Ensuring Quality in Criminal Justice Education: Academic Standards and the Reemergence of Accreditation

Abstract

In 2005, the Executive Board of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences approved policies and procedures for the academic certification of criminal justice and criminology programs. Academic certification is anticipated to lead to a rebirth of accreditation which was first initiated in the mid‐1970s and abandoned shortly thereafter as a means to redress the quality concerns in criminal justice education. This article highlights the general use of accreditation and standards as a means to ensure quality in higher education. The emergence and growth of criminal justice/criminology programs, questions regarding quality, the development and implementation of academic standards, and the record of initiatives in preparing for accreditation in criminal justice education are explored. The authors review issues and obstacles in the evolution of criminal justice standards and discuss the impact and importance of academic review to the pursuit of quality in criminal justice higher education. The authors examine the salient contribution of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education in establishing a compliance review process for criminal justice programs and the promise of accreditation as a vehicle for ensuring quality in criminal justice education.