Legal experts to go 'On the Issues' at Marquette Law School to discuss childhood trauma

November 13, 2018

MILWAUKEE — Two legal experts who are advancing research and understanding of the impact of childhood trauma on the criminal justice system will be the featured guests in an upcoming "On the Issues with Mike Gousha." Fordham University Law Professor Deborah W. Denno and Milwaukee County Circuit Court Deputy Chief Judge Mary Triggiano will discuss "Childhood Trauma and Our Courts" on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 12:15 p.m. in the Lubar Center at Marquette University Law School's Eckstein Hall.

Denno is the Arthur A. McGivney Professor of Law and founding director of the Neuroscience and Law Center at Fordham University School of Law, and a widely recognized teacher and scholar in criminal law and in law and neuroscience. Triggiano is co-chair of the Community Justice Council's Safety and Justice Challenge Trauma Workgroup that is responsible for incorporating trauma-effective practices in the Milwaukee County Court system.

The two will discuss emerging research that shows how childhood traumas — physical and sexual abuse, neglect, exposure to violence, and poverty — heighten the likelihood that an individual will suffer from brain dysfunction, which can be associated with criminality and violence. Denno and Triggiano will explore how judicial systems incorporate emerging scientific findings in the field of traumatic stress, and how and when indicators of childhood trauma are examined in the criminal prosecution of juveniles and adults.

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 general public at no cost; registration is required and is available online. Members of the media who are interested in attending should contact Lynn Sheka in the Office of Marketing and Communication.