Justice Initiative Center

Justice Initiative Adviser and Associate Professor (retired), Pharmaceutical Sciences
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences 

Joanne M. Carroll, Ph.D., is a cofounder of the Justice Initiative Center and Scholarship Program and continues to serve as an adviser since her retirement in 2022. She served on the faculty in St. John’s University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences for 31 years.

In addition to her teaching role, she was Director of Graduate Programs in the department and led a research lab focused on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neuronal differentiation. Her teaching included basic sciences courses for the health professions students.  Among these classes was Public Health, which emphasized the social determinants of health, the measures of community health, and the government agencies/programs responsible for public health.  

After completing training at the Inside-Out Institute at Temple University, she redesigned this class and included in the curriculum a discussion of mass incarceration as a public health issue.  This class was offered at New York State Queensboro Correctional Facility as part of St. John’s involvement in the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program® at the prison.  

Founder, The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice, Bronx, NY

Jeffrey Mark Deskovic, Esq., is an affiliate and active adviser for the Justice Initiative Center. Mr. Deskovic is an esteemed lawyer, wrongful conviction expert, and a fervent advocate for criminal justice reform. 

As the founder of The Jeffrey Deskovic Foundation for Justice, he has played a pivotal role in freeing 14 wrongfully convicted individuals and has been instrumental in the passage of six crucial laws designed to prevent wrongful convictions. His advocacy extends beyond the courtroom and legislative chambers; Mr. Deskovic has delivered more than 200 presentations across the globe, authored more than 200 articles in various prestigious publications, and made countless appearances in media outlets to shed light on the injustices within the criminal justice system.

His journey to advocacy is as compelling as his accomplishments. Wrongfully convicted at the age of 17 for a crime he did not commit, Mr. Deskovic spent 16 arduous years in prison before DNA evidence vindicated him. This profound injustice fueled his determination to combat wrongful convictions and support those unjustly imprisoned. He utilized compensation received postexoneration to establish his foundation, which, despite financial challenges, has thrived due to his personal commitment and the support of the community in recent years.

With an academic background enriched by a master’s degree, with a thesis written on wrongful conviction causes and reforms, Mr. Deskovic’s expertise is recognized widely. He has twice cotaught a wrongful conviction college course, instructed police cadets on ethics, and served as a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) instructor, sharing insights on wrongful convictions with judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys. His work extends to notable collaborations, including efforts to abolish the death penalty in Connecticut and to prevent its reinstatement in New York.

Internationally, Mr. Deskovic's influence is profound. He has engaged with judicial and legal professionals in Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Canada, India, and Taiwan, advocating for justice reform and sharing his insights on wrongful convictions and restorative justice. His commitment to reform is evident in his continuous efforts to lobby for legislative changes, educate through social media and public speaking, and collaborate with organizations like It Could Happen To You, Restorative Justice International, The Right To Remain Silent Coalition, and others dedicated to justice reform.

Mr. Deskovic’s passion extends to broader criminal justice issues, including parole reform, medical care in prison, compassionate release, oversentencing, mass incarceration, education for prisoners, and prison reform. He has actively participated in rallies, legislative hearings, press conferences, and media interviews to advocate for these causes, demonstrating his commitment to not only exonerating the innocent, but also improving the overall conditions within the criminal justice system. He is the co-owner of the Recharge Beyond The Bars Re-Entry Game.

Mr. Deskovic’s life and work epitomize resilience and dedication to justice. His story, detailed in the documentary Conviction, is available on Amazon Prime, and his ongoing efforts make him a beacon of hope and a powerful voice in the fight against wrongful convictions and for comprehensive criminal justice reform.

Doctoral Candidate, Clinical Psychology  (2027), and Adjunct Professor, St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Vice Provost for Academic Engagement and Strategic Partnerships, St. John’s University, and Adjunct Professor, The Lesley H. and William L. College of  Professional Studies and The School of Education

Nancy S. Kaplan, Ed.D., is a long-time educator, community advocate, and prolific community builder. For the past 32 years, she has spent her career in higher education at St. John’s University, most currently in the role of Vice Provost for Academic Engagement and Strategic Partnerships. She also serves as an Adjunct Professor at The Lesley H. and William L. College of Professional Studies and at the graduate level at The School of Education. 

Her academic credentials from St. John’s University include a Doctor of Education, Master of Business Administration, and Bachelor of Science degrees. Additionally, Dr. Kaplan completed the Management Development Program at Cornell University’s New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the Management Development Studies Program at Harvard University. While a student at St. John’s, she was a four-year member of the Women’s Basketball team and a member of the BIG EAST Conference championship team in 1988.

In addition to sharing her own life experiences with audiences, for the past 26 years she has served as a workshop facilitator for several prominent anti-bias and social justice organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, RISE, and the Institute for Sport and Social Justice. Dr. Kaplan has been especially effective in providing anti-bias education to members of law enforcement, as well to higher education faculty and staff members, K-12 teachers and children, professional sporting organizations, and college athletes and coaches.  Using her knowledge of higher education, her background in anti-bias education, and her experience as a member of a law enforcement family, Dr. Kaplan has developed a unique reputation for facilitating much-needed education and dialogue in a way that is impactful, thought provoking, and life changing.

Outside of her work responsibilities, Dr. Kaplan serves in several leadership positions within her community. Most notably is her long-term service as a Trustee of the Merrick Union Free School District and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District Boards of Education. As a member of the Merrick Kiwanis Club, Director of the Merrick Jewish Centre, former Director/Manager for the Merrick/Bellmore Little League, and a basketball coach for the Bellmore/Merrick Basketball League, Dr. Kaplan enjoys giving back to her community. 

Dr. Kaplan resides on Long Island, NY.  She is married to Lenny, the Athletics Director at Division I New Jersey Institute of Technology, and is the mother of two children, Michael and Joshua. Michael is a graduate of Lafayette College, where he studied mechanical engineering, and Joshua is a graduate of the University of Central Florida, where he earned dual degrees in hospitality management and event management.

Assistant Professor, Clinical Legal Education, Director, Defense and Advocacy Clinic, School of Law, St. John’s University

Martin J. LaFalce joined the St. John’s Law School faculty in 2022 as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Legal Education and Director of the Defense and Advocacy Clinic.

Professor LaFalce spent 14 years as a public defender at The Legal Aid Society. He began his career representing clients at Rikers Island charged with violating the conditions of their parole. In that role, he pursued impact litigation that led the Appellate Division, First Department to strike down the New York State Board of Parole’s draconian board review procedure, a procedure that allowed parole commissioners to unilaterally imprison New Yorkers without affording them a hearing.

Professor LaFalce also worked as a trial attorney in Manhattan for 10 years, representing New Yorkers charged with crimes ranging from low-level marijuana possession to murder. While working as a trial attorney in Manhattan, he teamed with Legal Aid colleagues, community activists, and state legislators to repeal New York State’s discriminatory gravity knife law. 

Under Professor LaFalce’s supervision, the Defense and Advocacy Clinic represents clients charged with misdemeanor offenses in Queens Criminal Court and advocates for incarcerated people placed in solitary confinement at Rikers Island.

He is thrilled to be a part of the mission of the Justice Initiative Center, advocating on behalf of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated New Yorkers.

Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Omar Montana, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at St. John’s University in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. His research and teaching focuses on antiracist approaches to understanding the US criminal justice system, media representations of crime in New York City, and white supremacist violence in the US. He actively works with graduate students in the Master of Arts in Criminology and Justice degree program, teaching courses on criminological theories, policing, and terrorism by taking a critical criminological approach to interrogate crime and power globally. 

Associate Professor, Department of Mass Communication, The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies 

Basilio Monteiro, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mass Communication and Director of the Graduate Program of International Communication at St. John’s University, NY.

Professor and Chair, Department of Counselor Education, The School of Education

Heather C. Robertson, Ph.D., (she/her) is a Professor and Chair of Counselor Education at St. John’s University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC, CT); Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC, NY); Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC); Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC); Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC, NY); Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS); Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF); and Board Certified Telemental Health Provider (BC-TMH). 

Research and advocacy efforts include college and career transition, substance abuse, military and veterans, telemental health, and reducing the stigma of mental illness and addiction. She earned a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Virginia Tech, and an M.S. in Counseling and Guidance from Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi. 

Executive Vice President for Mission, St. John’s University

Rev. Aidan R. Rooney, C.M., M.Div., M.Th. ’78NDC has been a member of the Congregation of the Mission since 1980. A native of Staten Island, NY, Fr. Rooney was first exposed to the Vincentian charism as an undergraduate at the Staten Island, NY, campus of St. John’s University, where he was active in Campus Ministry and earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 1978. He was ordained a Vincentian in 1984.

Justice Initiative Adviser and Professor (retired), Department of Sociology and Anthropology, St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 

Judith Ryder, Ph.D., (retired) is a Cofounder of the Justice Initiative Center and Scholarship Program and currently serves as an adviser. She was on the faculty at St. John’s University in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for 17 years, serving as Director of the Criminology and Justice Master of Arts degree program, and Founder and Director of The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program® at St. John’s. 

Prior to joining St. John’s faculty, Dr. Ryder was Senior Project Director, Institute on Trauma and Violence at the National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI), a research organization in New York City. Her academic research explores the gendered, racial, and traumagenic context of girls’ violent behaviors and substance abuse, and the associated global escalation of female incarceration. 

Justice Initiative Center Research Director, Assistant Professor, Division of Criminal Justice and Homeland Security, The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies

Dr. Marina Sorochinski is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at the Division of Criminal Justice, Legal Studies, and Homeland Security. She is an investigative psychologist, who received her PhD Psychology (with specialization in Psychology & Law) from CUNY Graduate Center, and her MA in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Dr. Sorochinski's main area of specialty and expertise is in applying psychological principles and rigorous empirical methods to improving police investigations.

Assistant Vice President for Equity and Inclusion/Student Belonging, Office of Multicultural Affairs, St. John’s University

Sharod L. Tomlinson ’21Ed.D. will serve as the Director of the Justice Initiative Scholarship Program. In January, he was named Assistant Vice President for Equity and Inclusion/Student Belonging at St. John’s University. He previously served as the Associate Dean for Student Success and Engagement, and as the Director of the R.I.S.E. Network and Veterans Affairs. As Associate Dean, he provided creative leadership in developing, designing, and implementing social and academic programming for students that led to great success in retention and graduation rates. 

In his new capacity, he leads the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) and the Inclusivity Resource Center’s TRIO programs (i.e., Student Support Services, Liberty Partnerships, and Upward Bound).

Adjunct Professor, Department of Government and Politics, St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Adjunct Professor, Politics and Human Rights, Marymount Manhattan College Prison Program at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility