Student Staff Project Update from Noeisha McKensie

Hello! My name is Noeisha McKensie. I am currently pursuing an LLM in Human Rights at Regent University School of Law. Human rights law is my passion. The door was opened for me to become a member of the Student Staff with the Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law. I am blessed with the opportunity to work on a project for International Justice Mission (IJM).

Our team was assigned to work on a legal research memorandum that addresses police accountability. My assigned task is to research how to create social demand for accountability in societies that experience high crime and threats of terrorism.  I have been researching various jurisdictions and the public response to issues involving police accountability.  Furthermore, I am examining a number of resources on the topic of police accountability as it relates to societal response.  It is understandable that in societies that experience widespread law enforcement corruption and abuse, mistrust for police is inevitable.

Working on this project has not been a cake walk. I have had to make major adjustments. I am a single parent and full time student, and have had to balance school, work, family, extra-curricular activities, etc., and of course unexpected events. Despite the realities of life, it is a tremendous honor to work on this project.  I know that the end result is that our teamwork on this project will have a significant impact and bring about positive change and reform.