Corrections
Adult and juvenile corrections in the U.S. have undergone dramatic change in the past few decades. Every component of corrections has faced overcrowding, under-funding, and high staff turnovers. With over two million inmates in jails and prisons, as well as over five million offenders on various forms of community supervision, policy issues concerning the future of corrections are of paramount importance to American society. The courses taught by the Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies, as well as the research conducted by the faculty, examine the impact of corrections on victims, offenders, crime rates, and the criminal justice system.
Jails and Prisons
Students can better understand contemporary corrections by examining the ways in which unacceptable behavior has been dealt with throughout history. In addition to examining the emergence of imprisonment as a standard form of punishment, the curriculum covers the ideological and philosophical changes in penology over the centuries. Contemporary issues, for example, rising health care costs associated with AIDS and the problems presented in housing special category offenders, like the mentally ill and the developmentally disabled, are discussed in courses like Corrections and Penology (CJC 3010), Prisons and Jails (CJC 3134), Origins of Criminal Justice (CCJ 3042), and Foundations of Corrections (CJC 5020).
Faculty Experts:
Community-Based Corrections
The American correctional system comprises many components in addition to prisons and jails. Community based programs are the backbone of contemporary corrections, not only because they offer an anecdote to overcrowded prisons and jails, but also because these intermediate sanctions expand sanctioning options without posing unacceptable risks to public safety. Community based corrections includes probation, house arrest, day fines, boot camps, electronic monitoring, parole, placement in half-way houses, and other innovative intermediate sanctions. Courses focusing on these issues include Community Based Corrections (CJC 3164), Correctional Interventions in Criminal Justice (CJC 4410), and Community Justice (CCJ6051). An interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Victim Assistance is offered to prepare students to work in the field of victim advocacy.
Faculty Experts:
Correctional Policy
Offenders who enter correctional facilities do not leave all of their Constitutional rights on the prison doorstep. Lawmakers, correctional administrators, and line staff must balance concerns for an orderly facility against the need to protect offenders' human rights. All those involved in administering sanctions, whether incarcerative or community based, must work to provide humane care and specialized services to meet the needs of the offender population. Policy options are examined in courses such as Corrections and Intervention in Criminal Justice (CJC 4410), Law and Social Control (CCJ 6217), and Justice System and Safety Systems Manpower (CCJ 5467). A Graduate Certificate in Correctional Leadership is offered that prepares students for management and leadership positions in local, state, and federal correctional agencies.
Faculty Experts:
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