Alum Named Fulbright Scholar

Doug Keillor ’99, a recent graduate of American University Washington College of Law, was named a 2012 Fulbright scholar. The grant will support Keillor’s work in Mexico City, Mexico, from September to June as he investigates the juvenile justice system with partner organizations Reintegra and the Open Society. Keillor first discovered his passion for working with juveniles in detention during an internship in Bolivia with Save the Children following his first year of law school. A previous year of missions work in Argentina also prompted his desire to work on human rights issues in Latin America. 

His project, The Scope and Causes of Excessive Juvenile Pretrial Detention, will focus on the plight of juveniles in the state of Morelos and will involve research and interviews with attorneys, judges, and prison officials. Keillor’s goal is to bring attention and awareness to human rights abuses. “A high percentage of juveniles in prison in most countries are detained awaiting a trial that may never come, all the while suffering mistreatment, poor conditions, and irreparable damage,” Keillor explains. “They are easily forgotten and overlooked by not only their communities and governments, but international human rights advocates as well.”

Keillor previously worked with the International Human Rights Law Clinic, the Human Rights Brief, International Law Journal, and participated in the UN Committee Against Torture Project.

While completing his Fulbright research, he will also be working on a master’s degree in international affairs. Following his Fulbright term, Keillor hopes to continue to work in Latin America on human rights abuses in juvenile detention.