BE JUST

DEPARTMENT OF

Criminology & Criminal Justice

2220 SAMUEL J. LEFRAK HALL7251 PREINKERT DR.COLLEGE PARK, MD 20742

WWW.CCJS.UMD.EDUP 301.405.4699 / F 301.405.4733 ccjs-admin@umd.edu

The Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice

is one of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences’

10 interdisciplinary departments and programs, all

committed to investigating and improving the human

condition. www.bsos.umd.edu

AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIESBE EMPOWERED

ANTHROPOLOGYBE CULTURAL

CRIMINOLOGY & CRIMINAL JUSTICEBE JUST

ECONOMICSBE EFFICIENT

GEOGRAPHICAL SCIENCESBE GLOBAL

GOVERNMENT & POLITICSBE CIVIL

HEARING & SPEECH SCIENCESBE HEARD

JOINT PROGRAM IN SURVEY METHODOLOGYBE COUNTED

PSYCHOLOGYBE UNDERSTOOD

SOCIOLOGYBE SOCIAL

Criminology & Criminal Justice at Maryland >>

In the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the

University of Maryland, we’re discovering new knowledge

about what drives people to commit crimes and how they can

be stopped. Working with police, correctional programs, courts

and all levels of government, we’re developing strategies to

lower crime rates across our country, and to make the system

more fair. We’re inspiring Maryland pride by working to

correct injustices throughout the state.

We are turning imagination into innovation by getting

dangerous weapons off our streets through partnerships with

leading research organizations such as the National Institute of

Justice. We’re transforming the student experience by lever-

aging our location near the heart of the nation’s justice system

to give students unmatched access to internship, research and

career opportunities.

THROUGH OUR WORK, WE ARE GUIDING THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT—NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY—TO DEVELOP POLICIES THAT

prevent and control delinquency, crime and terrorism.Academic Offerings >>

UNDERGRADUATE OFFERINGS

Bachelor of Arts

go.umd.edu/CCJSUndergraduate

GRADUATE OFFERINGS

Master of Arts

Joint Traditional Master of Arts/Juris Doctorate

Professional Master of Arts in China

Professional Master of Arts in Vietnam

Doctor of Philosophy

go.umd.edu/CCJSGraduate

OLIVIA PETTINGILL, CCJS ’17Intern, Supreme Court of the United States Police; International Studies Representative, College Park Scholars Student Advisory Board

“It’s cool to read cutting-edge research and

theories for class and realize the author is a

UMD professor! The staff is also approachable

and eager to help with homework, recommen-

dations, or career planning.”

THOMAS MANGER, CCJS ’76Chief of Police, Montgomery County, Maryland

“ An education in the behavioral and social

sciences taught me how to research issues, and

how to make informed decisions, prepare for

challenging assignments, and use my compo-

sure to my advantage. ”

Innovative Centers & Projects >>

Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice faculty and students

are actively engaged in a wide range of publicly and privately funded

research projects, which examine pressing social issues. These include:

» Center for the Study of Business Ethics, Regulation and Crime

» Maryland Data Analysis Center

» National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and

Responses to Terrorism

» NSF project on smartphone use and cybercrime

» Rochester Youth Development Project

go.umd.edu/CCJSCenters

CCJS Points of Pride >>

OUR AWARD-WINNING FACULTY ARE EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELDS, ARE ASKED TO PRESENT THEIR RESEARCH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY, AND FREQUENTLY ADVISE FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL GOVERN-MENTS ON MATTERS PERTAINING TO CRIME AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE.

OUR GRADUATE PROGRAM IS CONSISTENTLY RANKED #1 IN THE NATION BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT.

STUDENTS WORK WITH FACULTY ON CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH PROJECTS.

IN ADDITION TO OUR COLLEGE PARK PROGRAMS, CCJS OFFERS AN UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM IN SHADY GROVE, MD.

OUR CONNECTIONS WITH LOCAL AND FEDERAL INSTITUTES AND ORGANIZATIONS—AND OUR PROXIMITY TO D.C.—ALLOW FOR EXCEPTIONAL INTERNSHIPS AND OPPORTUNITIES.

STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS OFFER LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCES.

Faculty Research Highlights >>

What is the role of a defendant’s physical

appearance on criminal punishment? BRIAN D.

JOHNSON is examining inequalities in criminal

sentencing that are associated with the phys-

ical appearance of convicted offenders. Using

booking photos for a large sample of convicted

offenders, he investigates the impact that defen-

dant skin tone—and other physical qualities like attractiveness, visible

scars and tattoos—exert on sentence severity in criminal courts. This

research sheds new light on racial disparities in the justice system and

on social inequities in punishment that are tied to physical appearance.

One of the most consistent findings in crimi-

nology is that gender is strongly predictive of

criminal participation; males are significantly

more likely to participate in most types of crime

than are females, including corporate offending.

SALLY SIMPSON extends this research to assess

whether gender and race diversity in corporate

boards of directors and top management lowers the risk of corporate

malfeasance and whether, when companies are caught for illegal activ-

ities and are subject to negative publicity, they respond by diversifying

their boards and top management teams. This research is of practical

urgency given the extensive financial and other costs borne by crime

victims and society as a whole, and will lead to a better understanding

of successful ways to prevent and deter corporate crime.

Why do Hispanics living in newer settlement

areas experience higher risks of violent victim-

ization than those living in traditional settlement

areas? MIN XIE examines how differences in the

labor market, marriage market and other com-

munity institutions between new and traditional

settlement areas are related to Hispanics’ risk of

violent victimization. To do this, she relies on restricted-use data from

the National Crime Victimization Survey at the United States Census

Bureau Headquarters to collect information on geographic variation

in crime. This research will lead to a better understanding of what the

local community can do to help prevent violent victimization.

go.umd.edu/CCJSPeople

Research in Action >>

Our faculty, students, partners and alumni focus

their work in five main areas:

» Crime and Justice Decision Making

» Crime Control and Prevention

» Juvenile Delinquency

» Life-Course Criminology

» Violence

go.umd.edu/CCJSResearch

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