Stefen Short Esq. ’10 is on a mission to create fairness in the prison system. While interning with Disability Advocates, Inc. before graduating, Short recalled a visit to a prison and saw how prisons had a disproportionately large population of black inmates. He decided then he wanted to make a difference and take action. “That was really, really sobering, and I knew that I wanted to do something about this,” Short said. Helen Knowles, an associate professor of political science, taught Short in several American law and politics classes throughout his time at Oswego. She spoke very highly of his work ethic and his passion for the subject material. “He’s one of our best alumni,” Knowles said. “He’s so accomplished, and now he’s doing incredible work on behalf of incarcerated individuals in this state.” Currently, Short works as acting deputy director of the Prisoners' Rights Project for the Legal Aid Society in New York City. As this year’s keynote speaker for Pi Sigma Alpha’s guest lecture, Short gave his presentation of Cause Lawyering: The Reformist, the Reactionary and the Abolitionist to students in MCC 133 on April 6. Pi Sigma Alpha is a national political science honor society. The talk was co-sponsored by Nu Beta, the SUNY Oswego Chapter of the Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society and the Department of Criminal Justice. Short’s list of achievements is anything but brief. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a minor in African American studies, and was part of numerous organizations during his time at SUNY Oswego. To name a few, Short was president of the Oswego Student Association, director of diversity for SUNY Student Assembly and a project leader with the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG). He also received the Douglas Eckert Memorial Award, given to the student who has made the greatest overall contribution to Oswego’s Political Science Department. During his presentation, Short mentioned the special populations rule under the Humane Alternative to Long-Term (HALT) Solitary Confinement Act. It states that people with disabilities, mental or physical, cannot be held in solitary confinement in New York. Short’s team wanted to expand it to include people under 21 and over 55, as well as pregnant and postpartum people. “Directly impacted people wanted us to try, and they wanted us to be ambitious about it,” Short said, speaking of the efforts he and his team have made. So, Short and his team got ambitious indeed, aiming to set durational limits on solitary confinement. Short said that it has not been easy because of legislative roadblocks not favoring prison reform in the last decade, but he has not given up. “The movement lawyering approach was, ‘we’re gonna write this legislation the way directly impacted people want us to, and even if it takes 15 years, we’re gonna keep fighting.’” In a separate interview, Short mentioned one of the most impactful cases he has worked on. Short was counsel on the first case of an incarcerated person being vaccinated for COVID-19.The case involved Edward Mackenzie and can be found under People v. Tedford. “Prior to my lawsuit, Governor Cuomo had carved incarcerated people out of vaccine access,” Short said. While the court did not release the individual, it did allow them to be the first vaccinated inmate in the state. Short said he and his team continued working to get incarcerated people vaccinated after that. “From that case we filed two companion class action cases, challenging Governor Cuomo’s refusal to authorize the vaccine more broadly,” Short said. The companion class action suits resulted in vaccine access for all incarcerated people in the state. Short also spoke very highly of NYPIRG and credited his experience with the group with helping him find his career path. “It taught me a lot about people management [and] project management,” Short said. “[These are] lessons that I use today, and I feel very privileged that I learned those lessons as a student, such that I don’t have to learn them now.” Working with NYPIRG and learning how to solve real-world problems gave him the experiences he needed to feel prepared in the field of law. “One of the big initiatives NYPIRG lobbied for was the ‘Bigger, Better Bottle Bill,’ which is still pending in the legislature, but it would expand the process by which someone can seek reimbursement for bottle deposits,” Short said. “[NYPIRG] is essentially a student-run, student-led grassroots lobbying organization in the student interest.” Students were thoroughly engaged with the presentation material. One student asked if Short thought whether movement lawyering could be the best approach toward creating political change, or if a more legislative approach would work. “A component in the movement is legislating,” Short said. “The only responsible way to be a lawyer involved in struggles today is to be a movement lawyer.” Short explained that there are layers to this kind of lawyering but that the efforts are worth it in the end. “And within that approach, you’re deciding litigation solutions, legislative solutions, something else, you’re being responsive to the community,” Short said. “I think that those types of approaches lead to more sustainable change.”
~Lauren Royce '24