Lisa Kerr

Lisa Kerr is an Associate Professor at Queen's University's Faculty of Law, specializing in criminal law, sentencing, and prison law. She serves as Director of the Criminal Law Group at Queen's Law and actively participates in strategic litigation through the Queen's Prison Law Clinic.

• Education: JSD and LLM from New York University, JD from University of British Columbia, BA from Simon Fraser University.
• Key Roles: Trudeau Scholar, Executive Committee Member of the Surveillance Studies Centre, board member of BC Civil Liberties Association.

Her research focuses on sentencing policy, prisoner rights, solitary confinement abolition, and decriminalization of sex work. She advocates for systemic reforms through litigation and public engagement, with notable contributions to cases addressing solitary confinement and Indigenous incarceration disparities.

Recent publications analyze constitutional limits on punishment severity, Gladue principles for Indigenous sentencing, and pandemic impacts on prison conditions. She frequently publishes opinion pieces in major newspapers, critiquing punitive policies and advocating for humane legal frameworks.

• Awards: Trudeau Scholarship (NYU).
• Grants: Contributed to SSHRC-funded Surveillance Studies Centre projects.