While excelling in challenging coursework and a wide range of extracurricular activities, WHS sophomore Skylar Rostolsky (“Sky”) is also volunteering to conduct legal research that will influence criminal justice reform worldwide.

Sky is volunteering with Professor J.C. Lore, Director of Trial Advocacy at Rutgers Law School (and father of four current and one former WSD students), contributing research that will be used for international legal reform and training programs aimed at reducing prison populations—particularly through the use of plea bargaining in India’s legal system. This summer, he will meet with members of the judiciary, bar associations, and law schools in India to discuss reforms to pre-trial practices, where overcrowding and prolonged detention remain major challenges.

“In the United States, about 95-98% of criminal cases are resolved through plea bargaining,” Professor Lore explained. “In India, it’s closer to one out of every hundred cases. 6.6 million people in India have been imprisoned for 5-10 years while awaiting trial.  Another 3.5 million have been waiting for more than 10 years. There are cultural and historical concerns with plea bargaining, particularly in systems with a history of corruption, but the reality is that when done correctly, plea bargaining can reduce pre-trial detention while still holding offenders accountable and delivering justice to victims.”

That’s where Sky’s work comes in. Her research examines the arguments both for and against plea bargaining, approaching the topic from domestic and global perspectives. In addition to India, she studied countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, and Uganda, where similar reforms have helped reduce prison populations and improve criminal justice outcomes.

Sky’s work includes locating international legal sources, evaluating their credibility, and organizing her findings into practical formats—such as annotated bibliographies, research summaries, and data-driven spreadsheets—that can be directly used in professional settings.

“She is doing work as a high school sophomore that I would be thrilled to get from a law school student. “Her ability to locate international resources and analyze them is incredible,” Professor Lore said. “Sky’s work is going to have impact. I have no doubt it will improve the legal and prison system in India. For a sophomore to have an impact on something happening on the other side of the world is amazing.”

For Sky, the opportunity combines her long-standing interest in law with meaningful, real-world application. “I just feel incredibly lucky to be part of this,” she said. “Knowing that my work could help people across the world is something I’ll always be proud of.”