{"id":33444,"date":"2025-08-12T16:57:30","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T20:57:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stetson.edu\/law\/news\/?p=33444"},"modified":"2025-08-12T16:57:30","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T20:57:30","slug":"elder-justice-student-takes-passion-to-another-level","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stetson.edu\/law\/news\/index.php\/2025\/08\/12\/elder-justice-student-takes-passion-to-another-level\/","title":{"rendered":"Elder Justice Student Takes Passion to Another Level"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>With encouragement from Professor Rebecca Morgan, Lauren Lewchuk presented to DOJ officials in the summer of \u201925.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"590\" height=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www2.stetson.edu\/law\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Lauren-Lewchuk-News-Preview.jpg\" alt=\"A person in a black suit and trench coat stands in front of a building featuring a picture of the scales of justice.\" class=\"wp-image-33443\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www2.stetson.edu\/law\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Lauren-Lewchuk-News-Preview.jpg 590w, https:\/\/www2.stetson.edu\/law\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Lauren-Lewchuk-News-Preview-500x331.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lauren Lewchuk &#8217;26 presented to the U.S. Department of Justice&#8217;s Elder Justice Initiative in summer of 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It began with a paper <strong>Lauren Lewchuk<\/strong> \u201926 wrote for their Elder Law Seminar class with Professor <strong>Rebecca Morgan<\/strong> \u201980.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Titled &#8220;Barriers to Reintegration: The Socioeconomic Marginalization of Elderly Former Inmates,&#8221; it examines the socioeconomic barriers faced by elderly individuals reentering society after incarceration, with a focus on Florida\u2019s aging prison population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It concludes by proposing to establish of a Senior Reentry Assistance Program under the Older Americans Act to provide targeted support in housing, healthcare, legal services, and financial stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis idea grew from my interest in criminal justice reform and my role as a mitigation interview specialist on death row cases on the defense side,\u201d Lewchuk said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With guidance from a private investigator, Lewchuk gathered detailed background information on clients facing capital punishment. They interacted with clients\u2019 families and communities to better understand how the effects of incarceration go well beyond the incarcerated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThese experiences were yet another reflection of how the criminal justice system consistently and disproportionately burdens and harms marginalized communities. They also shed light on the often-overlooked challenges that elderly individuals face when returning to society,\u201d Lewchuk said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>From the classroom to the policymakers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Professor Morgan referred them to a member of the U.S. Department of Justice\u2019s Elder Justice Initiative. Lewchuk planned to interview her for the paper, but she expressed interest in the concept and invited Lewchuk to present on it to members of her team. Lewchuk enthusiastically accepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet again, Morgan offered her support and encouragement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is such a privilege to work with our students,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cLauren\u2019s enthusiasm, hard work, dedication show me that they will be an amazing attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To help Lewchuk prepare, she organized a mock presentation with several faculty members, including Professor <strong>Roberta Flowers<\/strong>, Vice Dean <strong>Jason Palmer<\/strong>, and Professor<strong> Theresa Radwan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTheir thoughtful feedback and constructive critiques were invaluable, and I deeply appreciate their support,\u201d Lewchuk said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The experience bolstered Lewchuk\u2019s resolve to advocate for the most vulnerable \u2013 and Morgan\u2019s mentorship proved an invaluable part of this experience, as it always does for those who seek her help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cProfessor Morgan provided unwavering support and guidance throughout this process, for which I am truly grateful,\u201d Lewchuk said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With encouragement from Professor Rebecca Morgan, Lauren Lewchuk presented to DOJ officials in the summer of \u201925. It began with a paper Lauren Lewchuk \u201926 wrote for their Elder Law Seminar class with Professor Rebecca Morgan \u201980. Titled &#8220;Barriers to Reintegration: The Socioeconomic Marginalization of Elderly Former Inmates,&#8221; it examines the socioeconomic barriers faced by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":33443,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[2657,177,2600,1933,2603,2631,1190],"class_list":["post-33444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-1","tag-elder-justice","tag-elder-law","tag-lawportal-home-bottom","tag-news","tag-news-and-stories","tag-news-top","tag-stetson-today"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Elder Justice Student Takes Passion to Another Level - Stetson Law News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"For student Lauren Lewchuk, the experience of presenting her work to the US DOJ was the opportunity of a lifetime.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www2.stetson.edu\/law\/news\/index.php\/2025\/08\/12\/elder-justice-student-takes-passion-to-another-level\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Elder Justice Student Takes Passion to Another Level - 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