Quality Standards for Criminal Justice Education: The Long and Winding Road

AbstractHigher education in criminology and criminal justice has evolved over the last 100 years in fits and starts. The road was long, and it took many turns, reflecting not only the need for training and professionalism among criminal justice practitioners, but for the development of a new academic field of study at colleges and universities. This article traces the history of the quest for academic standards in higher education, specifically the role of ACJS in this endeavor. Both authors have contributed to ACJS’s efforts over the years and were involved in the two most recent iterations of ACJS Academic Program Review: Certification and Program Endorsement. We chronicle the rise and fall of certification and the recent effort to create an endorsement program that seeks to balance the need for quality control while providing the desired flexibility for individual programs.Keywords: Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS)CertificationAccreditationProgram standards Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationNotes on contributorsJay AlbaneseJay S. Albanese is Professor in the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. He received the Ph.D. from the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University. Dr. Albanese served as Chief of the International Center at the National Institute of Justice, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice. He has served as consultant to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and is a past president and fellow of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. He is author and editor of 22 books on the issues of organized crime, corruption, ethics, transnational crime, and criminal justice. Dr. Albanese is recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award from Virginia Commonwealth University, the Freda Adler Distinguished Scholar Award from the American Society of Criminology Division of International Criminology, and the Outstanding Faculty Award, Virginia’s highest honor for a faculty member at public or private colleges and universities. Jay Albanese is also a principal in the NGO Criminologist Without Borders. www.jayalbanese.com.Christine TartaroChristine Tartaro is a Distinguished Professor of Criminal Justice at Stockton University. She is a past president of the Northeastern Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (NEACJS) and past chair of the NEACJS ad hoc Committee on Academic Certification and Accreditation. At the time of this writing, she is the Deputy Chair of the ACJS Academic Review Committee. Her research interests include corrections, mental health, and suicide.