Spring 2022
Spring “Cans for Credit” Nets Donations to Local Food Bank
May 5, 2022
Criminal Justice students once again participated in Cans for Credit to benefit the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina! Cans for Credit is coordinated by the three department student organizations each semester (Alpha Phi Sigma, the Criminal Justice Student Organization, and the Mock Trial Association) and faculty members who participate offer nominal extra credit for canned food donations. Pictured are Dr. Steven Brewer (advisor for Alpha Phi Sigma) and Mr. Chad Jordan (advisor for the Criminal Justice Student Organization).
Additional Bilateral Agreements Signed with Area Community Colleges
The department finalized bilateral agreements with Edgecombe Community College, Halifax Community College, and Pitt Community College in April. Bilateral agreements allow students who complete the A.A.S. in Criminal Justice Technology at the named community college to transfer seamlessly into the Criminal Justice BS program. Previous agreements with Beaufort Community College and Sampson Community College were signed in 2021, and more agreements are under development for 2023. For more information, refer to the department’s transfer information page.
EC Scholar Pursues Dual Passions in Science and Criminal Justice
May 2, 2022
Dymon Blango is graduating a year early with dual degrees in biology and chemistry and a minor in forensic science. As an EC Scholar at ECU, she discovered that forensic science – a blend of science and criminal justice – was the perfect fit for her. Her internship with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation further cemented her interest in forensics. After graduation, Blango plans to pursue her master’s in criminal justice at ECU while working at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist as an autopsy assistant/brain bank technician. Read more about her story here!
Part-Time Faculty Member Honored by Servire Society
May 2, 2022
Mr. Bob Stagg, part-time instructor for the department, was honored by the ECU Servire Society for over 100 hours of volunteer/community service. ECU’s motto is Servire – “To Serve” – and the Servire Society recognizes those who have provided substantial volunteer service to the larger community external to the university. Mr. Stagg, who is full-time faculty at Wake Tech Community College, teaches the Security Systems course at ECU on a part-time basis. His service hours include positions on the Wake County Fire Commission, National Fire Protection Association committees, and the Community Drug Overdose Prevention Coalition of Wake County.
New Criminal Justice BS/Criminal Justice MS Accelerated Degree Program Available
May 2, 2022
Our new Criminal Justice BS/Criminal Justice MS accelerated degree program will be available starting Fall 2023! The accelerated program is designed to allow students interested in graduate school to begin taking graduate level courses as part of their undergraduate coursework. Students can double-count up to 12 semester hours (s.h.) of graduate level course work toward both their BSCJ and the MSCJ. Get more information on program requirements from the undergraduate catalog.
Dr. Sara Bryson Earns Department Faculty Excellence Award
April 27, 2022
Dr. Sara Bryson received the Chair’s Award for Faculty Excellence at the end of the 21-22 academic year. Awarded annually, the award recognizes a commitment to teamwork and department success. Recipients are committed to excellence in three primary aspects of tenure-line department life: teaching, research, and service. Congratulations, Dr. Bryson!
Mock Trial Association Students Participate in Mock Trial
April 21, 2022
Mock Trial Association (MTA) students participated in the annual Mock Trial on April 21. Judge Mario Perez presided, and students had an opportunity to simulate a real trial. The MTA is open to any ECU student interested in learning about the law and legal professions. Activities include monthly meetings, attending court proceedings, touring law schools, hosting guest speakers, and participating in mock trial activities. MTA is advised by Mrs. Heather Douglas and Dr. Michelle Malkin.
Criminal Justice Alumnus Inducted Into the 2022 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society
April 13, 2022
Fernando Frye earned his Criminal Justice BS in December 2019 and his Criminal Justice MS in May 2022. While earning his master’s degree, he was one of three former East Carolina student-athletes, to earn membership into the 2022 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society. While completing his undergraduate degree, Frye made both the Honor Roll and Dean’s List. Additionally, he was a multi-year selection to the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team and recognized as a recipient of the 2020 University Scholar-Athlete Award from the NFF’s Bill Dooley Chapter and as a member of CoSIDA’s First-Team Academic All-District Team in 2021. Read the full story about Frye’s accomplishments here. (https://ecupirates.com/news/2022/4/13/football-three-pirates-in-hampshire-honor-society.aspx)
Criminal Procedure Students Visit the Pitt County Detention Center
April 12, 2022
Undergraduate students in Dr. Michelle Malkin’s Criminal Procedure course had the opportunity to visit the Pitt County Detention Center during their spring semester. Tours of correctional facilities such as the PCDC are one way to expose students to a real-world correctional environment and correct misperceptions about jails and prisons and those who are incarcerated or work there.
Undergraduate Student Presents at Research Creative Achievement Week
April 8, 2022
Undergraduate Criminal Justice student Phillip Lewis received an RCAW award and presented his research on “The Efficacy of Teen Court as a Diversion Program on Recidivism, School Climate, and Suspensions” at Research Creative Achievement Week. Working with Dr. Sara Bryson, Lewis utilized a data set from Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) that contained information on an experimental trial of schools across North Carolina that used a school-based teen court initiative over three years.
Department Hosts Second Speaker for Social Justice in Criminal Justice Series
April 7, 2022
The department hosted its second Social Justice in Criminal Justice speaker on April 7. Dr. Gregg Barak, Emeritus Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Eastern Michigan University provided a presentation titled “Beyond Criminal Justice Reformation: Social Injustice, The Crimes of the Powerful, and the Harms of Institutional Corruption.” Barak received his bachelors, masters, and doctorate from the Berkeley School of Criminology at the University of California and was a former Visiting Distinguished Professor in the College of Justice & Safety at Eastern Kentucky University, and a 2017 Fulbright Scholar in residence at the School of Law at Pontificia Universidade Catholica do Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brasil.
Department Hosts 11th Annual Criminal Justice Career Fair
March 24, 2022
The department was thrilled to be back in person for our annual Criminal Justice Career Fair! Over 40 federal, state, and local agencies, private businesses, and law schools participated, and over 400 students attended. The Career Fair is provided at no cost to participants and students and provides a key opportunity for students at ECU and surrounding community colleges to learn about internship and career opportunities. The 2023 Career Fair will be held in March as part of Criminal Justice month. Check out our Career Fair page for more information! We will announce the 2023 date in the fall.
Dr. Malkin Quoted in Article About Gambling Addiction
March 23, 2022
Dr. Michelle Malkin was quoted in a recent article “A Tale of Two Gambling Addicts.” Resources for problem gambling addition are limited and, to date, only one gambling diversion court exists in the United States. Dr. Malkin is currently collecting data from the Clark County, Nevada court as one of her many projects on problem gambling and its link to other crimes.
Dr. Malkin Selected for the ECU Alternative Textbook Program
March 22, 2022
Dr. Michelle Malkin was selected to participate in the Alternative Textbook Program for the 2022-2023 academic year. Funded by ECU Libraries, the Alternative Textbook Program aims to reduce textbook costs for students through the use of lower-cost alternatives like open textbooks, library subscription materials, and other free materials.
Criminal Justice BS Alumnus is “40 Under Forty” Leadership Recipient
March 11, 2022
Sarah Quinn Brickels, who earned two bachelor of science degrees (Criminal Justice and Family and Community Services) in 2015, is one of ECU’s 2022 “40 Under Forty” Leadership Awardees. Brickels currently serves as the development director for the Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington (GLOW), an all-girls public charter school. Learn more about Brickels path to a “40 Under Forty” award here! (https://thcas.ecu.edu/2022/03/11/alumni-profile-sarah-brickels/)
Department Faculty Selected for Summer 2022 Faculty Success Program
March 9, 2022
Drs. Steven Brewer and Michelle Malkin have been selected by Dean Allison Danell for the Summer 2022 Faculty Success Program (FSP). One of the flagship programs of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD), FSP is a nationally recognized virtual, intensive professional development program designed to enhance productivity through coaching and peer support. Harriot College covers all costs for participation in the program, an almost $5,000 investment per faculty member. Harriot College previously supported Dr. Scott Walfield for the Summer 2021 session of FSP, and Dr. Sara Bryson for the Spring 2022 session of FSP.
Department Faculty Complete Spring 2022 Writing Across the Curriculum Academy
March 4, 2022
Drs. Sara Bryson (pictured left) and Michelle Malkin (pictured second to left) recently completed the 6-week Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Academy. WAC is an institute designed to develop a community of writing instructors via targeted opportunities to discuss writing studies scholarship and other topics related to writing instruction and collaboration and feedback on projects involving writing. Instructors who complete WAC can redesign their approaches to teaching writing for maximum instructional effectiveness and meaning. Drs. Bryson and Malkin join a growing number of criminal justice faculty who have completed both WAC and Advanced WAC academies.
Dr. Bonner Publishes New Research Examining Mental Health Programming for Law Enforcement Officers
March 1, 2022
Dr. Heidi Bonner, Associate Professor and Chair, has published two recent manuscripts on mental health programming for law enforcement officers. Mental Health Programming in Law Enforcement: A First Look at Trends and Perceptions of Effectiveness (with Dr. Allison Crowe, Associate Professor and Interim Chair in the Department of Interdisciplinary Professions in the College of Education) was published in the Journal of Crime and Justice. Using a stratified random sample of police departments and Sheriff’s offices across the United States, they explored the types of mental wellness programming available, the perceived effectiveness of such programs, and the similarities and differences by agency type. Using qualitative data from the same project, Crowe, Bonner, Dr. Paige Averett (School of Social Work, NC State University), and Cheyenne Franks (ECU MSCJ alum) published “Let them know it’s okay to get help”: Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Police Officers in Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. The resulting themes included wellness initiatives, counseling, and the role of the overall agency culture to provide access to support and for reducing the stigma for police seeking services for mental health. Both articles highlight the need for program and policy changes within law enforcement agencies aimed at addressing officer mental health and wellness.
Department Hosts First Speaker for Social Justice in Criminal Justice
February 24, 2022
The department hosted its first Social Justice in Criminal Justice speaker on February 24. Dr. Stan Andrisse, the author of From Prison Cells to PhD: It is Never too Late to Do Good, spoke about his experience with an arrest at 14, his journey to earning a PhD, and his subsequent appointment at Howard College of Medicine. Dr. Andrisse is the founder of From Prison Cells to PhD (P2P). P2P is dedicated to providing mentoring and educational counseling to currently and formerly incarcerated men and women. Pictured with Dr. Andrisse are some of the members of the Social Justice Committee, Drs. Michele Malkin, Heidi Bonner, Michele Stacey, and Sara Bryson.
Dr. Jones Secures Two Book Contracts with Cognella
February 15, 2022
Dr. Mark Jones has two book contracts with Cognella Publishing, A History of the United States through High-Profile Assassinations and Assassinations Throughout US History: The Events and Their Contemporary Implications. We look forward to celebrating the release of these books in the next couple of years!
Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Nationally Ranked
January 25, 2022
The department’s online graduate program in criminal justice remains the top-ranked program in North Carolina according to the US News & World Report. The 2022 rankings also place our program in the top 25% of schools recognized nationwide (21st out of 85 schools). See the full story on the ECU website and consider if our program is right for you! Application deadlines are May 15 and October 15.
Dr. Anderson Publishes New Research Examining Police Violence Against Black Protestors
January 21, 2022
Dr. James Anderson, with colleagues Tazinski P. Lee (Grambling State University), Adam H. Langsam (Northeastern State University), and Kelly Reinsmith-Jones (ECU School of Social Work) recently published “Police Violence Against Black Protesters: A Public Health Issue” in the International Journal of Social Science Studies. The article explores reasons why law enforcement officers inflict violence against black protestors and avoid criminal punishment and examines the implications for public health.