Professor Amy Ronner Delivers Keynote Address at Conference on Juvenile Justice

St. Thomas Law professor Amy Ronner was the keynote speaker at the conference at the University of Miami School of Law on the topic of “Therapeutic Jurisprudence and Juvenile Justice” the conference is co-sponsored by the Miami-Community Based Care Alliance. 

Professor Amy Ronner

During her address, Professor Ronner' gave background on therapeutic jurisprudence, its core philosophy and its objectives. She introduced attendees to what she and the late Professor Bruce Winick coined the "three Vs" - Voice, Validation, and Voluntary participation.

Professor Ronner posited the question: "how can the legal system effectuate positive, therapeutic results?" 

She explained the stages of the therapeutic process beginning with individuals experiencing a sense of "voice" or an opportunity to tell their story to a decision-maker. A by-product of "voice" is "validation," which occurs when participants in the process feel that they have been genuinely listened to, heard, and taken seriously. Consequently, when litigants emerge from a proceeding with that sense of "voice" and "validation," they tend to be more satisfied and accepting of the outcome. Voice and validation thus foster a sense of "voluntary participation" - - which occurs when individuals experience the proceedings as less coercive.

"In general, human beings thrive when they have a sense of choice and feel that they are making, or at least participating in, their own decisions," stated Professor Ronner, "Participants in such a process tend to be more inclined to accept responsibility for their own conduct, take charge, and change."

Amy D. Ronner has taught at St. Thomas University School of Law since 1992. In 2002-03, she was a Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Miami School of Law. With a background and several degrees in Creative Writing and English Language and Literature, she also has taught English as a Teaching Fellow at the University of Michigan and as a Lecturer at the University of Miami. A prolific author, she has published several books as well as articles in the Columbia Human Rights Law Review; the Harvard Women's Law Journal; the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism; and the Arizona, Buffalo, California Western, and U.C. Davis Law Reviews, among others.

A popular presenter, she has spoken at numerous conferences all across the United States, as well as in The Netherlands and Portugal. At St. Thomas University School of Law, Professor Ronner has been active in many ways, including service as Faculty Advisor to the Moot Court Board and membership on the Academic Standing, Curriculum, Library, and Promotion and Tenure Committees; currently, she teaches Property.