January 19, 2017

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MILWAUKEE — Michael O'Hear, a Marquette Law School professor and author of a new book that examines mass incarceration, will be the featured guest in an upcoming "On the Issues with Mike Gousha," Thursday, Jan. 26, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. at Marquette University Law School's Eckstein Hall, 1215 W. Michigan St.

O'Hear is a nationally recognized authority on criminal punishment. His book, Wisconsin Sentencing in the Tough-on-Crime Era: How Judges Retained Power and Why Mass Incarceration Happened Anyway, is scheduled for release Jan. 17 and examines the explosion in the state's prison population. Since the 1970s, Wisconsin's sentencing system has become unusually judge-dominated. Over the same time period, Wisconsin's prison population has risen dramatically, even by comparison to national norms during the era of "mass incarceration." O'Hear's book recounts the history of these two important developments and considers how they might be connected.

Gousha, an award-winning broadcast journalist, is the Law School's distinguished fellow in law and public policy. His "On the Issues" series of conversations with newsmakers supports Marquette Law School's commitment to serve as a modern-day public square for the city of Milwaukee, the state of Wisconsin and beyond.

Through public programming such as the Marquette Law School Poll, debates featuring candidates in significant political races, Gousha's "On the Issues" conversations with newsmakers, public lectures by leading scholars and conferences on significant issues of public importance, the Law School serves as the region's leading venue for serious civil discourse about law and public policy matters.

The event is open to members of the public at no cost. Registration is required and is available online. Members of the media who are interested in attending should contact Chris Jenkins in the Office of Marketing and Communication.