As a kid, Dr. David Khey, professor and head of the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 Department of Criminal Justice, aspired to be a medical doctor. At least, that小蝌蚪APP檚 what people told him he should be.
But he felt drawn elsewhere.
Growing up in South Florida in the 1980s and 1990s, crime and its effects were all around Dr. Khey. In 1979, the year he was born, a shootout in suburban Miami小蝌蚪APP檚 Dadeland Mall marked the beginning of what Dr. Khey describes as the 小蝌蚪APP淐ocaine Cowboys小蝌蚪APP era 小蝌蚪APP a period of violent drug-related conflict throughout the area.
小蝌蚪APP淟ooking at drug-use patterns when I was born, you小蝌蚪APP檙e talking about the peak of the drug-using era, in terms of the amount that people were using and the rates that people were using,小蝌蚪APP Dr. Khey says.
Against that backdrop of rampant drug use, anti-drug messages from programs like D.A.R.E., or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, were all around him while he witnessed relatives and friends serve prison time due to alcohol and cocaine addictions.
When the time came to start a career, Dr. Khey decided to study criminology to better understand the issues that impacted his childhood. He later earned a master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree in sociology, a master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree in pharmaceutical sciences with a focus on forensic drug analysis, and a doctorate in criminology, law, and society.
小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檝e just always been fascinated with crime, you know, being embedded in that culture,小蝌蚪APP he says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 had amazing mentors that kept my curiosity flowing in terms of the world around us and how we designed it.小蝌蚪APP
Now, as his department小蝌蚪APP檚 B.S. in Criminal Justice program expands to be offered 100% online, in addition to on campus, students across the country can join in on that curiosity.
What is criminal justice?
It小蝌蚪APP檚 a common misconception that criminal justice is only for those wanting to pursue careers in law enforcement. Dr. Khey asserts that the field as an academic discipline goes well beyond that.
Housed within the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 College of Liberal Arts, the B.S. in Criminal Justice program prepares students to think critically about a variety of crime-related issues.
小蝌蚪APP淚t小蝌蚪APP檚 tough because criminal justice is a legacy term, where people think of the coppers and other first responders,小蝌蚪APP he says. 小蝌蚪APP淏ut criminal justice education is very multidisciplinary in nature. We take elements of human services, public health, and sociology to understand patterns of human life.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淥ur objective is to respond to these patterns, using evidence and science to make decisions that will help the world.小蝌蚪APP
What this evidence, science, and decision-making looks like can vary greatly within the field.
For instance, Dr. Michelle Jeanis, associate professor of criminal justice, is particularly interested in missing persons cases. Her research spans everything from solvability factors to social media best practices in missing persons cases.
小蝌蚪APP淢issing persons is a unique field of study because we need law enforcement and we need the public to solve these cases,小蝌蚪APP Dr. Janis says. 小蝌蚪APP淚t involves a lot of collaboration among agencies.小蝌蚪APP
Meanwhile, Dr. Khey is specifically interested in drug policy and treatment. One of his current projects focuses on evaluating the D.A.R.E. curriculum to determine how evidence-based it is.
What can I do with a degree in criminal justice?
The criminal justice program opens the door to a range of opportunities, including in nonprofits, law enforcement agencies, private security, insurance, and more.
小蝌蚪APP淲e have all sorts of social service employers and first responder agencies readily knocking on our door for students,小蝌蚪APP says Dr. Khey. 小蝌蚪APP淭he sky is truly the limit in terms of how a student can employ the curiosity they gained in the program to help an employer.小蝌蚪APP
Tala Tobeh, 2022 graduate of the program, now works for Louisiana小蝌蚪APP檚 state fusion center, assisting with case support for local, state, tribal, and federal agencies.
Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, 1985 graduate of the program, went on to earn her Juris Doctor. She is now the CEO of Feeding America, a nationwide network of over 200 food banks.
Many graduates of the program land roles in law enforcement.
And while a degree isn小蝌蚪APP檛 always necessary for these roles, having a liberal arts degree can prepare officers to better understand the human issues underlying their work.
小蝌蚪APP淗aving that level of expertise to your employer and your peers can be extremely helpful in terms of being more impactful in your community,小蝌蚪APP says Dr. Khey. 小蝌蚪APP淧olice officers with a degree can understand how to de-escalate certain behaviors to avoid problematic outcomes because they know what to expect going into these kinds of interactions.小蝌蚪APP
Why earn a degree online?
Offering the bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 in criminal justice program online is a way for Dr. Khey and his colleagues to reach students where they are and, ultimately, train those students to go out into their careers and make an impact.
Many students in the program are active-duty service members or working law enforcement officers.
小蝌蚪APP淥nline learning is just one tool that we have in our toolbox,小蝌蚪APP says Dr. Khey. 小蝌蚪APP淚t matters on where people are in their lives, careers, and families to choose the kind of learning tool that helps them achieve what they小蝌蚪APP檙e looking to achieve. We as a diverse learning and teaching faculty know that.小蝌蚪APP
Regardless of how a student chooses to complete their degree, the department小蝌蚪APP檚 goal, Dr. Khey says, remains the same: to develop informed citizens who can use data to make their own decisions.
小蝌蚪APP淚t小蝌蚪APP檚 all about turning those lights on inside our students小蝌蚪APP heads,小蝌蚪APP Dr. Khey says. 小蝌蚪APP淲e want our students to be happy, get jobs, ask questions, and challenge practices in a way that小蝌蚪APP檚 respectful and contributes to an employer小蝌蚪APP檚 mission.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淎 lot of employers that we collaborate with come back semester after semester asking for more of our students. That小蝌蚪APP檚 how we know we小蝌蚪APP檙e doing something right.小蝌蚪APP
Use data to address crime and its underlying causes. Request information about the online bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 in criminal justice program today.