Criminal Justice Education: Past, Present and Future

The mushrooming of Criminal Justice higher education programs is a phenomenon of the past decade, while even the roots of this academic field of study in the United States are found in the 20th century. This article traces this history from the National Conference on Criminal Law and Criminology meeting in Chicago in 1909 through the activities of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences in 1975. Special emphasis is placed on: the character of the current Criminal Justice programs, the "phases" and "models" of Criminal Justice education, degree titles in this area of study, the quest for academic respectability, and consortiums and associations of Criminal Justice educators. The author explores the special relationship between Criminal Justice education and sociology (e.g., criminology) and political science (e.g., public administration). Finally, the author prognosticates the future of Criminal Justice education holding that Criminal Justice will emerge as a recognized discipline and that academic standards will be formulated and followed, forcing all but the "quality" programs out of the arena.