bronson, Comparative Study of Death Penalty in the United States and

Iran, published in Right to Life and Death Penalty in Iran, Compilation of papers presented

at the UCLA Death Penalty Conference, 2014. [In English]

Co-Author with Eric Bronson, Women and the Death Penalty in Iran, Edited by Raphael

Chenuil-Hazan, published in On the Death Penalty in Iran, published by Swedish

International Development, March 2015. [In English]

Author, Death Penalty in the Middle Eastern Countries, Edited by Sanaz Alasti & Jim

Mann in Contemporary Issues in the Criminal Justice Systems, Hart Publishing, under

review. [In English]

Encyclopedia Contribution

Co- Author with Eric Bronson, Crime and Punishment in Iran, The Wiley Encyclopedia of

Crime & Punishment, Available in fall 2015 [In English].

Co- Author with Eric Bronson, Corrections in Iran, The Wiley Encyclopedia of Corrections,

Available in spring 2016 [In English].

Sanaz Alasti Page 6

Law Reviews & Journals

Author, Chronological and Geographical Differences in Execution Methods, Work in

progress [In English].

Author, What is Wrong with Corporal Punishment: Official and Unofficial attitudes

Towards the Abolition of Corporal Punishment, Work in progress [In English].

Author, The Return of Shaming: Comparative Study of Shaming Punishments in Texas

and Tehran, Work in progress [In English].

Co-author, Contemporary Middle Eastern Harshness in the Application of Death

Penalty: Why Israel Is the Only Abolitionist?, Onati Socio-Legal Series, Vol. 6, Available

in Spring 2016, under review [In English].

Author, Co-Author with Eric Bronson, Sex Bias in Capital Cases, Special Review on Death

Penalty, ECPM Journal, October 2014 [In French].

Author, Death by Stoning: An Overview and History of Death Penalty by Stoning,

Iranshahr Criminal Law Journal Series, Vol. 40, Los Angeles, November, 2012 [In Persian].

Co-Author, Rethinking Youth Justice: Interpreting the Convention on the Rights of

Child, Justice Department Journal, Vol. 39, Tehran, Iran, spring 2012 [In Persian].

Co-Author, Violation of Human rights in Juvenile Justice Systems, Justice Department

Journal, Tehran, Iran, spring 2012[In Persian].

Author, Comparative Study of Stoning in the Religious of Islam and Judaism, Justice

Policy Journal, March 2007 [In English].

Author, Comparative Study of Cruel and Unusual Punishment for Consensual As

Homosexual Acts, Annual Survey of International and Comparative Law, Golden Gate

University, Volume 12, 2006 [In English].

Author, Prevention of Women Victimization, Proceeding Journal, Tehran, Iran, fall 2006 [In

Farsi].

Co-Author, Juvenile Delinquency, Justice Department Journal, Tehran, Iran, fall 2005 [In

Farsi].

Author, Criminal Law in Shakespearean Works, Attorneyship Journal, Tehran, Iran, fall

2004 [In Farsi].

Author, Prison Population in the United States, Prisons Organization Journal, Tehran, Iran,

fall 2004 [In Farsi].

Author, Criminal Procedure in Ancient Era, Prisons Organization Journal, Tehran, Iran,

winter 2003 [In Farsi].

Reports & Congressional Reports provided for the Law Library of Congress

Report provided for the Library of Congress on “Iran’s Upcoming Presidential Election”,

published by In Custodia Legis, July 2013.

Report provided for the Library of Congress on “Global Legal Collection Highlights”,

published by In Custodia Legis, September 2013.

Law Library of Congress report, Law on Use of Water in Agriculture, August 2013.

Sanaz Alasti Page 7

Selected Presentations and Workshops Capital Punishment in Authoritarian Regimes, Annual Meeting of the American Society of

Criminology, Washington DC, November 2015.

New Face of Terrorism, Southern Criminal Justice Association Conference, Charleston, SC,

September 2015.

Death Penalty in the Middle Eastern Countries, Contemporary Issues of Criminal Justice

Systems Workshop, International Institute for the Sociology of Law, Onati, Spain, May 2015.

Women and the Death Penalty: Comparative Perspective, Academy of Criminal Justice

Sciences Conference, Orlando, FL, March 2015.

The Future of Death Penalty, Phi Beta Delta Colloquium, Lamar University Landes

Auditorium, Beaumont, TX, March 2015.

Decriminalization of Sodomy, Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, San

Francisco, CA, November 2014.

Study of Inhuman Punishments for Consensual Homosexual Acts in the Middle East and

West, Annual ASMEA Conference, Washington D.C., October 2014.

Policing Terrorism, SWACJ Conference, South Padre Island, TX, October 2014.

Capital Punishment and Super Due Process, UCLA Death Penalty Conference, Los Angeles,

CA, May 2014.

A Dialogue among Scholars: Social, Legal and Ethical Issues about Capital Punishment and

Computer Hacking, Cardinal Conversation event by Ken & Nancy Evan, President’s house,

Lamar University, February, 2014.

Democracy and Punishment, ASMEA Conference, Arlington, VA, November 2013.

Chronological and Geographical Differences in Execution Methods, American Society of

Criminology Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, November 2013.

A conversation on Death Penalty, Spindletop Unitarian Church of Beaumont, Beaumont

TX, September 2013.

Relationship between Political Events and the Death Penalty, Southern Criminal Justice

Association Conference, Virginia Beach VA, September 2013.

Capital Punishment Law of Iran, Law Library of Congress, Washington DC, August 2013.

Harshness in the Law of Punishment: Widening divide between Texas & Tehran, Academy of

Criminal Justice Sciences Conference, Dallas, TX, March 2013.

Juvenile Death Penalty in Islamic Countries, Policy studies Organization Conference,

Washington Dc, February 2013.

Crime and Punishment in Sharia Law, International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal

Sciences Seminar, Italy Siracusa, November 2012.

Juvenile Death Penalty, Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Chicago

IL, November 2012.

Contemporary Middle Eastern Harshness in the Application of Death Penalty: Why Israel Is

the Only Abolitionist? Fifth Annual ASMEA Conference, Washington D.C., October 2012.

Rebuilding Criminal Justice Systems, ECCSSA Annual Conference, Herndon, Virginia,

March 2012.

The Death Penalty Cross-Nationally, Annual Meeting of the American Society of

Criminology, Washington D.C., November 2011.

Workshop on Crime and Criminal Justice Reform in Global Context, Harvard Kennedy

School, Cambridge, MA, Spring 2011.

What is Wrong with Capital Punishment? Harvard Law School Lecture Series, Cambridge,

MA, April 2011.

The Impact of International Law on Abolition of Death Penalty in a Time of Change: The

Widening Divide between the United States and Iran, Fulbright Symposium, San Francisco

CA, April 2010.

Death Penalty in the United States, Tehran University, Criminology Institute, Tehran, Iran,

September 2007.

Sanaz Alasti Page 8

Chair of Panels

Capital Punishment: International Perspectives, Annual Meeting of the American Society of

Criminology, Washington DC, November 2015.

Co-Chair with Jim Mann, Contemporary Issues of Criminal Justice Systems Workshop, Onati

International Institute for the Sociology of Law, Onati, Spain, May 2015.

Chair, Contemporary Challenges of the Middle Eastern Criminal Justice Systems & Military

Operations, Onati International Institute for the Sociology of Law, Onati, Spain, May 2015.

Chair, Perceptions and Errors in Capital Punishment, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences

Conference, Orlando, FL, March 2015.

Chair, Economics, Interventions, and Law, Annual ASMEA Conference, Washington D.C.,

October 2014.

Chair, The Role of Democracy in Drafting a New Constitution in the Middle East, ECCSSA

Annual Conference, Herndon VA, April 2014.

Chair, Cross Cultural Comparisons on Capital Punishment, Academy of Criminal Justice

Sciences Conference, Philadelphia, PA, February 2014.

Chair, US Foreign Policy & International Terrorism Panel, By Institute of World Politics &

Lamar University, Beaumont, TX, November 2012.

Chair, Serious Juvenile Offenders, Life Imprisonment, and the Death Penalty, Annual

Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Chicago IL, November 2012.

Media Interviews, Organizing Workshops/Seminars & Consultancy

Academic Organizer of Contemporary Issues of Criminal Justice Systems workshop, Onati

International Institute for the Sociology of Law, Onati, Spain, May 2015.

Consultant with Australian Government in regard to Refugee Review Tribunal, Summer

2015.

New Yorker, Interview in the New Yorker about the Oscar winner movie “A Separation”,

and the judicial system in the movie, February 2012.

Invitee Faculty, NATO School and International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal

Sciences Military Operations Seminar, Italy, November 2012.

Library of Congress, An Interview with Sanaz Alasti, Scholar in Residence in Custodia Legis,

August 2013.

http://convention2.allacademic.com/one/asc/asc12/index.php?click_key=1&cmd=Multi+Search+Search+Load+Session&session_id=168283&PHPSESSID=fhd9ob2urak0gmn3rsusrtmfh5

Weekly interviews with Radio and TV channels located in LA regarding death penalty.

{Faculty, Dept, College}

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Summary Table of F.208 results, 2011-2014 2011 2012 2013 2014 Teaching 4.5 4.5 4.75 4.5 Research 4 4.6 5 4.75 Service 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.25 Weighted ave. 4.4 4.64 4.825 4.55


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Summary of Students’ Evaluation: 2014 Course Name Course # Q1 Q5 Q6 Q10 Q11 Q30 Q31 Death Penalty CRIJ 4313-‐

Summer 2014 5 5 4.8 5 5 5 5

Legal Research / Brief Writing

CRIJ 4300-‐01 Spring 2014

4.8 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.9

Comparative Penology

CRIJ 5340-‐ Spring 2014

4.44 4.44 4.56 4.44 4.44 4.89 4.89

Q1-‐ Learning objectives explained. Q5-‐ Assignments aided learning. Q6-‐ Instructor available. Q10-‐ Overall, the instructor is a good teacher. Q11-‐ Learned a lot overall. Q30-‐ Grades returned timely. Q31-‐ Clear course requirement in syllabus. Quotes from students: “Very intelligent, informed, and passionate about the subject matters. Has a strong desire to involve students in conversations to help students comprehend material.” “Dr. Alasti is excellent at gathering sources and presenting it in a clear manner so everyone can understand it.” “Very professional. Articulate. Down to Earth despite all her accomplishments. Was there when I needed help in the course and advice. Always gave huge encouragement. Well-rounded. Dr. Alasti helped stretched me.” “Dr. Alati's class was very interesting. I wanted to know the different types of punishments in Middle Eastern countires because I wanted to compare it to the U.S. She was very helpful in the information that was available to her students. She was always there to clarify any problems if any. Most of all, she wanted to know what we thought, not a no your wrong class but always, What do you think? I enjoyed the class.”


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Summary of Students’ Evaluation: 2013 Course Name Course # Q1 Q5 Q6 Q10 Q11 Q30 Q31 Death Penalty CRIJ 4313-‐Fall

2013 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Legal Research And Writing

CRIJ 4300 Spring 2013

4.83 4.83 4.83 4.83 4.83 4.67 4.67

Crime & Criminals

CRIJ 3311 Summer 2013

4.62 4.75 4.31 4.5 4.6 4.69 4.67

Juvenile Justice

CRIJ 5340-‐03 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Q1-‐ Learning objectives explained. Q5-‐ Assignments aided learning. Q6-‐ Instructor available. Q10-‐ Overall, the instructor is a good teacher. Q11-‐ Learned a lot overall. Q30-‐ Grades returned timely. Q31-‐ Clear course requirement in syllabus.

Quotes from students: Please see the attachment: Online Course Evaluations. “She is very organized. She also delivers her message clearly and effectively. Her lectures make the topics that we discuss in class much more easy to understand. She is always prepared, and she gives students the help they are seeking.” “This class is a very valuable tool for any students who aspire to attend law school. As a student who plans on doing so, I believe that the skills I learned will give me an advantage in performing legal research in the future. I would love to see this course continue to be offered to Lamar students!” “Professor Alasti is very good at taking the time to explain in detail the material that she covers. She asks the students for questions or concerns to ensure that everyone understands, and repeats herself with no problem at all. She comes in with a smile everyday for class and greets the class with a warm welcome before she begins her lecture. She leaves comments on our tests and assignments when she grades to help us to do better the next time.” “Dr. Alasti is a wonderful professor! I have taken her three times throughout my college career, and every single time I feel that I have learned plenty.


4 of 6

Her classes are interesting, and her method of teaching is stupendous. She is just wonderful!” “Her teaching skills are incredible! Overall she is a spectacular professor. As far as offering helpful advice to students and being readily available to her students, she is one professor that I can always count on to help me out whenever I feel that I need guidance in class.”

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Summary of Students’ Evaluation: 2012 Course Name Course # Q1 Q5 Q6 Q10 Q11 Q30 Q31 Death Penalty CRIJ 4313-‐

Summer 4.62 4.50 4.69 4.75 4.75 5 5

Basic Legal Research

CRIJ 4313-‐02 Spring 2012

4.78 4.67 4.67 4.78 4.67 5 5

Crime & Criminals

CRIJ 3311 Fall 2012

4.68 4.56 4.52 4.60 4.56 5 5

Juvenile Justice

CRIJ 5340-‐01 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Q1-‐ Learning objectives explained. Q5-‐ Assignments aided learning. Q6-‐ Instructor available. Q10-‐ Overall, the instructor is a good teacher. Q11-‐ Learned a lot overall. Q30-‐ Grades returned timely. Q31-‐ Clear course requirement in syllabus. Quotes from students: Please see the attachment: Online Course Evaluations.

“Dr. Alasti is probably the most qualified instructor on Lamar's campus to teach this subject matter. She is very knowledgeable on the topic and has a passion for passing on her knowledge and experience - Excellent professor.”

“Mrs. Alasti's teaching methods are interesting and helpful. Her educational background is very knowledgeable of such subjects and she speaks of topics with ease and much understanding in a manner that is easy for student’s to comprehend.”

“She is very good in engaging students in critical thinking and discussions. Encourages students to participate in class and include their opinions on the subject matter.”

“Sanaz Alasti is a fantastic addition to the staff of criminal justice professors at Lamar University. Her knowledge of international affairs regarding human rights and criminal justice extends beyond anyone whom I have had the privilege of studying under. She is easily accessible and always willing to help.”

“I very much enjoyed this class, I was like most who had a generic view point in concern to the death penalty. In the completion of this class i now have a more open minded position and do believe that there are better ways of punishing criminals.”

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© 2012 Lamar University 1 of 9

Syllabus Lamar University, a Member of The Texas State University System, is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Associate, Baccalaureate, Masters, and Doctorate degrees (more details at http://www.lamar.edu). CRIJ 5340 - 02–Comparative Penology Spring 2014- (M 5:30 – 8:15 pm) Room: MA 111 Instructor: Dr. Sanaz Alasti E-mail: [email protected] Office: 409-880-8549 Office Hours Monday 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Thursday 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Course Description This course is intended to provide students with a survey of selected areas and issues in comparative penology. We begin with a historical review of the origins of punishments and then proceed to an examination of the current thinking regarding modern forms of punishment. Using a comparative historical approach, the goal in this course is to illustrate the similarities and differences in punishment responses over time and place. Moreover, the course will attempt to draw lessons from the history of penology relevant to the likely future of penology. 3 units. Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students will gain an historical perspective regarding the origins of punishment as well as

the various "eras" of punishment philosophy. 2. Students will learn about current issues relevant to correctional institutions (i.e., special

needs inmates, death penalty, corporal punishments, and suggestions for reform). 3. Students will engage in critical thinking and analysis of current issues relevant to penal

systems.


Instructor’s Biography

Dr. Sanaz Alasti is recently completed her Postdoctoral research at Harvard law school. She awarded a Fellowship from Harvard law school for her research on "Comparative Study of Capital Punishment: The Internal Critique," which examines criminal justice reform in the world. She has taught the following courses: Criminology, Legal Research, Legal Writing, Introduction to Criminal Justice System, Corrections, Organized Crime, Gangs & Terrorism. She has worked at ACLU of Northern California and subsequently worked on a project analyzing the relationship between sentencing outcomes and racial characteristics in homicide cases charged and sentenced in Tulare County, CA at Habeas Corpus Resource Center. She has written numerous books and articles on various aspects of Comparative Criminal Justice & penology.

She has been active in death penalty projects challenging the unfairness and arbitrariness of capital punishment and currently working on: "Teaching Abolition" a project proposing death penalty curriculum to stimulate broader exploration and discussion of capital punishment topics in law schools. Dr. Alasti received a S.J.D. (Scientiae Juridicae Doctor) from Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, California; after obtaining LL.M (Master of Laws) in criminal law & criminology, and her LL.B (Bachelor of Laws) with Honors. She has research experience in the criminal justice system of United States and comparative criminal justice systems.

Course Topics

• History of punishment thoughts • History of corporal punishments • History of Capital punishment • History of prisons • Harsh penal systems • Contemporary corporal punishments • Capital punishment in retentionist and abolitionist countries • Execution methods • Stoning • Punishments and international law • Human rights and penal systems • Religion and harsh punishments • Pioneer penologists • The future of Harsh penal systems


Academic Prerequisites Admission to Lamar University. Course Materials Required Text Miethe, Terance, and Hong Lu (2005). Punishment: A Comparative Historical Perspective, New York: NY: Cambridge University Press. Accessibility Statement It is the policy of Lamar University to accommodate students with disabilities, pursuant to federal and state law. Should you need accommodation, visit the Office for Students with Disabilities website at http://dept.lamar.edu/sfswd or call the office by dialing (409)-880-8347. Also know that I will assist in whatever way I can to ensure that this course supports the university’s commitment to equal education opportunities. Academic Integrity Statement Lamar University expects all students to engage in academic pursuits in a manner that is above reproach. Students are expected to maintain complete honesty and integrity in their academic experiences both in and out of the classroom. Any student found guilty of dishonesty in any phase of academic work will be subject to disciplinary action. Disciplinary proceedings may be initiated against a student accused of any form of academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work which is to be submitted, plagiarism, collusion, and the abuse of resource materials.

Plagiarism shall mean the appropriation of another’s work or idea and the unacknowledged incorporation of that work or idea into one’s own work offered for credit. Collusion shall mean the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing work offered for credit. Abuse of resource materials shall mean the mutilation, destruction, concealment, theft or alteration of materials provided to assist students in the mastery of course materials. Academic work shall mean the preparation of an essay, report, problem, assignment, creative work or other project that the student submits as a course requirement or for a grade.

Students are specifically warned against all forms of plagiarism, which include “purchasing, or otherwise acquiring and submitting as one’s own work any research paper or other writing assignment prepared by an individual or firm.” Plagiarism is defined as, “the appropriation and the unacknowledged incorporation of another’s work or ideas into one’s own offered for credit” (82). Students seeking to avoid plagiarism should consult either the course instructor or the most recent addition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. The course instructor will complete a thorough and impartial investigation of any instance of academic dishonesty. A student found guilty of academic dishonesty will be notified in writing by the instructor of the violation, the penalty, and the student’s right to appeal the determination of dishonesty and/or the


sanction imposed. Penalties for academic dishonesty in this course will result in either a lowered letter grade or failure of the course as determined by the instructor. Privacy Policy Statement Student records maintained by Lamar University comply with the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended (PL93-380). Detailed information should be accessed through this link: https://sacs.lamar.edu/catalog/PrefMaterial/V.GenAcademicPol.htm#edurights. Grading Policy and Evaluation Grading Exams 35 % Projects and Assignments 55 % Participation 10 % A grade of 90 percent or higher earns an A grade; 80 to 89 percent earns a B grade; 70 to 79 percent earns a C grade; 60 to 69 percent earns a D grade. Make-up Work

Each student has the opportunity to make up one missed major in-class graded event. Drop Dates This course adheres to the add/drop standards for each term as stated by Lamar University. For more details, refer to the Lamar Academic Calendar. If the link does not work, visit Lamar University at http://www.lamar.edu, and search the site with the term, “Academic Calendar.”

Course Evaluation Instruction as well as student performance is subject to evaluation. Procedures for evaluation will be provided near the end of this course. myLamar Portal Students are asked to obtain a Lamar Electronic Account username and password so they can log onto the myLamar Web site. Students may get information on how to get into the myLamar Web site from the University’s homepage (http://www.lamar.edu) by clicking on the myLamar link on the left top corner of the screen. Follow the steps to secure your myLamar username and password. Access to library resources is described on the Academic Partnership page, also available through the http://www.lamar.edu.


Course at a Glance:

Course Requirements

Students must complete the following requirements in order to complete this course:

- Complete a (15-20 pages) paper. - Write a response to: For Questions by Discussion based on

weekly syllabus (1 page). - Read weekly handouts.

Other Activities:

-Group discussions

-Presenting & analyzing charts & figures

-Watch & discuss the videos related to the topic

-Introducing web links related to the topic

Course Content Outline COURSE AT A GLANCE: Weekly Schedule

Week1-

Monday

January 13

Topic Areas:

-Course Overview

-Course Requirement

- History of Punishment Thoughts & Practice

Assignments:

-Read chapter 1, page 1-14, and chapter 2, page 15-24. (Book)

-Read handout: The Early History of Correctional

Thoughts & Practice

Assessments:


Week 2-

Monday

January 20

Martin Luther King Holiday

Week 3-

Monday

January 27

-History of Corporal

Punishments

-Read Chapter 2 page 33-44

-Read handout: Corporal Punishment

Week 4-

Monday

February 3

-History of Prisons

-Read handout: Throwing Away the Key: Imprisonment

Paper Assignment Topic Due

Quiz 1

Week 5

Monday

February 10

-History of Capital Punishment

-Read chapter 4, page 96-100 (Book)

-Read the handout.

Week 6

Monday

February 17

-Harsh Penal Systems

-Read handout: Degradation, Harshness and Mercy

Quiz 2


Week 7

Monday

February 24

-Contemporary Corporal

Punishments

-Read handout: Corporal Punishment, page 209-

229


Paper

Assignment Outline Due

Week 8

Monday

March 3

-Capital Punishment in Retentionist v.

Abolitionist Countries


-Read the handout.

Week 9

Monday

March 10

Spring Break

Week 10

Monday

March 17

-Harsh Execution Methods

-Read handout: Execution Methods

-Read handout: comparative study of stoning in Islam

and Judaism

Midterm

Week 11

Monday

March 24

-Punishments & International Law

-Read handout: Prohibition of Cruel and

Unusual Punishment under International Law

-Review UN Standards, Guidelines, and

International Instruments Regarding Punishments


Week 12

Monday

March 31

-Religion & Harsh Punishments


-Read handout: Capital Punishment in the Old

Testament

Week 13

Monday

April 7

-Human Rights & Penal Systems

-Read handout: International Human Rights Perspective

Quiz 3

Week 14

Monday

April 14

-Depenalization of Moral Offenses

-Read handout: Cruel and Unusual Due to the

Status of Offender

-Read handout: The Road Not Taken: Using the Eighth Amendment

to Strike Down Criminal Punishment For

Engaging in Consensual Sexual Acts

Week 15

Monday

April 21

-The Future of Harsh Penal Systems


Quiz 4

Week 16

Monday

April 28

Library

Paper draft is due

Week 17

Monday

May 5

Presentations

Paper Assignment Presentation

Paper Assignment Due


Attendance Standards Students are expected to attend all classes as scheduled, to arrive on time, and to remain until the end of each class. Absences should occur only in the event of illness or unforeseen and unavoidable situations or emergencies. All students are expected to attend classes beginning with the first day of each semester. A new or continuing student who has not attended during the add/drop period must attend the first class meeting(s) immediately following the add/drop period in order to remain enrolled in the course or courses for the semester.

Additional Attendance Guidelines In order to be successful, students are strongly encouraged to attend at least 85% of the scheduled class meetings per semester.

Students whose attendance falls below 80% will fail the course.

Tardy or Early Departure from Class There may be occasions when students enter after a class has started or may have reason to leave before the end of a class. Students are expected to inform me in advance and enter or leave class quietly, minimizing any disruption.

Academic Continuity Plan In the event of an announced campus closure in excess of 4 days due to a hurricane or other disaster, students are expected to login to Lamar University’s website’s homepage (www.lamar.edu) for instructions about continuing courses remotely.

Instructor’s Classroom Policies These expectations exist so everyone in the class understands the expectations of the instructor and the school. By practicing good classroom behaviors, students should expect that these behaviors will translate into positive workplace experiences.

Phones: Students can bring cell phones to class. Make sure to set it to ring silently and answer the calls in the hallway during scheduled breaks. I would recommend notifying friends and relatives to call you after class hours unless there is an emergency to minimize the disruption in class as would be expected in the workplace.

Food: No food inside the classroom.

HARVARD LAW SCHOOL Labor and Worklife Program HarvardTradeUnionProgram 25 MT. AUBURN STREET, third floor CAMBRIDGE · MASSACHUSETTS · 02138 Dr. John Trumpbour Tel: (617) 495-9265 Research Director Fax: (617) 496-7359 [email protected] September 9, 2015 To the members of the committee, Sanaz Alasti has made significant research contributions in the study of comparative criminal justice systems and on the role of religion in the punishment of crime. She is delivering to the U.S. legal community powerful insights revealing the workings of criminal justice systems from around the world. I believe I am well qualified to comment on Alasti’s qualifications through my decades of academic experience at leading universities. Currently serving as Research Director of the Labor & Worklife Program at Harvard Law School, I have organized conferences focused on the economics of crime, and our program holds annual meetings with law enforcement officials from the fifty largest urban areas of the United States. I have served as guest editor of TheComparativeLabor Law & Policy Journal, which allowed me to evaluate and publish some of the most accomplished legal scholars and practitioners from around the world. After earning a PhD from Harvard University, I received the Allan Nevins Prize for Literary Excellence in the Writing of History from the Society of American Historians. In spring 2011, I became familiar with Alasti’s scholarship after attending the presentation of her latest work at a Harvard Law School seminar. Focused on the role of religion in crime and punishment, she delivered an extraordinary overview of the variety of outcomes in criminal justice systems throughout the world. Some of this work will be published by one of the chief research centers at Harvard Law School. Alasti deals with controversial topics in jurisprudence systems, including the history and implementation of capital and corporal punishment. She demonstrates tremendous patience for the many different viewpoints on these matters and treats intellectual adversaries with the utmost respect. She is a model for democratic dialogue and exchange, enabling her U.S. audience and colleagues to understand how others regard our evolving institutions and practices. She notes that almost all nations believe in prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment, but then so many countries disagree about the very definition of what is cruel and unusual. Alasti has contributed breakthroughs to understanding the cultural and

religious foundations of criminal justice systems that allow for very different treatments of crime and punishment. Sanaz Alasti has carried out extensive research on the comparative study of criminal justice informed by developments in several religious traditions, most notably Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The public intellectual Stanley Fish has argued in The Chronicle of Higher Education (7 January 2005) that in the twenty-first century religion is becoming the center of intellectual energy in the academy. Alasti is bringing understanding of the role of several world religions in the formation of criminal justice systems. Her work is giving law scholars in the United States the tools to uncover the religious foundations of many practices in criminal justice systems, as well as understanding of how religions come to evolve in response to the challenges of the contemporary world. Her thoughtful and pathbreaking analysis of criminal justice traditions is of great importance when the United States seeks to participate in the formation of international conventions and treaties concerning human rights and the treatment of prisoners. Should you need further background on her work and scholarship, do not hesitate to contact me at my office at (617) 495-9265 or via email at [email protected] . Sanaz Alasti brings indispensible skills and knowledge to our nationʼs legal education institutions. Yours truly, John Trumpbour

October 6, 2015

Tenure & Promotion Committee,

I am please to support Dr. Sanaz Alasti’s application for tenure and promotion. She is truly one of the more exceptional professors on the Lamar University campus. Since she has joined our department in 2011, she has been very active in promoting research and scholarship with our faculty. As a prolific writing prior to coming to Lamar, she has continued her publications and expanded our department into more diverse international sectors of criminal justice and law.

It was apparent when Sanaz arrived on campus that she was a unique personality. Friendly and collegial, she easily drew us into her world. As a highly respected international legal scholar, Sanaz offered insight into areas we rarely had the opportunity to examine. Her contacts around the world expanded our own borders. Through her efforts, an international symposium on international issues in criminal justice was developed with the sponsorship of the Institute for the Sociology of Law in Oñati, Spain. Three of our faculty and three graduate students presented at the symposium along with professionals around the world. This symposium also became the springboard for taking more than a dozen students to Madrid as a study abroad course in comparative criminal justice. Currently, I am working with Sanaz to publish the articles presented at the symposium as an edited book.

She is the author of six books that I am aware of, and she is currently writing another. Additionally she has authored or co-authored four book chapters and thirteen law review articles. During the summer of 2013 Sanaz was invited to the Library of Congress where completed three reports/Congressional articles for the Library.

When not writing, she is active in teaching. She teaches courses in legal research, comparative criminal justice issues, and capital punishment at the undergraduate and graduate level. Her expertise is in the field of capital punishment. In September 2013, Dr. Alasti became the first Director of the Center for Death Penalty Studies at Lamar University. There is only one other Center for Death Penalty Studies, and it is located in England.

I have witnessed Sanaz to be a tireless and dedicated advocate for Lamar University and its students. Regardless of the issue presented, whether by students or faculty, I have been impressed by how well Sanaz actively engages the parties involved and becomes an influential piece of the solution. My observations of Dr. Alasti have been one of a woman who is professional and ethical in her work with others. She has strong verbal skills, in multiple languages, and engenders respect due to her thoroughness and enthusiasm to the task at hand.

Sanaz is a very strong member of our University community. Her service work and teaching are remarkable. In many ways, she has literally put Lamar University on the world map. I fully endorse her for tenure and promotion.

Jim Mann, Ph. D. Associate Professor Criminal Justice Program

To Whom It May Concern: Re: Sanaz Alasti’s Fellowship Application I am pleased to introduce Dr. Sanaz Alasti who was a LLM student at the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, University of Tehran, Iran, where I have been teaching law since 1972. I have known her for the past 14 years. I was the director of Tehran University Criminology Institute and I did teach Dr. Alasti on a number of criminology classes. I was also the co-supervisor for her LLM dissertation at the University of Tehran. She defended her LLM dissertation with merit (an outstanding mark of 19 out of 20). It was a privilege for me to work with this lively and friendly scholar whose determination and hard work impressed my colleagues and me. She is an extremely intelligent, conscientious and diligent and highly motivated in carrying out her research. She has always been well prepared in seminars and eager in engaging in seminar discussions, showing exceptional interest for legal scholarship. Dr. Alasti has been my top scholar here at the University of Tehran. I can confidently extend this comparison to other researchers and colleagues from other universities from around the world where I taught the same topics. She assisted me in number of research projects. I was so impressed with her outstanding research that I invited her to join my teaching team and during academic year of 2002-03 she was my teaching assistant on a penology course for the Faculty of law, a course she taught independently in summer 2007. I still remember her audition, a sophisticated and persuasive view on harsh penal systems. Dr. Alasti consistently provided a meticulous lesson plan for her students, detailed to the minute. Dr. Alasti has developed a unique theoretical interest in criminal justice issues and brought a wealth of knowledge of comparative criminal justice systems to our program. She is a natural educator and a true professional. Dr. Alasti has published several peer reviewed academic papers on comparative criminology and criminal justice issues and after she moved to the US her books have been selected as a major source of study for criminology students here. She is internationally recognized and her books are available in law libraries of several European and Middle Eastern countries. Sincerely, M. Ashouri, Ph.D. Professor of Law Director of Criminology Institute Tehran University, Faculty of Law Tehran University, Faculty of Law

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Sociology Department New York University 295 Lafayette St., 4th Floor New York, N.Y. 10012-9605 (212) 998-8345 (tel) (212) 995-4140 (fax) e-mail: [email protected] ................................................................ September 23, 2015 Dear Colleagues: I am writing in support of the application of Professor Sanasz Alasti. There are several reasons I support her application. First of all, in recent years, Professor Alasti has emerged as a leading young scholar of capital punishment. Her writings on this subject, and the talks she has given on it to various audiences (including a meeting of the American Society of Criminology, where I heard her speak), have earned her a reputation as a major figure doing research and writing on this topic. Much American writing on criminal justice issues (including capital punishment) is ethnocentric, and it will be especially valuable to have a major study of this topic that is comparative, and that has been carried out by someone who knows other languages, cultures and legal systems. I believe that a comparison of Islamic law with Western legal traditions is especially relevant for this topic. There is a divergence, and it would be beneficial to understand its history. I believe that it goes beyond capital punishment; I think it has wider political and legal ramifications. For that reason, I believe that this research will have an impact on cross-national studies going beyond death penalty research. The research that Dr. Alasti plans to conduct should benefit Lamar University in several ways. The research will have the potential for informing her teaching, and for building up the Center for Death Penalty Studies. Beyond that, Lamar University’s prestige and rankings will surely be enhanced by the publication of a book, and by lectures that Dr. Alasti will

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give at the conferences and elsewhere. This enhanced prestige will help to attract students, donations and grants. Sincerely, David F. Greenberg Professor

dr. sanaz alasti, criminal justice program piper award ......dr. sanaz alasti, criminal justice...

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