The origins and evolution of John Jay College of Criminal Justice

¶ … Criminal Justice Program at the John Hay College of Criminal Justice. This is one of the most famous criminal justice programs in the nation and its home is one of the most diverse and challenging metropolis in the country: New York City. The criminal justice program here is different from others in a variety of ways, most notably in its origins.

Unlike other criminal justice programs, this one developed not out of student demand, but out of need. "In the mid 1950s, civic leaders and the New York City Police Department became increasingly aware of the growing complexity of police work, not only in the internal administration and operation of the department, but also in the ongoing relations between police and the community. In response to these concerns, a Police Science Program was established in 1954 at the then Baruch School of Business and Public Administration of City College" (jjay.cuny.edu). Unlike other criminal justice programs, what made the program at John Jay distinctive was the heavy emphasis which was placed on creating a strong curriculum in the liberal arts as the foundation for a solid police education; this was also used as a tool to attract more and more students -- and effectively so. In the mid-1960s a particular committee was created by the Board of Higher Education to develop an independent degree just for police science. This was one of the first colleges of police science in the nation and it began in 1965 (jjay.cuny.edu).

Strengths

However, one of the overwhelming strengths of the program was that even in its most nascent time, it was not afraid to re-evaluate and make changes. With this new program, the college of police science, there was still a glaring awareness of that a gap existed between the name given to the college and the overall mission. "In recognition of its broad education objectives in the process of criminal justice, development of leadership and emphasis on professional achievement in public service, the college was renamed John Jay College of Criminal Justice, in honor of the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court" (jjay.cuny.edu). Changes like these have allowed the college to gain the interest of the most promising students who come from diverse backgrounds and who have the intellectual acuity, moral commitment and professional competence to take head on the obstacles of crime, the need for justice and the specifics of public safety in a liberated society. Another remarkable aspect of the program is that the program credits its own success with the ability and drive of their students; the program is adept at selecting the most driven students who have been able to cultivate strong careers for themselves within the arena of criminal justice work and an education and career in public service.

Proof of Effectiveness

One of the most overwhelming signs of the overall benefit of the program has been its ability to continue to attract the most top-notch students in the field: this is evident not only in the data collected but in the fact that the school has been forced to expand. "New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice has been faced with fortunate pressures: surging enrollment and the changing technologies of criminal justice and education. Yet, for years, students and staff continued to work out of several disjointed buildings in Midtown Manhattan. That changed in 2007, when the school broke ground on a new Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) -- designed structure that would not only increase the school's space, but also unify its campus, all while providing sorely needed space for student life, auditoriums, lecture halls, and the technological setup for a 21st century school" (Gendall, 2012). This demonstrates one of the more remarkable aspects of the school: its ability to marry old and new. The new building, with its gleaming presence and its marvelous architecture can provide things that the old building is unable to. The new building offers more shared spaces for students to commune and collaborate with one another. The new building also offers more spaces which can host the needs of changing technology, giving students more digital conference rooms and more spaces which are compatible with the needs of charging electronic study tools. That said, the criminal justice program still sees the old building on Amsterdam Avenue as a beacon or headquarters: this is the building with the antiquated architecture and small classrooms which acts as a living symbol of the integrity and history and values of the institution.

The communal spaces that the new building provides cannot be underestimated. "The Office of Student Life creates an environment where students can explore their interests, leadership, civic engagement, cultural diversity and spirituality. It offers a wealth of opportunities to become engaged on campus" (jjay.cuny.edu). Alliances between students help to build strong student organizations which can help students to launch their careers, work well together and to make new discoveries in the field, essentially helping them to help each other become more desirable hires.

Keys to Success

One of the major factors of the success of the school and the overall criminal justice program lies not just with the students who are present, but with the professors who teach them. Pulitzer Prize winning faculty members and truly distinguished professors of every field teach at the John Jay Criminal Justice Program and are able to share their current work, interests, concerns and studies with their students. "By bringing their research into the classroom, John Jay professors engage students in some of the most salient issues of the day, from the politics of crime and violence in the favelas of Brazil, to the impact of environmental toxins in neurodegenerative diseases, to the use of social networks to map out social inequalities. In state of the art science labs, students work side by side with faculty on research in chemistry, molecular biology, and toxicology, among other fields, and receive stipends to support their research through the Program for Research Initiatives for Science Majors (PRISM)" (jjay.cuny.edu/about). Because the professors there have such up-to-date research concerns and issues that need to be addressed, students can work with faculty members in a variety of ways and realms of research, from human rights abuses to public health, to the drug trade. There are truly vast possibilities for students graduating the school; one of these possibilities revolves around the Pre-Law Institute which is a truly rigorous program that whips students into shape to compete for spots at some of the nation's most competitive law schools (jjay.cuny.edu/about). The school also helps to arrange fellowships for studying abroad in remote areas like Bali and Chile along with a host of other countries.