A glimpse behind the caution tape in the Criminal Justice Dept.
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by Kari Lewis:
Newswriting
Student
 Hidden
away on the south end of the second floor of Nance
Boyer is the Criminal Justice Department.
The
department has been part of Cameron’s program
since 1975. Karen Youngblood, an associate professor
of criminal justice, has been at Cameron for 17
years.
“We
are a combined department with Sociology,”
she said.
The
Criminal Justice Department offers two degree
programs: a two-year Associate of Applied Science
and a Bachelor of Science .
According
to Youngblood, the department offers many options
for students pursuing criminal justice degrees.
“We offer both degrees on campus for day
and night students,” she said. “The
department also offers the bachelor’s degree
in Oklahoma City through an agreement with Oklahoma
State University. The associate’s degree
is offered at Fort Sill and Duncan.”
Not
only does the department offer degree opportunities,
they also sponsor two student organizations, the
CJ Club and the honor society, Alpha Phi Sigma.
“These student organizations participate
in many campus activities such as intramural and
homecoming,” Youngblood said.
According
to Youngblood, the groups sponsor a lecture series.
“They have brought in speakers including
the Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections
and the head of Homeland Security for Oklahoma,”
she said.
Autumn
Smedley, a criminal justice freshman, is a member
of the CJ Club.
“We
do things like visit jails and host Kids’n’Cops
Day,” she said. “Kids’n’Cops
Day is when the club hosts a barbecue at a local
park and the kids around Lawton can come meet
and talk to the cops of the community. We have
various activities that the kids can participate
in.”
Smedley
says she enjoys the department because the professors
are very hands-on and informative.
“Professors put in their own personal experience
of the subjects we are learning about,”
Smedley said. “Reality doesn’t always
go by the book.”
Criminal
justice professors are very involved with the
field and they stay current with the activities
going on in it.
“The
faculty remains in close contact with the real
world through professional activities like counseling
weekly sessions with offenders, state and county
boards for criminal justice agencies and law enforcement
training,” Youngblood said.
According
to Youngblood, by having a criminal justice degree,
students can pursue a wide variety of jobs.
“From
law enforcement to correction agencies and human
service positions to government jobs, our students
have taken it all,” Youngblood said. “Our
major is also unique since a significant number
of CJ majors are already employed in the criminal
justice field and are returning to school in order
to earn more promotions.”
For
further information: Go to www.cameron.edu/cj_sociology
or contact the Criminal Justice Department directly
at 580.581.2490.
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