College of Criminal Justice records

Collection

Identifier: A028

Scope and Content Note

The collection comprises 29.5 cubic feet and spans 1963 through 1995. It is divided into two series: I. Subject Files, and II. Student Records. The bulk of the collection consists of student records from 1963 through 1987. These include high school and college transcripts, academic petitions, Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, and letters of recommendation. The Subject Files include material documenting the college's faculty (meeting minutes, faculty handbooks, curriculum material, memoranda), students/alumni (student handbooks, 25th Anniversary Alumni Reminiscences, class of 1972), and admissions (bulletins, applications, flyers). The dedication of the John A. Volpe Hall, the home of the College of Criminal Justice since 1972, is documented by audio cassettes of the ceremony and programs. The collection does not contain any material about the Center for Criminal Justice Policy Research or the Journal of Quantitative Criminology.

Dates

Creation: 1963-1995

Creator

Northeastern University (Boston, Mass.). College of Criminal Justice (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access:

Records are closed for 25 years from their date of creation, unless researchers have written permission from the creating office. Student records (boxes 2-30) are closed for 75 years from their date of creation.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use:

Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the University Archivist.

Historical Note

In 1967 Northeastern University established the College of Criminal Justice (CCJ) to provide professional training and to support study and research in the administration of criminal justice. Initially designed to prepare students for careers in law enforcement, the academic program has developed and expanded to include course work in corrections, juvenile delinquency, social welfare, criminalistics, and rehabilitation. Founded on the Cooperative Plan of Education, the college enables students to alternate periods of study with supervised work assignments in police departments, adult and juvenile correctional institutions, settlement houses, probation and parole departments, law offices, and security organizations.

In establishing the college, Northeastern built on experience it had gained since 1961 from University College's Department of Law Enforcement and Security. These part-time programs led to baccalaureate and associate degrees with majors in law enforcement and security. From an enrollment of 54 students in 1967-68, CCJ has grown to approximately 1,000 full-time undergraduates and 70 graduate students in 1999.

CCJ offers programs of study leading to a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice. The undergraduate program features three areas of concentration: policing and security; legal studies; and criminology and corrections. The Graduate School of Criminal Justice offers a Master of Science degree, preparing students for research, teaching, administrative, operational and supervisory positions within the various sectors of the criminal justice field. In 1999 the Criminal Justice faculty consisted of 17 full-time professors with expertise in serial murder, hate crimes, terrorism, policing, law, corrections, and security.

There are two noteworthy organizations that operate within the college, the Center for Criminal Justice Policy Research (CCJPR) and the Journal of Quantitative Criminology. The mission of the CCJPR is to utilize strategic social science research methodologies to assist government agencies, educational institutions, and members of the private sector with the development, enhancement, and implementation of contemporary criminal justice policies and issues. Staff from CCJPR integrate existing social science research with analysis of quantitative and qualitative data from a wide range of criminal justice agencies in an effort to enhance and develop effective criminal justice policies. The Journal of Quantitative Criminology has been housed in the College since its inception by James Alan Fox in 1984. The Journal is a refereed publication of research in crime and justice from such diverse fields as sociology, psychology, economics, statistics, geography, engineering and political science.

Extent

29.50 cubic feet (30 containers)

Language

English

Additional Description

Overview

Northeastern University (NU) established the College of Criminal Justice (CCJ) in 1967 to provide professional training and support study and research in the administration of criminal justice. CCJ emerged from the University College's Department of Law Enforcement and Security, which was founded in 1961 and offered part-time baccalaureate and associate degree programs. Initially designed to prepare students for careers in law enforcement, CCJ's academic program has expanded to include course work in corrections, juvenile delinquency, social welfare, criminalistics, and rehabilitation. Based on the Cooperative Plan of Education, CCJ enables students to alternate periods of study with supervised work assignments in police departments, adult and juvenile correctional institutions, settlement houses, probation and parole departments, law offices, and security organizations. From an enrollment of 54 students in 1967-1968, CCJ has grown to approximately 1,000 full-time undergraduates and 70 graduate students in 1999.

Overview

The bulk of the collection consists of student records from 1963 through 1987. These include high school and college transcripts, academic petitions, Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, and letters of recommendation. Subject files document the CCJ's faculty, students, and alumni, and include meeting minutes, faculty handbooks, curricular material, memoranda, student handbooks, reminiscences of the class of 1972 for their 25th reunion, admission bulletins, admission applications, and flyers. Audio cassettes and programs document the dedication of the John A. Volpe Hall, home of the CCJ since 1972.