In 2001, the College of Criminal Justice launched the inaugural master’s degree for forensic science in Texas, and it is making history again by offering the first multi-disciplinary Ph.D. in the field in the country.
The interdisciplinary curriculum at SHSU prepares students for a wide variety of forensic science disciplines including DNA, toxicology, firearms, drugs, trace evidence, latent prints, questioned documents or arson. Despite the competitive nature of the field, employment and post graduate success rates have averaged 96 percent since 2006. The majority of graduates work in the public sector, in federal, state, county and city crime labs and medical examiner’s offices, but others have turned to private lab or advanced degrees.

“Sam Houston’s Forensic Science Program helped me to achieve my goal of becoming a forensic scientist by providing the essential knowledge, guidance and skills needed for everyday life in a real-world crime lab,” said Anna Mudd, Supervisor of the Toxicology Section of the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab.

The College also recently introduced undergraduate minors in forensic science and forensic anthropology, which can help boost career options in criminal justice, natural sciences and the health care field.

“If you understand a little more about forensic science, it will help you be a better investigator,” said Dr. Sarah Kerrigan, Director of the Department of Forensic Science and former state crime lab director. “It will also make individuals with science degrees more competitive if they choose to pursue a career in forensics with just a BS degree.”

With federal changes on the horizon for the possible certification of forensic scientists, the Department recently added the Institute for Forensic Research, Training and Innovation (IFRTI), which will train professionals to meet current and future standards in forensic science disciplines an build partnerships between academia and crime labs to address issues or trends in the field. In addition to forensic scientists, the program will serve a wide variety of criminal justice professionals, including educators, scientists, law enforcement, attorneys and the judiciary.

“With forensic science reform pending in Congress, institutes of higher education are expected to play a major role in terms of research and training,” said Dr. Kerrigan, Chair of the Department of Forensic Science. “These improvements in the broad field of forensics present a unique opportunity to enhance our profile and national standing, while making a significant contribution to the advancement of efforts at the national level.”

The College of Criminal Justice and the College of Arts and Sciences at SHSU collaborated to create the program in 2001. In 2006, the program underwent a major overhaul, including the introduction of almost a dozen new courses, hiring new faculty, relocation to a state-of-the art Chemistry and Forensic Sciences Building, and investment in scientific equipment found in crime labs.

Now with its own Department, new equipment and a Ph.D. degree, the program is set to take on the future of the field

“Faculty and student research at SHSU is incredibly diverse, ranging from designer drugs to forensic botany, anthropology, 3D printed guns and next generation DNA sequencing in mass fatalities,” said Dr. Kerrigan, Director of the Department of Forensic Science. Thanks to our faculty expertise, we are able to offer tremendous scope within the Department of Forensic Science.

In 1990, at the 25th Anniversary of the founding of Sam Houston State University’s College of Criminal Justice, a time capsule was constructed to preserve the accomplishments and status of the program for future generations.
The capsule is intended to be opened and its contents reviewed at 25 year intervals, at which time materials from the immediately prior 25 year period should be added. Placed in the Time Capsule for the 1965-1990 period was a photograph album of “A Day in the Life of the Criminal Justice Center,” letters from faculty, and memorabilia of the first 25 year period.

The 1991-2015 period is represented by a second “Day in the Life” album, and descriptive material regarding the wide range of creative endeavors in teaching, service, and research implemented in the second 25 year interval.
The 2016-2040 contributions will include a third “Day in the Life” album as well the 50th Anniversary of the CJ Mandate alumni newsletter, reflecting the people, programs and events that have made the College a success. It also includes quotes from alumni and the profound life lessons they took away from this institution.

The time capsule is made of Honduran mahogany. It was built by Ben Pruitt, Wood Working Instructor at the Windham Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice—Institutional Division. The 25h Anniversary sculpture was completed by Charles Pebworth, then a faculty member of the SHSU Art Department. Pebworth used a variety of materials in the sculpture: sheet aluminum, copper, brass, silver, lead, steel, stone, turquoise, slate from the old San Jacinto High School in Houston, lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, agate from India, bone from Rhode Island, and petrified wood from Huntsville, Texas.

The 50th Anniversary sculpture was contributed by Lynda McCready, a retired teacher and artist who works in pottery. The 16x16 tile, made of raku and various glazes, depicts a stand of bamboo, which is significant both for the College and the criminal justice field. The site of the Criminal Justice Center was originally a stand of bamboo trees. Bamboo is also a strong, yet flexible wood, representing the strength of the criminal justice system, yet the willingness to bend and make changes when needed. Accordingly, it is often used to depict the flexible structure of justice in many Asian cultures. “Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” – Bruce Lee

The Criminal Justice Time Capsule, balanced atop a stylized Scale of Justice, contains four panels, each representing changes during a 25 year era. Like all fine art, the symbolism of each quartile of a century is open to individual interpretation. That noted, one interpretation of the panels’ representation of the intellectual pursuit for a pragmatic understanding of crime is:

1965-1990—A search for empirical comprehension of crime and crime prevention begins.

1991-2015—Embryonic understanding of a range of harmful behaviors develops.

?2016-2040—Insight regarding effective intervention begins to guide policy.

2041-2065—A matured understanding of crime progenitors merges with interventions.

Regardless of the specifics of interpretation, the time capsule and its sculptures symbolize the University’s commitment to the search for amelioration of the tragedy of crime.

The Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT) launched a new Distinguished Lecture Series in honor of longtime supporter Dr. Larry T. Hoover, which will present innovative and practical ideas to law enforcement agencies on policing in the 21st Century.

The series kicked off in April with Dr. Ronal Serpas, a Criminal Justice Professor at Loyola University and former Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, Chief of Police in Nashville and Chief of the Washington State Patrol, who discussed “Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy.” With nightly news focusing on reports of police shooting suspects, Dr. Serpas, said it is critical for law enforcement agencies to restore the public trust with citizens using new technology and everyday interactions that establish confidence, competence and respect for authority.

“People have to believe in you,” Dr. Serpas told 68 law enforcement leaders from across Texas. “If people believe in you, you are legitimate. They are more willing to obey the law, they are more willing to work with you, and they are more likely to defer to police discretion.”

To celebrate the 25th Anniversary, the Larry T. Hoover Distinguished Speaker Series at LEMIT was launched in honor of Dr. Hoover, a professor of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University who assisted with the development of LEMIT and its programs.

“Larry T. Hoover, Ph.D., has been an instrumental influence for over 25 years in executive development,” Dr. Watkins said. “In particular, Dr. Hoover’ work with the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas has established an expectation of delivery of timely and relevant topics to Texas law enforcement. Agency administrators and decision makers often reached out to Dr. Hoover for his advice and knowledge of police practices. He has assisted, both directly and indirectly, numerous police agency decision makers with his understanding, research and experience.”

The new biannual series will feature innovative leaders from the field who will discuss new practices that can be implemented in local law enforcement agencies.

“One of the hallmarks of LEMIT throughout its history has been innovation,” said Dr. Hoover. “This program involves innovation and resources to put it into practice. It’s my privilege to have this series carry my name.”
Dr. Serpas, the inaugural speaker of the series, has led police departments in New Orleans, Nashville and the Washington State Patrol. He was the founding co-chair of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Research Advisory Committee, served as Second Vice President of the organization before his retirement and is the current Chair of the Community Policing Committee of the IACP.

Serpas said there are many ways to advance procedural justice and police legitimacy in local law enforcement agencies. One of the ways is through community policing, where police work within neighborhoods to get to know the community and assist with issues identified by citizens in an effort to prevent crime. This method should include “walking the beat” at least 20 minutes during the daily shift. In those departments that use a broken windows theory of policing, officers help to solve the little problems in the neighborhood before they escalate into crime. Police leaders must be especially aware of building strong community confidence and collaboration in delivering this style of policing so as to ensure that the community accepts the legitimacy of the police action.

Another method to establish legitimacy is by “selling the stop,” Dr. Serpas said. A popular moniker used by the Washington State Trooper for traffic stops, the idea is to politely and succinctly begin each traffic stop with an explanation of why the driver was pulled over and the evidence that was observed to make the stop. It helps to difuse problems and establishes procedural justice from the very outset.

For example, in a study of a DWI checkpoint, researchers found that the public was more likely to support the police action and legitimacy and to take more personal responsibility for their own driving behavior when given an explanation of why they were being stopped, including information about the overall toll that drunken driving is taking on the community, with 13,000 killed annually in DWI accidents, Dr. Serpas said.

Technology, at one time feared as a hindrance in policing, actually provides tools to help establish legitimacy. In-car cameras help exonerate many officers from citizen complaints because tehy provides evidence that police are performing their jobs correctly. Tasers are helping to reduce officer and suspect injuries, especially with newer models that include cameras that can document the process. On-body cameras will be a “critical game changer” in showing police performing their duties and serving as leaders in the community, Serpas said.

“Technology helps advance the likelihood that public safety will be delivered free of prejudice and bias,” Dr. Serpas concluded.

Other technology has helped advance the effectiveness of law enforcement officers, including DNA testing, which can identify suspects in felony crimes through random samplings from property crimes; the National Integrated Ballistics Network, which is leading criminals to keep, rather than toss was guns and casing because they can be tied to crimes through distinct marks on bullets; computer forensics, which can track child predators using cell phones; crime analysis which can pinpoint hotspots for crime; GPS, which can track suspects’ movements in person or in their cars; and red light and speed cameras, which catch violators and reduce injuries.

These many new technologies have led to different methods of policing, including CompStat, community policing, neighborhood policing, broken window policing, intelligence-led policing, and data-driven policing, to name a few.

These new methods help to build trust, confidence and safety for police and their communities. Studies show that patrol officers support these new methods.

In a recent June 2014 Gallup Poll, police ranked third among U.S. residents in public confidence, behind only the military and small business. That was higher than many other professions, including ministers, doctors and media. While Dr. Serpas said those number may have changed because of high profile police shootings in Ferguson and New York, and that the confidence in police does not apply equally among difference ethnicities, he believes the public still has confidence in police. It is up to individual police departments to find ways to improve and enhance those relationships.

“Overall and over time, the public is still on our side,” said Serpas.

Phillip Lyons, professor of criminal justice at Sam Houston State University, has been named dean of the university’s College of Criminal Justice and director of its affiliated Criminal Justice Center, effective Sept. 1.

The announcement was made today by SHSU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Jaimie Hebert.

“As we embark on a new chapter in the college, I am confident that Dr. Lyons will work to ensure the continued success of the college and center and will develop a comprehensive strategy that incorporates the diverse strengths and aspirations of the faculty and staff,” he said.

Sam Houston State University is the home of one of the oldest and largest criminal justice programs in the country, serving undergraduate and graduate students, as well as professionals in the field.

Lyons has served as interim dean and director since Vincent Webb stepped down from the position in August 2014. His appointment follows a nationwide search conducted over almost a year.

“I have had the opportunity to work for three different deans during my tenure in the College of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University,” Lyons said. “Each of them left both a valuable legacy and insights as to how best to lead. I am humbled and excited at having been selected to lead such a great group of people into the second half of our first century as a program. With this accomplished faculty, outstanding staff, wonderful students, supportive university administration, generous alumni, and agencies in the field who are eager to work with us, I am confident that we will continue to do great things.”

Lyons joined the faculty of Sam Houston State University in 1995 after completing a year-long, pre-doctoral internship in forensic clinical psychology at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, an institution within the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Coincidentally, the warden of the institution was George Killinger, the son of one of the first directors of the criminal justice program at Sam Houston State.

Before completing his internship, Lyons studied at the law and psychology program of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, earning Master of Arts, Juris Doctor, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. He has written or coauthored dozens of scholarly and professional works, including books, book chapters, and journal articles, many of which are published in some of the leading journals in his field.

In 2012, Lyons was named the first recipient of the David Payne Academic Community Engagement Award at SHSU, which recognizes excellence in community engagement through teaching, research and service.

In addition to serving as interim dean and director, his previous posts at SHSU include interim chair of the Department of Security Studies, where he oversaw the reconfiguration of a Master of Science degree in homeland security studies; director of the Division of Professional Justice Studies, where he oversaw the college’s academic programs oriented toward practitioners; and executive director for the Center for Policing Innovation, one of about two dozen regional community policing institutes established by the Office of Community Oriented Policing to provide training and technical assistance to agencies on a broad range of community- and problem-oriented policing topics.

He was selected by his peers to serve a three-year term on the American Psychological Association’s prestigious Committee on Legal Issues, where he worked with other committee members to craft the voice of the APA to law- and policymakers. He currently serves on the U.S. Department of Justice (Bureau of Justice Assistance) Executive Session on Police Leadership, where he works with some of the leading lights on how best to create an environment to nurture and develop the thought leaders of the future for the field of policing.

He also designed, developed, and implemented a community policing internship program with students in residence at Sam Houston State for a year from the Zhejiang Police College in Hangzhou, China. The program has garnered national acclaim in China where it is regarded as a model program for international exchange efforts.

Before graduate and law school, Lyons spent several years as a law enforcement officer in Hillcrest Village Marshal’s Office, the Alvin Community College Police Department, and the Alvin Police Department.

When he left full-time law enforcement he was a detective specializing in crimes involving children. He is the only officer in that agency’s history to have received the Officer of the Year Award and the Professionalism Award simultaneously--and after only his first year of service. He is currently a licensed Master Peace Officer.

He lives in Montgomery County with his partner of more than 30 years, Eric Bennett, and their son, Logan Bennett-Lyons.

May 1, 2015 – May 12, 2015 The Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT) welcomes a delegation of six Polish National Police executives to Huntsville as part of an annual international exchange program among LEMIT, Sam Houston State University (SHSU), and the Polish National Police. The delegation includes Director Robert Zolkiewski, Chief Adam Kolodziejski, Chief Sebastian Banaszak, Chief Jarosław Rzymkowski, Chief Marek Swiszcz, and Chief Tomasz Trawinski.

The International Police Program at (LEMIT) is tailored to the increasing need for a global perspective in law enforcement. The opportunity to interact with colleagues from around the world provides an invaluable experience in sharing and learning across a broad spectrum of law enforcement issues.

The delegation will visit local police departments, court systems, jails, prisons, and other criminal justice agencies throughout the state to exchange policing ideas between the two countries.

For additional questions regarding the program, please contact Yvette Shorten, International Police Program Lead, at 936-294-3851 or wys001@shsu.edu.

Here is a list of publications recently produced by faculty, students and alumni of Sam Houston State University, College of Criminal Justice.

Armstrong, G. S., **Atkin-Plunk, C. A., & Wells, J. (2015). The relationship between work–family conflict, correctional officer job stress, and job satisfaction. Criminal Justice and Behavior. Advance online publication.

Bouffard, J. A., Bouffard, L. A., & Miller, H. A. (2015). Examining the correlates of women's use of sexual coercion: Proposing an explanatory model. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/0886260515575609

**Campbell, B. A. (2015). Summer cop: A qualitative study of summer police officers. Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice and Criminology, 3(1), 87-116.

Connell, N. M., **Morris, R. G., & Piquero, A. R. (2015). Predicting bullying: Exploring the contributions of childhood negative life experiences in predicting adolescent bullying behavior. International Journal of Juvenile Offenders & Comparative Criminology. Advance online publication.

Coyne, M., Vaske, J., Wright, J. P., & Boisvert, D. (2015). Sex differences in the stability of self-regulation across childhood. Journal of Developmental and Life Course Criminology 1(1), 4-20.

Decker, S. H., &Pyrooz, D. C. (2015). "I'm down for a Jihad": How 100 years of gang research can inform the study of terrorism, radicalization and extremism. Perspectives on Terrorism, 9(1), 104-112.

Fox, K. A., Nobles, M. R., & Lane, J. (2014). Control balance behind bars: Testing the generality of Tittle’s theory among incarcerated men and women. Crime & Delinquency. Advance online publication.

Fox, K. A., Nobles, M. R., & Fisher, B. S. (2014). A multi-theoretical framework to assess gendered stalking victimization: The utility of self-control, social learning, and control balance theories. Justice Quarterly. Advance online publication..

Franzese, R. J., Covey, H. C., Tucker, A. S., **McCoy, L. &Menard, S. (2014). Adolescent exposure to violence and adult physical and mental health problems. Child Abuse & Neglect, 38, 1955-1965.

Garner, R.L. (2014). What is leadership? TJA Key Issues, 18(3), 25-26.

**Grubb, J. A. &Bouffard, L. (2014). The influence of direct and indirect juvenile victimization experiences on adult victimization and fear of crime. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Advance online publication.

Gutt, T. &Randa, R. (2014). The influence of an empathetic adult on the relationship between bullying victimization and fear at school. Journal of Crime and Justice. Advance online publication.

**Hemmens, C. (2015). We [should] take care of our own: The role of law and lawyers in criminal justice and criminology programs. Justice Quarterly. Advance online publication.

Huebner, B. H., Martin, K., Moule, Jr., R. K., Pyrooz, D., & Decker, S. (2014). Dangerous places: Gang members and neighborhood levels of gun assault. Justice Quarterly. Advance online publication.

**Koeppel, M., Bouffard, L.A., & Koeppel-Ullrich, E. (2014). Sexual orientation and substance use: The moderation of family cohesion. Deviant Behavior, 36(8), 657-673.

Maljević, A., Muftić, L. R., Babić, A., & Duspara, A. (2014). Does low self-control predict juvenile delinquency among a nationally representative sample of Bosnian adolescents? Journal of Criminal Justice Issues, 14(5-6).

**Menaker, T.A., &Franklin, C.A. (2014). Gendered violence and victim blame: Subject perceptions of blame and the appropriateness of services for survivors of domestic sex trafficking, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence. Journal of Crime and Justice. Advance online publication.

Menard, S. , **Weiss, A. J., Franzese, R. J., & Covey, H. C. (2014). Types of adolescent exposure to violence as predictors of adult intimate partner violence. Child Abuse and Neglect, 38, 627-639.

Orrick, E. A., & Vieraitis, L. (2015). The cost of incarceration in Texas: Estimating the benefits of reducing the prison population. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 40(2), 399-415.

**Pollock, W., &Menard, S. (2014). It was a bum rap: Self-reports of being erroneously arrested in a national sample. Criminal Justice Review, 39, 325-338.

**Pollock, W., &Menard, S. (2014). Perceptions of unfairness in police questioning and arrest incidents: race, gender, age, and actual guilt. Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, 13(3)237-253.

Pyrooz, D. C.& Sweeten, G. (2015). Gang membership between ages 5 and 17 years in the United States. Journal of Adolescent Health, 56(4), 414-419. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.11.018

Randa, R., Nobles, M., & Reyns, B. W. (2015). Is cyberbullying a stand alone construct? Using quantitative analysis to evaluate a 21st Century social question. Societies, 5(1), 171-186. doi: 10.3390/soc5010171

Ren, L., Zhao, J., He, N. & Marshall, I. H., Zhao, R., Zhang, H. & Jin, C. (2014). Testing for measurement invariance of attachment across Chinese and American adolescent samples. International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative Criminology. Advance online publication.

*Simmons, S.B., Knight, K.E., &Menard, S. (2015). The consequences of intimate partner violence on substance use and depression for women and men. Journal of Family Violence, 30(3), 351-361. doi: 10.1007/s10896-015-9691-0

**Steinmetz, K., &Gerber, J. (2014). It doesn’t have to be this way: Hacker perspectives on privacy. Social Justice, 41(3).

Tapia, M., **Alarid, L. F., & Hutcherson II, D. T. (2015). Youthful arrest and parental support: gendered effects in straining the parent-child relationship. Deviant Behavior, 36(8), 674-690.

Tasca, M., Turanovic, J.J., White, C. & Rodriguez, N. (2014). Prisoners’ assessments of mental health problems among their children. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 58, 154-173.

Key

Bold: Faculty

*: Doctoral Students

**: Alumni

Hundreds of students graduated from the College of Criminal Justice on May 9, including five doctoral students who earned Ph.D. degrees.

Among those reaching the top academic ranks in the criminal justice field are Drs. Ben D. Atkins, Bradley A. Campbell, Jonathan A. Grubb, Leah A. McCoy, and Hee Sub Shim. They were joined by 37 students earning master’s degrees and 265 earning bachelor degrees in criminal justice fields.

The ceremony, held in the Johnson Coliseum, featured keynote speaker Ronald “Ron” Koska, the CEO of Institutional Sales Associates, a $500 million sales firm with offices in Houston, Austin, Lubbock, Dallas and Albuquerque.

The topics investigated by Ph.D. graduates covered diverse areas of the criminal justice field.
Dr. Atkins dissertation was on “The Newsmaking Criminality of American Neo-Nazi groups 1991-2011: A Content Analysis.” Dr. Atkins is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Midwestern State University. His dissertation committee included Chair Dr. Willard M. Oliver and members Drs. Larry Hoover and Randy Garner.

Dr. Campbell’s dissertation was “Predictors of Police Decision Making in Sexual Assault Investigations.” He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. His dissertation committee chair was Dr. William R. King and committee members included Drs. William Wells and Cortney Franklin.

Dr. Grubb’s dissertation was entitled “Integrated Theory and the Path Less Traveled: Recognizing the Applicability of an Integrated Criminological Theory for Examining Violent Victimization.” He will work as an Assistant Professor at Prairie View A & M University. His dissertation committee was chaired Dr. Leana A. Bouffard, with committee members Drs. Lisa Muftic and Matt Nobles.

Dr. McCoy presented her dissertation on “Risk, Psychopathy, and Predicting Recidivism in Female Sexual Offenders.” Her dissertation committee was chaired by Dr. Holly A. Miller, with members Drs. Bouffard and Danielle Boisvert.

Dr. Hee Sub Shim wrote his dissertation on “Juvenile Attitudes toward the Police Instrumental and Expressive Perspectives.” His committee was chaired by Dr. Hoover, with committee members Drs. Jihong Zhao and Yan Zhang.

Despite ongoing flooding in Texas, approximately 40 adult and juvenile probation officers braved storms to attend the newest training offered by the Impaired Driving Initiatives on how to detect drug and alcohol impairment among their clients, families and friends in an effort to keep Texas roads safer.

The latest initiative, funded by the Texas Department of Transportation, is Drug Impairment Training for Texas Community Supervision and Parole Officers (DITTCSPO). Held at the Angelina College Commerce Center in Livingston, the program trained representatives from adult and juvenile probation in Angelina, Polk, Hardin, Waller, and Walker counties on how to observe and test for impairment. The program is available to all Texas parole and probation officers free of charge and is offered on a regional basis to groups of 30 or more.

The six hour training session provides information on the seven categories of illegal and prescription drugs that alter perceptions and behavior, reducing an individual’s ability to function properly. In addition to providing photos and handouts about the drugs, the program explains the different signs and symptoms that will be exhibited by users. The seven drug categories include central nervous system depressants, central nervous system stimulants, hallucinogens, dissociative anesthetics, narcotic analgesics, inhalants and cannabis.

“It was really good and offered more than the typical alcohol information,” said Chad Cryer, Unit Supervisor at Austin County CSCD. “It helped point out things I should be looking for.”

Sgt. Susan Cotter, Drug Recognition Expert instructor, trainer for DITTCSPO, and supervisor for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Accident Division, who is actively involved in DWI enforcement, was the instructor for the session.

“There were no deathless days on Texas highways in 2013, and Nov. 7, 2000 was the last day that no one was killed on Texas roads,” she said. “In 2013, there were 973 fatal crashes involving impaired drivers, with 1,089 fatalities. In one week in Harris County, nine people were killed in DWI crashes, including a family of four and a family of five.”

The new probation and parole initiative joins several other training programs available through the Impaired Driving Initiatives at Sam Houston State University, which train law enforcement officers, school employees and Texas employers on how to recognize signs of impairment. Sam Houston State University’s Impaired Driving Initiatives program has been working to make Texas roads safer over the last 10 years.

The new program will target offenders in the community, many of them out on drug offenses. In 2011, there were about 141,000 offenders in Texas prisons, 107,000 offenders on parole, and 413,000 offenders on some sort of community supervision. Thirty percent of parolees and 16 percent of the probationers were convicted on drug-related offenses.

“Eight out of 10 convicted offenders reside in our communities – living in our neighborhoods, working in our communities and driving to and from their place of work and recreational activities,” said Cecelia Marquart, Director of the Impaired Driving Initiatives.

In addition to helping parole and probation officers recognize the signs and symptoms of impairment, the program assists departments in developing or improving resource guides for drug policies, programs and practices within the organization as well as discusses traffic safety to reduce the number of alcohol and drug-related crashes or fatalities.

“The primary goal of this program is to educate community supervision and parole officers on traffic safety. specifically the potential for impaired driving among their respective clientele to enhance roadway safety,” Marquart said. “They can detect not only the impairment of the probationer or parolee, but possibly the individual who brought them to their visit or individuals encountered during home visits. The end result would promote safer Texas highways.”

Middle and high school teachers will get hands-on experience in forensic science this summer, whether they are interested in working with their students in the laboratory or at a mock crime scene.

The Institute for Forensic Research, Training and Innovation (IFRTI) and the Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science Facility (STAFS) are offering a series of continuing education courses this summer to expose teachers to the latest research, equipment and practices used in the field. The courses also offer materials and experiments that can be brought back to the classroom to teach students interested in forensic disciplines.

The Institute, which was created in 2014 to develop academic-industrial partnership to promote interdisciplinary forensic research and to train professionals in the field of forensic science, will kick off its offerings with the Forensic Science Educator Training on July 13-16. The Forensic Science Program first offered this training conference in 2009, and it has been extremely successful. The program for middle and high school teachers is an intensive, hands-on opportunity to incorporate forensic science topics in the curriculum, particularly in a lab setting. Topics include forensic chemistry, drug analysis, toxicology, serology, DNA, trace evidence, forensic pathology, anthropology, entomology, questioned documents, digital evidence and more.

The four day conference allows teachers to interact with subject matter experts within each discipline, access scientific instrumentation used in the crime lab, and participate in a curriculum development workshop to help put it all into practice in the classroom.

The Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science Facility, one of only six body farms in the country dedicated to the study of forensic anthropology, will present four short courses this summer on various topics in crime scene investigations, ranging from two to five days. Among the topics will be Forensic DNA Typing, the CSI Crime Lab Experience, Pattern Evidence for the Forensic Educator and Entomology.

The DNA course will cover basic concepts and principles of forensic DNA testing as well as hands-on experiments that can be reproduced in a high school laboratory setting. Among the issues covered are sample collection and storage, DNA extraction, PCR amplification and genotype analysis of evidence and paternity cases, data interpretation, and some biostatistics.

The CSI Crime Lab course will examine complex crime scene investigation principles and techniques in a fun and engaging way by performing team-type, hands-on CSI activities, which easily can translate to any classroom setting. Participants will gain experience with evidence gathering and testing techniques, such as patterns and glass fracture analysis, trace evidence analysis, the creation of crime scene sketches, and criminal profiling techniques and sketches.

Pattern Evidence will explore such topics as Latent Print Identification and Processing, and Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, including the fundamental physics of bloodstaining and the recognition, processing and analysis of blood stains at crime scenes.

Finally, the Entomology class provides the foundation of insect biology with a concentration on forensically significant insects and how insects are used in forensic proceedings.
For more information on these or future short courses offered visit the Institute for Forensic Research, Training and Innovation’s website at www.IFRTI.org or STAFS at www.cjcenter.org/stafs.

From a young age Cirilo Portales was always taught to give back to his community, and now that he has graduated from Sam Houston State University he wants to do this by becoming a police officer for the City of Rosenberg.

Portales recently completed an internship with the Rosenberg Police Department, where he was exposed to various specialty areas and accompanied patrol officers on the streets to better learn about his community and the everyday activities of the agency. He plans to complete the police academy in the fall semester of 2015 from Wharton County Junior College to be ready for the next opening on patrol at Rosenberg.

“I would like to thank the department for allowing me to work with the different divisions, personnel and officers, and the College of Criminal Justice for allowing me the opportunity to intern and to gain this valuable experience” Portales said. “I hope to put it to use when I begin my career in law enforcement. This profession is in a very difficult state right now, and community interactions with the police are becoming something to be frowned upon. The Rosenberg Police Department takes pride in ‘Community Policing’, working with the community whenever possible which is exactly what I want to do. This city is my community, and I want to serve it as a police officer…this internship just further assured me that this is what I wanted to do and where I wanted to do it.”

This internship was not the only interaction that Portales had with the police department. He had previously participated in ride-alongs with a number of officers and had also graduated from the citizen police academy, remaining active with its alumni association in fundraising efforts for the department.

During his internship, he also served as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking citizens. “I rode out with different officers for eight weeks and was able to assist them on any non-violent calls,” said Portales. “I helped in investigations by translating when it was needed. I participated in traffic stops and I learned how to use the ticket writer to issue warnings or citations.”

“Having ridden on different shifts, I was able to learn and observe some of the different ways that officers police. I know that I will be able to take a bit from every officer to create my own unique style of policing,” he added. “Every shift is unique in its own way; on the later part of evening and night shift is when the criminals typically come out, and officers seek to detect criminal activity. They’re able to stake out places and try and catch criminals in the act. On day shift, officers are typically responding to calls and dealing with the aftermath of what happened the night before, writing and following up on reports of crimes that have already occurred.”

Prior to the eight weeks on patrol, Portales spent two weeks each with four other divisions of the department: communications, detention, criminal investigations, and identification.

“The Rosenberg Police Department is able to provide direct guidance to an intern on the daily challenges and daily rewards working in law enforcement,” said Lt. Cody Daily, the department’s public information officer and Portales’ supervisor. “This internship provides the intern with real life experience that the Rosenberg Police Department believes will create future leaders in law enforcement and communities. Cirilo Portales was a model intern during his internship that did not go unrecognized in his drive to pursuit a career in law enforcement.”

Portales got a behind-the-scenes view of emergency communications in Rosenberg for police as well as for emergency medical and fire services. He said dispatchers are a vital asset to police work, and often go unrecognized in the profession. Dispatchers receive and distribute critical information among citizens, police, fire and EMS personnel. They quickly gather pertinent information from callers, such as descriptions of people, names, phone numbers and addresses and send assistance their way. Dispatchers are constantly updating officers with new information about a call that they may be responding to, providing warrant information and driver’s license and vehicle registration checks.

Portales also worked in the city’s jail, where those arrested are either taken to serve their time for city charges or are transferred to the county facility to serve time for more serious offenses. There, he saw the court process in action, including the booking of those arrested, the use of remote digital cameras for appearances before a judge, the bonding process and the paperwork involved in the case. Portales already had some experience with the detention process, having served for 18 months as a part-time correctional officer in the Estelle Unit with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice while being a full time student at SHSU.

In the Criminal Investigations Division, Portales observed the investigation process in action. While no new cases were initiated during his time there, he watched leads develop and observed how the code of criminal procedures was followed during the investigation of a case as well as how the division targeted burglaries and thefts with different special assignments.

In the Identification Division, Portales observed two death cases, including the victim of a fire and the victim of a suicide. He witnessed the autopsies of both victims at the Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office, where they were able to determine the cause of death. He also saw how the investigators processed evidence collected by officers and handled the paperwork that went with each case on a day-to-day basis.

Portales said he is grateful to Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice for allowing him to get experience prior to starting his law enforcement career. “This internship has allowed me to gain experience that I otherwise would not have gotten had I not attended college or SHSU,” said Portales. “Now, when I go to the police academy, I will be able to apply my knowledge of law enforcement to what I learn in the classroom. I will be able to react to and know how to handle certain situations based on this experience. I would once again like to thank the Rosenberg Police Department for allowing me to intern, and to the College of Criminal Justice for providing me the opportunity to do so. I would like to encourage other students to also take advantage of opportunities such as these so that you may become better prepared for your chosen profession.”

Portales graduated from the Rosenberg Citizen Police Academy and remains active in fundraising efforts.

A third journal on school violence will be co-produced by faculty at the College of Criminal Justice, adding to the number of peer-reviewed publications on qualitative criminology and psychology in criminal justice already edited by professors at the institution.

Dr. Ryan Randa, who has published scholarly articles on bullying and cyberbullying, was recently named co-editor of the Journal of School Violence, which he will produce along with Dr. Brad Reyns of Weaver State University in Utah. The journal examines urgent issues involving school violence, such as threat assessments, hostage situations, stalking behaviors, and student safety. It helps to guide administrators and policy makers on effective ways to deal with school safety issues and provides insight on social policy, staff training and international cross-culture studies.

“It has a lot to do with bullying and cyberbullying in schools,” said Dr. Randa. “If it is an issue that has been in the news involving schools, it is what people are writing about. I’ve been enjoying it. It is a different experience seeing a lot of real cutting edge stuff.”

The journal is published four times a year and recently included such topics as bullying, the perspective of teachers in hitting students back, psychosomatic complaints in bullying, and cyber peer aggression.

“Taylor & Francis is excited to have Ryan Randa, Sam Houston State University, and Brad Reyns, Weber State University, co-editing the Journal of School Violence,” said David C. Hamilton, Managing Editor of Behavioral Science and Social Care publications at Taylor & Francis. “Ryan and Brad have great ideas for the journal and we look forward to the continued success of the Journal of School Violence.”

Although the journal primarily has been targeted to an educational audience, Dr. Randa hopes to expand its offerings and articles into the criminal justice and psychology fields. To that end, the journals will participate in conferences for the two top professional organizations in the criminal justice field this year, including the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and the American Society of Criminology.

Dr. Randa also hopes to professionalize the journal by applying for an official impact factor score, a component of a comprehensive ranking system among peer-reviewed journals in academia. The score is tallied by Thomas Reuters and is based on a journal’s circulation, how often its articles are cited, and the quality of the publications that cite them. The higher the score, the more prestigious the journal.

Having three academic journals produced at the College of Criminal Justice provides wider national exposure for Sam Houston State University in the academic world.

In addition to the Journal of School Violence, College faculty also produce Applied Psychology in Criminal Justice and the Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice and Criminology (JQCJC), edited by Dr. Randy Garner and Dr. Willard Oliver respectively.

APCJ is an international, interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal that examines the intersection between psychology and criminal justice. JQCJC, a publication of the Southwestern Association of Criminal Justice, focuses on high quality research that consists of original qualitative research, articles that deal with qualitative research methodologies, and book reviews relevant to both qualitative research and methodologies.

The Journal of School Violence can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wjsv20#.VW7_Ak10zcs.

Two up-and-coming supervisors at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) received joint scholarships from the agency and the Correctional Management Institute of Texas (CMIT) to help advance their careers.

Michael Bates, a Captain at the Ellis Unit, and Natalie Isaac, Program Supervisor V of the Counsel Substitute Program, will begin the Master of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management program this fall.

“I am ecstatic and truly blessed,” said Isaac. “I am still on Cloud Nine. This is a huge accomplishment for me.”
Both scholarship recipients plan to continue their careers with TDCJ and hope to parlay their degrees into top positions in the state agency.

“I want to retire as the Director of the agency,” said Capt. Bates. “If you set your goals low and miss, you miss low. But if you set your goals high, you can get there. I am excited to get started.”

The master’s degree in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management is offered as either an online or intensive weekend program. The 36-hour program is intended for criminal justice professionals currently working in mid-management and senior level positions or those seeking career advancement in the field of criminal justice. The degree caters to professionals whose jobs and family commitments prevent them from returning to campus as full-time students attending classes during the work week. The program allows working professionals to continue the pursuit of their career in criminal justice while completing their degree in two years.

Doug Dretke, Executive Director of the CMIT, is passionate about the role of higher education in providing correctional leadership with the knowledge and tools to maximize their leadership capacity.

“It is an honor to support emerging leadership within the TDCJ through this collaborative scholarship,” Dretke said. “Michael Bates and Natalie Isaac represent the many dedicated, committed, and passionate employees that serve the State of Texas through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice seeking to enhance their leadership capabilities as they work to fulfill the public safety mission of the agency.”

Capt. Bates currently oversees correctional officers and 2,500 inmates at the Ellis Unit in Huntsville, where he served most of his seven year career with TDCJ. He began working with the agency while a business administration student at Sam Houston State University and served in Ellis’ administrative segregation unit and as a Lieutenant and Sergeant. He also was assigned for two years as a Lieutenant in the Clemens Unit in Brazoria County, which houses 1,300 offenders.

Capt. Bates hopes to combine his business degree with a MS in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management and use statistics to run a better agency.

“We have to look at what we do, find grants and run budgets,” Capt. Bates said. “I am very much looking forward to learning new techniques for management to bring it to the forefront of the job and grow and manage as a leader.”

Isaac is Supervisor of the Counsel Substitute Program, which oversees all units and facilities in the State of Texas. This program secures and protects the due process rights of offenders charged with disciplinary infractions by providing training to staff to assist offenders during the disciplinary process. She also worked in the Equal Employment Office helping to solve employee complaints and issues. She is a certified mediator.

“I enjoy working with employees to get their issues solved,” Isaac said. “I enjoy helping people to get through tough times.”

Isaac began her career at TDCJ in 1997 as a correctional officer, serving in the Estelle and Byrd units for six years. She also worked as counsel substitute for eight years, advocating for the offender’s rights during disciplinary hearings.

Isaac would like to become a respected manager or director of TDCJ, and wants to learn more about managing people and leadership.

With controversial suspect deaths and public protests in Ferguson, MO. and New York fresh in their minds, Texas Police Chiefs representing municipal, school, and campus law enforcement set a biennial training agenda for the top law enforcement officers for Texas agencies.

About 1,000 police chiefs from across Texas will attend the Texas Police Chief Leadership Series (TPCLS) at the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT) every two years. Beginning in September, the program will touch on several emerging issues in law enforcement, such as credibility with the community, body cameras, data management, riots and demonstrations, department image, public relations and human resources.

“I feel that with the recent events nationally, policing is at a real crossroads, similar to the way policing changed after 9/11,” said Chief Eric Buske of the Bryan Police Department. “The topics we covered and the agenda we developed in the focus group are going to help prepare Texas chiefs for this upcoming change. It is my belief that community credibility, preparation for demonstrations or disorder, department image, and public relations are going to be key issues that chiefs will need to be on top of in order to successfully lead their departments and provide quality service to their communities.”

“Twenty-three chiefs from across the state helped build the agenda for the weeklong training program, which will be provided to chiefs from small and medium-sized law enforcement agencies in Texas between Sept. 1, 2015 – Aug. 31, 2017” says Donna Garcia, Program Coordinator.

Chief Robert MacDonald of the Jasper Police Department said the recommended training will lead chief throughout the state to provide “transparency, accountability and professionalism” in their departments.

The chiefs identified six key issues, including:

• Building credibility and reputations of police departments through policies, supervision and accountability
• Examining the use of body cameras, including the pros and cons of these systems
• Managing data and sharing information from new technology, particularly body cameras, including the hardware and software needs, open records requests, and transparency
• Developing public relations for departments to improve image, such as disseminating messages from the department to provide factual information and utilizing Facebook to present a positive image.
• Handling demonstrations and riots, including the use of de-escalation techniques and reducing militarization
• Addressing human resources matters, such as retaining chiefs and recruiting, hiring, retaining, disciplining.

It’s not “cupcakes and lollipops” for most children who visit a parent in prison, with two-thirds reported to have negative experiences including fear, anger, anxiety, and related reactions, according to a study funded by the National Institute of Justice by Dr. Melinda Tasca of Sam Houston State University.

The study, “’It’s Not All Cupcakes and Lollipops:’” An Investigation of the Predictors and Effects of Prison Visitation for Children during Maternal and Paternal Incarceration,” found that 65 percent of children reacted negatively to prison visitation, resulting in crying, emotional outbursts, depressive symptoms, poor attitudes, acting out, and developmental regression, according to interviews with caregivers of 40 children who have a parent incarcerated in the Arizona Department of Corrections.

One-third of children were reported to have had a positive experience, which included excitement, improved attitudes and behaviors.

“In-prison visitation may be considered a ‘reset’ button for prisoners, caregivers, and children as they attempt to settle the past, discuss the present and plan for the future,” said Dr. Tasca. “At the same time, however, prison visitation can be an arduous undertaking emotionally, physically, and economically for children and caregivers.”

Two primary factors shaped how children responded to visits with an incarcerated mother or father: the institutional environment and the parent-child relationship. “The punitive nature of corrections often extends to the family, including intrusive search procedures, poor treatment by staff and visiting rooms not conducive to family interactions,” Dr. Tasca said. “Levels of parental attachment also were in issue, with some highly strained because of limited prior involvement and criminal activities.”

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2013 there were about two million children with an incarcerated parent, predominately from poor, minority families. About one-quarter to two-thirds of children visit a parent in prison.

In addition to examining the impact of prison visitation on children, the study also examined factors associated with the likelihood of parent-child prison visitation. For incarcerated mothers, children were accompanied most frequently by a grandmother; for incarcerated fathers, it was the child’s mother who often escorted the child to prison.

Most families of prisoners are fiscally and emotionally overburdened, the study found. More than half of the caretakers of the children of imprisoned parents were on public assistance and lived more than 100 miles from the facility where prisoners were housed. Many of the inmates suffered from mental health or substance abuse problems, and many families faced economic hardships or family instability.

“A major highlight of this study is the investment many overly burdened mother and grandmother caregivers make into prisoners through their facilitation of parent-child prison visits and the largely negative impacts on children that results from such efforts,” according to a press release from the National Institute of Justice. “In light of strained familial relationships and in the absence of treatment resources, the likelihood that the investment of time, energy, and money that prison visitation requires will pay off is slim.”

This study can help the criminal justice system identify family members most embedded in prisoners’ lives to better inform reentry processes. This study also underscores the need for family-centric interventions. In addition, this author calls for more child-friendly visitation areas, where inmates and their children can better interact.
This study was Dr. Tasca’s dissertation which was funded under the National Institute of Justice Graduate Research Fellowship Program. It is available through NIJ at https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/248650.pdf.

Dr. Tasca completed her Ph.D. from Arizona State University in the spring of 2014 and joined the faculty in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Sam Houston State University that fall.

A graduate of the weekend Master of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management program at Sam Houston State University, Sgt. Lovel served in patrol, as a crime scene detective, and as a supervisor of patrol and the Criminal Investigation Division. He currently oversees dispatch and records, which handles calls for police services and records requested by the public, courts and attorneys.

“My advice to students is to get as well rounded as you can,” said Sgt. Lovel, a 19 year veteran of the force. “Don’t stay in any one job too long. Prepare yourself for the future and don’t get pigeon-holed into one particular thing.”

After earning his bachelor’s degree and graduating from a police academy, Sgt. Lovel sent out resumes to many police agencies in Texas and was granted an interview in Webster. Lovel applied for a jailer’s position, but after learning about his background in the U.S. Marine Corps, the former Chief, also a Marine, hired him in patrol.
Lovel spent 4-1/2 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, with one year in communications in Okinawa, Japan and later assignments with Embassy Marine Security in Berlin, Germany and Bogota, Columbia, where he learned to speak Spanish. He entered the Marines just one day before the start of Desert Storm.

“I wanted to serve at a different level, so I went to the Police Academy,” said Sgt. Lovel. “When I was an embassy guard, I was as close as you can get to being an MP (Military Police). I felt that when I got out, I would continue serving not at the national level, but at the local level.”

Like many officers, patrol is where Sgt. Lovel learned to become an officer. Webster, located in the Clear Lake area between Houston and Galveston, has a population of about 10,000, but it grows to 125,000 commuters daily.

“In patrol, especially at night, is where you begin to learn to become a police officer,” Sgt. Lovel said. “You learn about how to use discretion, about responding to calls and about your duty in protecting the lives of citizens. Before you can promote, you have to be in patrol to have a better understanding of supervising police work.”

After being in patrol just 18 months, Sgt. Lovel was involved in a kidnapping case, where the victim escaped by jumping out of a moving vehicle on the highway. The suspect, William Reece, was convicted of aggravated kidnapping in the case and sentenced to 60 years. Reece also was suspected of the murder of a Friendswood girl.

Sgt. Lovel also served as the crime scene detective, responding to major crimes at all hours of the day or night. As a crime scene investigator, you have to be very detail oriented because a lot of little things at the scene can help solve the crime.

“Physical evidence speaks for itself,” said Sgt. Lovel. “No one can fight blood or DNA evidence. But a lot of the evidence coincides with the interviews.”

Later, as supervisor in the Criminal Investigation Division, he would assign cases to six detectives, which ran the gamut from crime against persons, financial crimes, sexual assaults, burglaries, robberies, and shootings, to name a few.

“As a detective, you work as much as you can on the case, you work as long as the leads are active,” Sgt. Lovel said. “That’s where many of the long hours come into play. In the case of a shooting, you know you won’t be going home until the next day. You leave no stone unturned and do the best you can to make sure that victims get justice.”

While Sgt. Lovel has spent the last few year supervising police officers, he now oversees the civilian side of the department in records and dispatch. He is responsible for 12 dispatchers and the equipment needed to run telephones, radio systems and mobile data terminals in police cars. He also supervises the Records Division, which handles all official records, including open records requests, subpoenas and documents for courts.

“You have to care for your people and have a sincere understanding of their needs,” said Sgt. Lovel. “You have to have their buy-in and trust. It is the glue that holds everything together.”

In addition to his Master’s degree, Lovel also graduated from 238th FBI Academy and from the Leadership Command College (LCC) at the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas at SHSU. The LCC program taught him to open his eyes to different learning opportunities and the working on behalf of others. He also earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and instructs classes for children. He also commands the Webster Honor Guard, a police unit that services at funerals and in parades.

“Sgt. Lovel is a tremendous asset to the Webster Police Department,” said Webster Chief Daniel Presley “He serves selflessly, always eager to take on any challenge for the good of the Department. I have no doubt that the masters in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management at SHSU helped develop his exceptional leadership skills.”

As a summer intern with the U.S. Department of State, Dakin Stanesic helped prepare for a visit by Michelle Obama and her daughters, Sasha and Malia, to Milan, Italy during the First Lady’s tour to fight childhood obesity. Stanesic even got to ride in the motorcade escorting the First Family through the streets of the Italian city.

“It took a few weeks to prepare for -- a lot of people and a lot of overtime,” said Stanesic, a master’s student in Homeland Security. “I was able to assist the Secret Service and the White House staff along with the Diplomatic Security Services in the advance team. I had the privilege of riding in the motorcade.”

To protect the First Family, Stanesic had to develop skills and instincts to know what threats to look for, to prevent anything from happening, and to react quickly in the event something happened. “This is true for every level of law enforcement, from local to federal agents,” he added.

During his three month internship, Stanesic was assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Milan, where he worked in the Consular section and Regional Security Office. The American Citizen Services office assists Americans abroad with any needs that may arise, such as getting an emergency passport, fully validating passports or assisting those with dual passports to renounce their American citizenship. In the Consular section, he worked in issuing visas for foreigners to visit the U.S., and he was one of few Americans that had the security clearance for some visa processing tasks, such as taking fingerprints.

Stanesic said he enjoyed his time abroad and found he quickly picked up the language. He also picked up some other tips, too.

“I learned even small cultural things, like there is no Italian dressing in Italy,” joked Stanesic. “They mostly use some type of oil or vinaigrette with salt. I also learned that Italians don’t drink milk in the afternoon, so when you order a cappuccino or latte in the afternoon, they will know you’re an American.”

As an undergraduate, Stanesic also did an internship with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Houston at the Detention Center and Deportation Office, which is charged with deporting illegal aliens convicted of crimes within Texas’ prison system. He helped create or update profiles on offenders so they could be tracked if they reenter the United States, conducted inmate interviews in prison, and processed fingerprints and background checks on inmates.

After graduation, he plans to join the U.S. Marine Corps and parlay his experiences into a federal law enforcement job in the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service or the FBI.

Stanesic said that his education at Sam Houston State University has been “vital” in preparing him for the internship. Some of the lessons he took with him to Italy were what to look for when protecting a VIP or executive, how to respond to active shooter situations, and how to deal with chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or ordinary explosives.

“It was an incredible experience,” said Stanesic. “I certainly learned a lot about Italy and Europe.”

Stanesic said the contacts he has made at the State Department, the U.S. Secret Service, the White House and ICE are invaluable.

“It has helped me make a ton of contacts and learn a lot of skills you can’t learn in a classroom about the field,” he said. “Doing an internship for any major is extremely helpful for any student with their career. It allows one to see first-hand what they can do in their field of study and build a resume, while getting credit from the university. This is especially true with College of Criminal Justice students. For CJ students, there are things that you can try and explain in a classroom, but until you are actually in the moment, see it, or experience it yourself, you will not understand things that could potentially save your life, or others’ lives throughout your career.”

The College of Criminal Justice offers more than 300 internship opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate levels in agencies, non-profit organizations and businesses in criminal justice, forensics, victim services and private security. Among the international options available are Interpol in France; the Metropolitan Police – New Scotland Yard in England; the Department of Primary Industries and Regions in Boating and Fisheries in Australia; and Shepp Johnman and Associations Investigations in Alberta, Canada.

Internships are offered during the senior or final year, where students can work full-time at an agency for an entire semester for nine credits as an undergraduate and six credits as a graduate student.

“The United States Department of State is a great partner for our program,” said Dr. Jim Dozier, Internship Coordinator. “Recently we have had placements in Panama, Brussels, and now Milan.”

Alumna Tamara Young-Niquette (’98) had planned to go to law school, but instead she found her calling in helping victims of crime in Harris and Montgomery counties.

For the last eight years, Young-Niquette has been the sole victim liaison for the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, aiding those whose lives have been impacted by violent crime, such as homicide, domestic violence, or sexual assault.

“I really feel like this is my calling,” said Young-Niquette. “I have to believe that this is what God had for me to do. It is just my form of service. You see people at their worse…What keeps me going is truly making a difference in someone’s life.”

Young-Niquette has witnessed the devastation of violent crime in Montgomery County, one of the fastest growing counties in Texas and across the country. Yet, in this up-and-coming cosmopolitan area, there are pockets of poverty and despair, where victims of abuse and crime have little access to services. Some county residents have no phones, no electricity and no transportation.

“After being a victim of a violent crime, your world will never be the same again,” Young-Niquette said. “You have to help them find their new normal.”

One of the first things Young-Niquette has to do with victims is to debunk the myths about the criminal justice system created by the CSI television series.

“People get influenced by watching shows like CSI and think that crimes get solved in an hour,” said Young-Niquette. “If someone get their weed-eater stolen, they think police will be out taking fingerprints and casts from footprints. The public believes that is what happens because that’s what they see on TV.”

Young-Niquette explains the criminal justice process and steps along the way, such as grand juries, indictments and bonds. She makes referrals to other agencies that can assist the victim with financial issues, networks for victims, unemployment benefits, drug treatment, immigration issues, medical treatment, public housing, law enforcement, domestic violence, mental health, child welfare and juvenile justice. Although she is not a trained counselor, Young-Niquette often is the person the victim leans on most.

Following an internship with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Young-Niquette was hired in the Victim-Witness Division, where she was assigned to sexual assault cases as well as other felony cases for 12 courts. She still keeps in touch with one of her first victims from 1998, a young woman who was brutally raped and beaten and left behind a dumpster to die. Sexual assault cases are particularly difficult for victims because the rape kit process takes hours, and victims often get a bill from the hospital, which only is partially covered by the system.

“It is humiliating and is hours long,” said Young-Niquette. “It is extremely intimate. No wonder 60-80 percent of cases go unreported.”

Another crime which poses complex issues is domestic violence. “Everyone tells the victim:
‘Just leave,’” Young-Niquette said. “But it is not that easy.”

Many victims of domestic violence live in remote areas and have no jobs, no high school diploma, no relatives to go to, no transportation, and no money. They fear losing their children.
“Success in the criminal justice field is often different than what success is for the victims,” said Young-Niquette.

“If police arrest your abuser, it might be successful in that the victim will not be beaten again, but that victim may be left with no phone, no electricity and no transportation.”

One of the issues Young-Niquette frequently addressed is the Crime Victims Compensation Fund, which helps pay for medical services, counseling, lost wages and funeral expenses for victims and their families when insurance is not available. However, it falls short of replacing everything a victim has lost.

“Crimes don’t just affect the person,” said Young-Niquette. “It affects their family and friends and all the people that know her.”

Young-Niquette also tries to educate criminal justice professionals about the effects of trauma and how to avoid re-victimizing the victim. When a person is a victim of violence, he or she frequently cannot remember things in chronological order; the incident will appear as tidbits, pieces and flashes. He or she may not fight back and experience shock, denial or guilt.

Over the years, Young-Niquette has developed some important lessons for those working in the victim services field. They include moving beyond your own personal assumptions and misconception about situations you may encounter; letting the victim tell you what he or she needs; realizing the fact that you can’t save every victim; not making promises to victims; and understanding that some victims will remain victims throughout their lives.

Young-Niquette still remembers certain cases, including the high school student who was beaten for five hours and sexually sodomized by classmates. Despite a successful prosecution, which resulted in terms of life and 90 years for the two suspects, the victim could not live with what happened to him and the continued notoriety of the case. He committed suicide.

“One of the most important things I say to them is ‘You didn’t deserve what happened to you,’” Young-Niquette said.