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Criminal Justice Department

Shippensburg University’s Criminal Justice Department prepares students for careers as law enforcement officers, adult or juvenile probation/parole officers, loss prevention professionals, correctional officers and administrators, or future law or graduate students, by presenting them with a range of coursework covering both general criminal justice information as well as specialty areas like policing and juvenile justice.

Our faculty members each bring great experience and passion to the classroom. We are proud to have:

  • One of only eight Bachelor of Science programs in the country that is certified by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
  • Flexible graduate programs with online and weekend offerings

Featured Faculty Research

  • Laura Beckman and Nancy Rodriguez. (Forthcoming). “Race, Ethnicity, and Official Perceptions in the Juvenile Justice System: Extending the Role of Negative Attributional Stereotypes.” Criminal Justice and Behavior.
  • Frank S. Pezzella and Matthew Fetzer. (2021). The Measurement of Hate Crimes in America. Springer.
  • Stephanie A. Jirard. (2020). Criminal Law & Procedure: A Courtroom Approach. Sage.
  • Alison C. Cares, Arelys Madero-Hernandez, Lisa Growette Bostaph, and Bonnie S. Fisher. (Online First). For or Against?: Criminal Justice and Criminology Faculty Attitudes toward Trigger Warnings. Journal of Criminal Justice Education. 
  • Anthony G. Vito, Brian Schaefer, George E. Higgins, Catherine Marcum, and Melissa Ricketts. (2019). “Self-Control, Social Learning Theory, Social Bonds and Binge Drinking: Results from a National Sample.” Journal of Substance Use 24:655-659.
  • Carlos E. Rojas-Gaona and Arelys Madero-Hernandez. (2021). Immigration Research. In The Encyclopedia of Research Methods and Statistical Techniques in Criminology and Criminal Justice, edited by J.C. Barnes, and David R. Forde. New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.

Recent Internship Placements

*Note that internships were restricted for the 2020/2021 Academic Year due to COVID-19

  • Abraxas Academy. Morgantown, PA
  • Abraxas Youth & Family Services. South Mountain, PA.
  • Bradford County Correctional Facility. Troy, PA.
  • Carlisle Police Department. Carlisle, PA. 
  • Cumberland County District Attorney’s Office. Carlisle, PA.
  • Czekaj Dusharm, LLC. Newport, PA.
  • Dauphin County Probation Services. Steelton, PA.
  • Department of Homeland Security. Baltimore, MD.
  • First Judicial District of PA. Philadelphia, PA.
  • Franklin County Children and Youth. Chambersburg, PA.
  • Franklin County Probation Department. Chambersburg, PA.
  • Harrisburg Police Department. Harrisburg, PA.
  • Hoffman Home. Littlestown, PA.
  • Lancaster County Juvenile Probation. Lancaster, PA.
  • Laurel Life. Chambersburg, PA.
  • Montgomery County Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Boyds, MD.
  • Morris County Sheriff’s Office. Morristown, NJ.
  • Northampton County Adult Probation. Easton, PA.
  • Rehoboth Beach Police Department. Rehoboth Beach, DE.
  • Stroud Area Regional Police Department. East Stroudsburg, PA.
  • Swatara Township Police Department. Harrisburg, PA.
  • West Pikeland Police Department. Chester Springs, PA.

Recent Student Research

  • Noah Aeppli. (2022). "False Eyewitness Identification." Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University. 
  • Emilly Anderson. (2022). "The Significance of Statistical Accuracy on Police-Involved Shootings and Crisis Intervention Training Programs." Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University. 
  • Megan Cottingham. (2022). "Crime Rates v. Low Income." Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University. 
  • Nicholas Keith. (2022). "How the LGBTQ Community is affected by the Justice System and Victimization." Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University. 
  • Garrett Myers and Kathryn Matrisciano. (2022, April 26). Victim Compensation Program Comparison.  [Poster presentation]. Minds@Work: Celebrating Student Research, Scholarship, and Creativity, Shippensburg, PA.
  • Hunter Piper. (2022). "Wrongful Convictions: Why They Happen and What We Can Do to Stop Them." Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA. Shippensburg University. 
  • Robert Roush IV. (2022). "Assaults and Murders of Wildlife Officers in the Line-of-Duty." Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University.  
  • Robert E. Roush IV. (2022). "Analyzing the Illegal Take of Wildlife in the United States: A Theoretical Perspective." Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University. 
  • Bridget Sharkey. (2022). "The Influence of Race and Ethnicity on Criminal Punishment." Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University. 
  • Alasia Stevenson. (2022, April 26). Patterns and Trends of Hate Crime.  [Poster presentation]. Minds@Work: Celebrating Student Research, Scholarship, and Creativity, Shippensburg, PA.
  • Erica Franta. (2021). Misconceptions in Fictional Criminal Justice Entertainment. Honors Capstone Research Project.
  • Sydney Kunkel. (2021). “Intimate Partner Violence.” Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University.
  • Jarod Smith. (2021). “The Effects of Rehabilitative Programs on Juvenile Delinquents’ Recidivism.” Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University.
  • Jessica Braeunle. (2020). “Recidivism in the Criminal Justice System.” Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University. 
  • Kalyn Burger. (2020). “Criminal Justice Problem: Racial Oppression.” Write the Ship.  Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University.
  • Brandon Del Valle. (2020). “How Media Influences Stigma against those with Mental Illness.” Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University.
  • David Helm. (2020). “Application of Strain Theory to the Opioid Crisis.” Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University.
  • Sydney Kunkel. (2020). “Routine Activity Theory.” Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University.
  • Dillon Morgan. (2020). “Recidivism and Self-Control Theory.” Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University.
  • Nicholas Scaricaciottoli. (2020). “Incarceration of Veterans with P.T.S.D. and Social Bond Theory.” Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University.
  • Briana Stouffer. (2020). “Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System.” Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University.
  • Olivia Fisher. (2019, April 23). Effectiveness of Juvenile Drug Courts on Future Criminal Behavior.  [Poster presentation]. Minds@Work: Celebrating Student Research, Scholarship, and Creativity, Shippensburg, PA.
  • Erica Franta. (2019). “Deterrence Theory and International Warfare.” Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University.
  • Matthew Gianchetti. (2019, October 23). Summer Internship with Securitas.  [Poster presentation]. Department of Criminal Justice Advising Blitz, Shippensburg, PA.
  • Christian Heagy. (2019). “Connecting School Shootings to Strain Theory.” Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University.
  • Tyler Hoffman. (2019). “Get Tough on Crime and Juvenile Justice.” Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University.
  • Rhiannon Leonard. (2019). An Analysis of the Effectiveness of Safe Haven Legislation. Honors Capstone Research Project.
  • Rhiannon Leonard. (2019, April 23). An Analysis of the Effectiveness of Safe Haven Legislation [Poster presentation]. Minds@Work: Celebrating Student Research, Scholarship, and Creativity, Shippensburg, PA, United States.
  • Alfonso Lopez Martinez. (2019). “Racial Discrimination in the Criminal Justice System.” Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University.
  • Alfonso Lopez Martinez. (2019). “The Impact of Immigration on Crime Rates.” Write the Ship. Shippensburg, PA: Shippensburg University.

Contact the Criminal Justice Department

321 Shippen Hall,   1871 Old Main Drive, Shippensburg, PA 17257 Phone: 717-477-1558 Fax: (717) 477-4087