Northeast Ohio Undergraduate Sociology Symposium

On Saturday, April 8, 2016, The College of Wooster will host the 4th annual Northeast Ohio Undergraduate Sociology Symposium from 7:30am-5:00pm in Wooster, OH.  Over 70 Colleges and Universities have been invited to participate.

If you wish to present at the symposium, your abstract must be submitted online before January 20, 2017.  If you wish to just attend, or if you plan on presenting, you must register online before March 13, 2017 online.

For more information about the event, or to register and submit an abstract, please visit their website here.

Criminal Justice Students Learn Through Hands on Approach

Students in Criminal Investigation have begun their multi-step crime scene project by processing a mock crime scene. 

Dylan Shockey (left) takes notes as Mike Gentile (right)
 photographs the scene.

This is the second year for the project and Dr. Marc Hedrick, the professor of this course, and the one who developed this project last year, feels this project has both practical and academic applications.  

"Practically, students learn that it is necessary to thoroughly document crime scenes in order to aid in the investigation of the crime.  This documentation can also serve as the basis for formal reports that can be used in court if a case goes to trial. 

Academically, students applied the concepts of inductive and deductive reasoning.  And, like in any investigation (academic or otherwise) an investigator must be able to reason properly and spot common fallacies in reasoning so that they do not make mistakes that lead them to the wrong conclusions.  While the investigation is not yet complete, students will later interview witnesses and interrogate suspects, processes during which they must continue to apply the principles of logic with lengthening fact patterns." 

Students documented the crime scene through notes about what they observed, as well as through photographs and measurements.  Students then used these notes, photos, and measurements to create a to-scale sketch of the crime scene.   

Be sure to check back later for the next phase of the project when the students interview witnesses and interrogate suspects!

Criminal Justice Club Hosts Guest Speakers

Nicolle Valentine and Tim Batdorf

On Thursday, October 20th, the Criminal Justice Club hosted 2 speakers.  Nicolle Valentine and Tim Batdorf, both from ThreeC Counseling, spoke regarding bridging the gap between criminal justice and psychology.

Tim, owner of ThreeC Counseling in Mansfield, Ohio, bridges the gap through his methods of drug and alcohol counseling.  They follow a stricter approach of counseling which holds their clients accountable for their actions.  In order to do this, ThreeC counseling must maintain relations with various probation officers, parole officers, judges, and other criminal justice professionals.  This link between the counselors and the criminal justice professionals helps aid in an individual's recovery and helps them stay in line with their legal responsibilities.    

Dr. Marc Hedrick, Professor of Criminal Justice, shared his insights to the benefits of hearing from these guest speakers:

If you are a criminal justice major and not sure what you want to do with your degree, drug and alcohol counseling in relation to the criminal justice system might be an area you want to explore.  For this type of counseling you do not need a psychology degree, but you do have to get trained and certified.  

In fact, several students are doing field experience with ThreeC Counseling and even considering getting their certification.  This may be an option for some of you, as well.  

Thank you, Tim and Nicolle, for sharing your time and insights with the club!

AU Criminal Justice Club Tours Indian River Juvenile Correctional Facility

On Monday, October 17th, the Ashland University Criminal Justice club toured Indian River Juvenile Correctional Facility in Massillon, OH.

IRJCF is an American Correctional Association accredited facility that serves all male youth, and provides a variety of services and treatment to youth including a fully accredited high school, behavioral health services, unit management, medical and dental care, recreation, religious services, community service opportunities and reentry services.

The club members not only toured the facility, but also spoke to the correction officers, chaplain, gang investigator, assistant principal to the school, teachers, and many more workers within the facility.

We spoke to freshman criminal justice major, Dominique Ciehanoski, who had to say this about the tour:

"Going on this trip made me realize that there is more than just the few careers I had in mind.  I decided to major in Criminal Justice because I wanted to be a prosecutor for a long time.  Since majoring in this, I've changed my mind several times.  I love all the options in Criminal Justice.  This was beneficial because the gang investigation and corrections was very interesting to me.  Seeing it hands on in person was very special"

 Rachel Kleman, who is also a Criminal Justice major, shared her insights gained through the tour.

"Visiting Indian River gave me a glimpse of what a career in corrections would be like.  Not only did they give us a tour of the cells and living quarters, but they took us behind the scenes and told us all the different types of careers you are able to have within the facility.  Corrections is a tough field to go into and many don't last throughout the program, but the challenge is what is the most interesting to me.  I also think the trip really put into perspective what a juvenile detention center is really like, unlike the shows you see on TV.  Overall hearing the stories from different workers was really interesting, giving us an example of what really goes on during day to day activity."   

For more information about our Criminal Justice program, and what it has to offer, please visit our website here.