Rolanda J. West
Justice Studies
Office:
LWH 4034
Phone:
(773) 442-4790
Email:
R-West2@neiu.edu
Office Hours:
Fall 2016 Monday and Wednesday 9:30-10:30 a.m.
CV:
rwest-CV2013v.ED_.pdf
Country:
United States
JUST 101 Introduction to Social Justice
JUST 202 WIP: Justice and Inequality
JUST 307 Prisoner Reentry Systems
JUST 326 Juvenile Justice System
JUST 332 Race and Ethnic Relations
Research Interests
• Prisoner Education • Prisoner Reentry Systems • Curriculum and Instruction for At-Risk Youth • Incarceration patterns of descendents of the African Slave Trade in South America and the Caribbean
Education
• Ed.D., Curriculum and Instruction, Loyola University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 2010
• M.Ed., Teaching and Learning, California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, California, 2007
• B.A., Journalism, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, Illinois , 2005
Selected Publications
• West, R. (2014). Re-examining Reentry: Prisoner Reentry Systems in the United States. Landham, MD: Lexington Academic Publishing.
• West, R. (2004). "What Bargain?: The Widespread Practice of Plea Bargaining Has Increased Repercussions for People of Color." Colorlines Magazine.
Background
Dr. Rolanda West is an instructor in the Justice Studies Department of ÌìÌì³Ô¹Ï and the co-founder and Executive Director of Alternative Education Research Institute. She co-founded the organization to assist local community organizations in the research and development of programs that would provide educational opportunities for populations that have been overlooked. For the past decade, Dr. West has worked as an instructor, program consultant and community activist for underrepresented populations, primarily formerly incarcerated youth and adults.
Dr. West has previously taught courses at Loyola University Chicago’s School of Education and has worked with south- and west-side community-based organizations in the research, development and evaluation of programs designed for underrepresented populations. Recently, Dr. West accepted the nomination for the Fellowship of Reconciliation’s Nation Council and continues to serve as a Board member for the Renaissance Collaborative in Chicago’s historic Bronzeville neighborhood.
​Outside of teaching, West has worked as a consultant for Los Angeles Unified School District and the Federal Department of Probation District Courts in Inglewood, California, developing Empowerment Education and Reentry programs for the formerly incarcerated. As a consultant West has worked with organizations in the U.S. and Latin America, providing staff development training and program research and development for underserved communities. ​