In June 2013, Alice B. Lustre (LL.M. ’10) will be presenting her research entitled “After the Gavel Falls: Application of the Federal Crime Victims’ Rights Act in Habeas Corpus Proceedings” at the National Crime Victims Law Institute’s 2013 Crime Victim Law Conference.  The presentation is based on a directed research project Alice undertook as part of her LL.M. in Prosecutorial Science. Chapman’s LL.M in Prosecutorial Science is relaunching in the summer of 2013.

As a current Deputy Attorney General for the State of California, Alice says that she enjoys being part of a system that ensures justice. This is the same disposition Alice had when she began her studies at Chapman Law School. “I am a big believer in education and I wanted to advance my knowledge in an area designed specifically for prosecutors,” mentioned Alice. “The LL.M. in Prosecutorial Science provided me with the opportunity to both enhance my understanding of prosecution and also network with others who had the same mission of ensuring that justice is done,” said Alice.

Inspired by her research at Chapman, Alice will present some troubling gaps in the current justice system and provide opportunities for remedial action at the upcoming Crime Victim Law Conference. “With capital litigations, we have victims in it for the long haul. Unfortunately, the longer the process takes, the easier it is for victims to fall off the radar, especially in an appeal of a Habeas Corpus decision,” mentioned Alice.  If habeas relief is granted, the conviction and/or sentence can be set aside many years after the trial. Getting ahold of a victim’s family twenty or thirty years down the road can be next to impossible.  Alice hopes she can contribute to closing this gap by educating practitioners and bringing these types of cases to forefront of the agenda.

“I feel like I am doing something worthwhile,” said Alice, “It’s the right thing to do.” It comes as no surprise that Ethics was one of Alice’s favorite classes at Chapman, but it is notable that Alice has taken it upon herself to shed light on disenfranchised groups of people who, overtime, become buried in the shadows.