Fields of Study
- Criminal Behaviour
- Transnational Justice & International Criminal Law
Areas of Interest
- Child soldiers
- Wartime violence
- Criminal liability
Working Dissertation
Supervisors
Biography
Laura is a criminal lawyer originally from Bogotá, Colombia. She earned her law degree (equivalent to an LL.B.) from Universidad del Rosario in Colombia and holds a master’s in Criminal Justice System from the University of Lleida in Spain.
After completing her M.Phil. in Criminological Research at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, Laura worked for the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, investigating criminal cases associated with the armed conflict in Colombia. Previously, she supported the work of the Office of Delegated Prosecutors before the Supreme Court of Justice, where she was involved in investigating war crimes and the responsibility of State agents as a law clerk.
She is a Criminology and Sociolegal Studies doctoral student at the University of Toronto in Canada, focusing on the accountability of combatants recruited by illegal organizations during their childhood. She has received the 2021 Connaught Scholarship for Doctoral Studies and the 2023 National Scholarship Vanier, awarded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
Publications in English
Book chapter. “Beyond Transitional Justice: Empowering Victims and Communities In Restorative Responses To Conflict. Drawing from the Rwandan experience for Colombia’s Transitional Justice Model.” In: Cátedra UNESCO: La participación restaurativa en tribunales transicionales, más allá de las mediaciones, los círculos y las conferencias.” (Pending publication 2024).
Book chapter. “Constructing restorative dialogue as an alternative to traditional punishment in transitional justice models.” In: Cátedra UNESCO: Diálogos restaurativos y desafíos de la reparación integral para la población víctima del conflicto armado en Colombia. (2023).
Article. “Conditioned Leniency Instruments in the Special Jurisdiction for Peace.” Past and Future. Nomos. (2020).
Presentations
“Restorative justice and healing in the Colombian transitional justice model: Exploring non-judicial and decolonial approaches." Third World Approaches to International Law – TWAILR Academy. Bogota, Colombia. (2023).
“Women in Conflict: Separate, Yet Unequal." Law and Society Association Annual Meeting. Puerto Rico, United States. (2023).
“Re-thinking Criminal Responsibility for Transitional Justice: Colombian Case Studies." Transnational Justice Project Summer School. Kigali, Rwanda. (2022).
Education
Cohort
- 2021