Department of Criminal Justice

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Department of Criminal Justice

169 Faculty Office Building
(585) 395-2665

Chairperson and Associate Professor: Korni Swaroop Kumar; Associate Professor: Richard C. Lumb; Assistant Professors: Kimberley A. Cattat, Michael Cretacci, Jamie Ross, Yumin R. Wang; Visiting Assistant Professor: Bivette M. Stodghill; Associate Professor Emeritus: Larry R. Bassi, Romine (Dick) Deming, Richard G. Frey, Roger B. McNally.

• Requirements
• Courses

The criminal justice program is for students interested in studying the causes, prevention and control of crime, as well as the theories and policies relative to the structure and operation of various police, security, correctional and judicial organizations. The department’s curricular and programmatic philosophy is primarily professional, though students are exposed to a wide array of intellectual disciplines across the University.

The criminal justice major prepares students for criminal justice careers in professional justice agencies. Careers in criminal justice can be categorized by a variety of organizations: state and local police; correctional organizations for adult and juveniles (i.e. those in probation, after care, related institutions, and public and nonprofit residential care); federal law enforcement/security organizations; private security; legal and judicial organizations.

SUNY Brockport criminal justice graduates have taken positions with agencies such as the New York City Police, New York State Police, State Corrections Department, Division for Youth, Monroe County Public Defender’s Office, Victim Assistance Unit, court systems, and a variety of criminal justice agencies outside New York. Many serve in federal agencies, such as the State Department, Secret Service, Drug Enforcement Agency, FBI, US Customs, Immigration and Naturalization, Department of Defense, and Federal Probation and Parole. Others are employed in private security with companies such as Eastman Kodak Company, Xerox Corporation and Pinkerton. Many graduates work for human service agencies such as Hillside Children’s Center, Lifetime Assistance, Inc. and the Big Brother/Big Sister Program.

Other SUNY Brockport graduates have continued their education in law, criminal justice, counseling, and public administration, with such institutions as SUNY Brockport, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Albany, Adelphi University, John Jay College, Michigan State University, University of Maryland, Rutgers University and Albany Law School.

Special Affiliations
A chapter of Alphi Phi Sigma (National Criminal Justice Honor Society) and a Criminal ­Justice Student Association are active at SUNY Brockport. The Department also honors its most intellectual students with an invitation to the “Order of Cicero.”

Students are encouraged to study criminal justice and comparative jurisprudence at Brunel University in Great Britain, study during summer or spring in Ireland at the Waterford Institute or participate in the College’s Washington, DC, and Albany Semester programs, British internships, or other local internship placements.

Criminal Justice
Criminal justice is both a professional and a liberal arts program. Specifically, the criminal justice major consists of three components: non-criminal justice courses (corequisites), many in related liberal arts disciplines, which can be taken during the first two years of college; criminal justice proficiency courses; and criminal justice electives, which can be grouped into specialty areas or not, at the student’s option.

Students must earn a minimum of 36 credits of course work in criminal justice, 18 of which must be taken at SUNY Brockport. The criminal justice core consists of an introductory course in criminal justice; process courses in police, adjudication, corrections, and juvenile justice; criminology; research methods; and criminal law. Specialty areas of elective criminal justice courses may be selected focusing on police, corrections, security administration, international criminal justice, and legal studies.

To prepare for the major, freshman and sophomore students are urged to take Introduction to Sociology, Introduction to Psychology, American Political Systems, an introductory course in computers, and courses that will enhance their writing skills. The more advanced corequisite courses will be taken during the junior and senior years. Note: An introductory course in statistics is a prerequisite to the required criminal justice course, CRJ 471 Research Methods. Many criminal justice majors transfer with associate’s degrees from community colleges in New York state.

Admission to the Major
Students seeking acceptance into the criminal justice major must meet the following criteria:

1. Completion of an associate’s degree, or 54 credits towards a baccalaureate degree at another school, or 24 credits at SUNY Brockport; and
2. A cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or better.

Application by SUNY Brockport students for the major will ordinarily be made during the fall semester of the sophomore year.

At least four courses must be completed from a wide variety of electives. These may include courses selected with the advice and approval of the student’s advisor in specialty areas of police, corrections, security administration, international criminal justice, or legal studies. The department encourages students to enroll in one of its three international programs in fulfillment of these criteria.

Criminal Justice Minor
An academic minor in criminal justice requires students to complete at least 18 credits in the field as specified:

The remaining nine credits are selected from the department’s course offerings with the advice and approval of the student’s advisor.

Criminal Justice Courses

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