Criminology and Criminal Justice Education and the Search for Quality: Then and Now

Abstract

This essay examines criminology and criminal justice educational programs seeking to establish quality programming though academic standards. Since the inception of criminal justice as a standalone academic degree program, questions about the quality of such programs has plagued the discipline. Examining the history of the discipline including the challenges brought from such a fast development of a great number of academic programs in criminal justice/criminology, and the resultant issues stemming from this explosion of growth, leads to questions about the quality of these programs. We examine the quality issues when the programs first started to develop and then blossom to the quality issues that still exist today. We address the development of "standards" as a measure of quality and ACJS’ role in establishing standards through certification and accreditation. We conclude with a suggestion about how to get back on track with ensuring quality programming in criminal justice programs utilizing an accreditation process.

Keywords:

• Criminal justice education
• quality programming
• certification
• accreditation

Acknowledgements

We thank Kurt Wagner, MU University Librarian, for his steadfast determination to locate some very old ACJS documents. Likewise, we thank Raven Muñoz, GSU graduate assistant, who provided us with a timeline of the events listed here within, and who worked just as diligently to find somewhat obscure references and information to support our arguments. The views and opinions in this essay reflect our understanding regarding the state of “quality” within criminal justice programs. Any disagreement with these opinions/views are with us, and not anyone who assisted us with preparing the essay.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 The 19 minimum standards for criminal justice curricula are found in Appendix, verbatim from Ward and Webb (1984, 13–15).

2 In 2019–2020, there were 202 Ph.D. degrees conferred at institutions offering said degrees in “Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement” (81), “Criminal Justice/Safety Studies” (116), and “Criminal Justice/Police Studies” (5) (US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS, 2020).

3 Although ASPA (American Society for Public Administration) is the lead organization that spun off NASPAA (National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration), such accreditation, in terms of the accreditation standards, has been administered and controlled by professional schools. We advocate doing the same thing resulting in a marriage between an institution and ACJS.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Laura J. Moriarty

Laura J. Moriarty is Professor Emerita of Criminal Justice at Monmouth University (New Jersey). She is the past president of ACJS and SCJA. During her term as ACJS President, she and Mittie Southerland, conducted ACJS Certification workshops and did their fair share of ACJS Certification Reviews. She has served as the chair of the ACJS Academic Review Committee (ARC). Likewise, she is an ACJS program reviewer having reviewed more than a dozen academic programs. Moriarty is former Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Monmouth University and former Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. Moriarty has a Ph.D. in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University. She has written articles with several coauthors in the field of Victimology and she has served as editor and co-editor of additional works.

Nicolle Parsons-Pollard

Nicolle Parsons-Pollard is the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Georgia State University. She oversees academic programs, policies, and international initiatives, managing faculty recruitment, retention, and promotions. Parsons-Pollard has implemented faculty development programs, led diversity and inclusion efforts, and participated in academic improvement initiatives. With a Ph.D. in public policy and administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, she is also a Professor of Criminal Justice at Georgia State. Previously, she served as Vice Provost at Monmouth University and Assistant Vice Provost at Virginia State University. Parsons-Pollard’s research focuses on criminal justice, particularly juvenile justice and minority contact in the criminal justice system. She completed the American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows Program in 2015 and has authored works like "Disproportionate Minority Contact: Current Issues and Policies."