Department of Criminal Justice
Department of
Criminal Justice
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Overview
The Department of Criminal Justice degree programs, minors, and immersions emphasize the social scientific study of crime, criminal justice, and legal studies. RIT’s approach combines theoretical perspectives with hands-on experience, emphasizing areas of crime, criminal behavior, social control mechanisms, administration, planning, and management, as well as problem-solving techniques based on current research in the field. Students are encouraged to be active participants in the process of creating this knowledge through undergraduate research projects. A variety of opportunities exist to engage in active research and to present the results of these projects at professional conferences.
Criminal Justice at RIT
MS Criminal Justice at RIT
$1.9M
Sponsored research funding (2017-2018)
Top 50
Ranked among top 50 criminal justice programs nationwide by College Factual
44
Criminal Justice courses offered
Latest News
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April 12, 2024
RIT graduate student gains experience through Center for Public Safety Initiatives
Venita D’Angelo, a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in criminal justice, is working to reduce crime through program evaluation, data analytics, and project management services for area law enforcement, community nonprofits, and other criminal justice professionals.
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March 28, 2024
RIT professor serves on prosecution team for landmark trial against operator of Bitcoin Fog
Divya Ramjee served as a member of the prosecution team for a criminal case against the operator of Bitcoin Fog. On March 12, a jury found the defendant, Roman Sterlingov, “guilty of operating among the longest-running and most prolific bitcoin money laundering services on the darknet.”
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February 13, 2024
Rochester high school students showcase college-level projects in partnership with RIT
WHAM-TV talks to Irshad Altheimer, professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and director of the Center for Public Safety Initiatives, about how the partnership between RIT and Rochester Prep Charter School prepares students for college success.
Featured Work
Looking to land your first job? RIT grad Jeffrey Culver '82 offers winning advice.
Jeffrey Culver '82
Contacts, competencies, creativity, and your CV—focus on "The Four Cs" for job search success. Plus, get tips for how to rock your interview.
Spatial Data Analytics three-course electives sequence — entirely online
Offered entirely online, a new Spatial Data Analytics three-course electives sequence helps MS students build a critical skill set for today's criminal justice researchers.
Featured Profiles
“There is nothing more invigorating than using my research to brainstorm solutions to problems that have plagued my community.”
’23
— Libnah Rodriguez, criminal justice BS and MS, Research Associate at the RIT Center for Public Safety Initiatives
Shakierah Shayonna Smith
“My greatest accomplishment is becoming a licensed attorney in New York State. As a first-generation student, I was naïve about the process of becoming an attorney…But I did all of this on my first...
“I am so lucky to have the greatest mentors and peers.”
— Venita D’Angelo, criminal justice BS '23, Center for Public Safety Initiatives Research Assistant
Internship Examples
The internship program is designed to give students the opportunity to interact with criminal justice professionals in a work environment. Students will be closely supervised at the selected agency, developing their professional skills while learning the agency’s organization, programs, and methods.
Examples of recent internship placements:
Monroe County Correctional Facility, Erie County Correctional Facility, Monroe County Jail, New York State Department of Corrections, Albion Correction Facility
Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office, Monroe County Public Safety Lab, Monroe County Forensic Psychology Unit, Forensic Consulting
New York State Division for Youth, Hillside Children’s Center, St. Joseph’s Villa
Rochester Police Department, Buffalo Police Department, Syracuse Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, Kodak Corporate Security, Bausch & Lomb, Ingraham Investigation, Marine Midland Corporate Security, New York State Police, New York State Park Police, American Civil Liberties Union, Department of Environmental Conservation, J.T. Genier Security Services, CVS Health Loss Prevention, Disney Corporate Security, Monroe Community College PAC TAC-downtown student police patrol. Federal Agencies: A.T.F., D.E.A., Homeland Security, U.S. Marshal, I.R.S., Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspector
Honorable Marjorie Byrnes, Honorable Roy King, Honorable Joseph Valentino, Attorney General’s Office, Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Monroe County Public Defender’s Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York-Jury Selection, Public Interest Law Firm, Legal Aid Society, Monroe County Family Court, Monroe County Criminal Court, Capital Defender’s Office, Anthony Levy-Attorney at Law, Schogan & King, Harter & Secrest, Garrison & Wiles, Phillips, Lytle & Hitchcock, Blaine & Huber
Monroe County Probation, Erie County Probation, Orange County Probation, U.S. Probation
ChemSept (drug testing), DWI Victim Advocacy (court monitoring), Victim Services (Rochester Police Department), Victim Services (District Attorney’s Office), Rape Crisis (counseling), Society for the Protection and Care of Children, National Center for Exploited and Missing Children, General Code Publishers Corporation, Camp Good Days, Journey's End Refugee Services, H.E.A.R.D.-Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of the Deaf, Paper Bag Ladies of Rochester, as well as out of state placements
Degree Programs
Undergraduate Programs
Students complete criminal justice core courses along with program electives that can be customized according to personal interests and goals. The wide variety of courses available prepares you for a variety of careers in local, state, and federal criminal justice agencies, as well as the private sector. You are also well-prepared to continue your education in a graduate or professional program in criminal justice, public policy, business, or law. A BS/MS 4+1 option in criminal justice is also available.
A criminal justice bachelor’s degree that explores issues of law and justice as you evaluate the intended and unintended consequences of criminal justice policies and decision-making.
Learn more about the Criminal Justice BS programGraduate Programs
The graduate program emphasizes training in policy analysis and practice, particularly as it is relevant to community and urban issues. You’ll gain a strong foundation in criminal justice theory and social scientific research skills, and you’ll graduate ready for a career in criminal justice policy analysis or well-prepared to continue your studies in a doctoral program.
RIT’s master’s in criminal justice, is a dynamic degree where you’ll develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills as you engage in applied research that contributes to the creation and dissemination of criminal justice knowledge and policy analysis.
Learn more about the Criminal Justice MS programMinors and Immersions
The criminal justice immersion provides students with the appropriate foundation to analyze crime, crime control policy, and the role of the criminal justice system in the maintenance of order in society. Courses focus on the social definition and measurement of crime, a broad understanding of the causes of crime, and societal responses to crime through the police, courts, and corrections.
Learn more about the Criminal Justice Immersion programThe criminal justice minor provides a foundation in the formal process of social control through the criminal justice system, how behavior is defined as criminal, how crime is measured, and how society responds to crime.
Learn more about the Criminal Justice Minor programThe legal studies immersion provides students with a foundation in the study of law and legal institutions, and in the relationship of law to other aspects of society and culture. Courses provide a broad perspective on law and legal institutions including historical, ethical, sociological, political, and philosophical approaches to these areas.
Learn more about the Legal Studies Immersion programRecognizing the critical role that law plays in societies, the minor in legal studies provides students with courses that deepen and expand their understanding of law as practiced, especially its influence on social, political, and economic institutions.
Learn more about the Legal Studies Minor programCenter for Public Safety Initiatives
The Center for Public Safety Initiatives is a unique collaboration between RIT's Department of Criminal Justice, the City of Rochester, and the criminal justice agencies of Greater Rochester including the Rochester Police Department and Monroe County Crime Lab. Its purpose is to contribute to criminal justice strategy through research, policy analysis and evaluation. Its educational goals include training graduate and undergraduate students in strategic planning and policy analysis.