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Home > Sociology > NEWS | |
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DANA COLLEGE ADDS PROGRESSIVE CRIMINAL JUSTICE MAJORProgram to focus on community-based
and restorative Dana College in Blair, Neb., will make a major change to its academic programs by adding a new criminal justice major this fall. Dana has long offered criminal justice courses through the sociology department, but the faculty and administration felt the demand was great enough to add a full-fledged major and approved the change earlier this year. Although the addition of the major is a response to increased interest from students, Dana is not merely responding to trends. Instead, the major was designed to place Dana as a leader in the future of Nebraska and America's judicial systems. "The criminal justice major at Dana College will emphasize restorative justice and community-based corrections," said Richard Potter, associate professor of social work and chairman of the social work and sociology Department. "The program will articulate the perspective that issues of violence, crime, prejudice and fear are best addressed within communities that are acting upon principles of reconciliation and rehabilitation." This restorative approach to criminal justice fits well with Dana's traditional strength in teaching social work and the Lutheran mission of the college, Potter said. Rather than teaching the "lock them up and throw away the key" system presented at most colleges, Dana will produce criminal justice graduates who can see the big picture and help prevent crime rather than just react to it. Potter said he expects Dana criminal justice graduates will be highly sought after for job openings. Well-rounded thinkers are ideal for positions in smaller communities, where many Dana students come from and return to after graduation. In these communities one or just a few people may be responsible for all aspects of the judicial system from arrest to parole, and must have the knowledge necessary in all these areas. The changes are coming at just the right time for sociology junior Damien Dempsay. Dempsay has always known he wanted to go into corrections as a career, but his years at Dana have convinced him that what he wants most is to help get kids out of the justice system before they get too far in. Dempsay felt a degree in sociology would help him prepare more for a career as a juvenile probation officer than a standard criminal justice degree. But during his internship at the Omaha Correctional Center last summer, he found out the pressure was on to hire people with criminal justice degrees. "Some people didn't even understand what sociology really was," he said. "So now I'll probably switch to criminal justice or stay an extra year and double major." More information on Dana College can be found at www.dana.edu. — END — For more information contact: Sarah Cavanah Richard Potter |
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