Message from the Dean

Located minutes from Manhattan on the Rutgers University-Newark campus, the School of Criminal Justice has long enjoyed a reputation for academic excellence and ground-breaking applied research. For 40 years, our faculty has made significant contributions to criminal justice policy and criminological theory and our graduates have taken their places among the most productive and well-respected scholars and practitioners in the field. Today, we continue to rank among the top criminal justice programs nationwide.

Founded in 1974 by legislative action, the School of Criminal Justice was tasked with responding to the needs of New Jersey's policing and criminal justice systems through teaching, research and leadership. Since founding the school's faculty and students have engaged in practice-oriented research, impacting the way people think about crime and justice as well as the manner by which the work of justice is conducted.

Today, faculty and students alike are driven by a passionate concern about problems of crime, public security, and social justice. Our scholarship focuses on many topics, including international policing, prevention of gang violence, human trafficking, crime modeling, and prevention of wildlife crime among many others. Not only do we engage in diverse topics of research, but we also bring a wide array of rigorous methods and sharply honed theoretical perspectives to bear to tackle important problems of justice and public safety. Our work leads to a deep engagement with people and communities, policy-making, and justice organizations, both here and abroad.

We have a robust program that offers undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees with over 600 undergraduate majors and approximately 120 graduate students. Our students have opportunities to learn from and participate in cutting-edge research with nationally and internationally renowned scholars in a fabulous urban university. Our campus and school have much to offer in terms of resources and a deep sense of community and civic engagement. This is an exciting time to join an active community of scholars in a rejuvenated Newark.

Come and be part of our future!

Bonita Veysey
Acting Dean