Gary LaFree: Six reasons why stopping terrorism is so challenging

Gary LaFree, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Director of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland, recently published an article in The Conversation about six reasons why stopping terrorism is so challenging.

CCJS at Maryland Day April 2017!

There was a great turnout and warm, sunny weather at the CCJS tent at this year’s Maryland Day! Graduate student research and Students Ending Slavery were featured. Take a look at the full article to see a few pictures!

Michael Becker wins the HoTSoS Best Poster Award

The presented poster outlines a set of preliminary analyses of the relationship between guardianship on a target system and repeated access of trespassers on these systems. As a part of a broader partnership between Dr. David Maimon and Dr. Michel Cukier to investigate cyber offending using honeypot computers, data were collected from a randomized control trial of target computers deployed on the Internet network of a large U.S. university. The analyses discussed in this poster examined whether the number and type of computer users (i.e. administrative vs. non-administrative) simulated on each system reduced "recidivism" by trespassers on targeted systems.

Recent Washington Post Article by Laub and Rosenfeld Urges Trump Administration to Not Cut Science from Crime Policy

Co-authors, John Laub of the University of Maryland and Richard Rosenfeld of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, along with 25 former presidents of the American Society of Criminology have drafted a letter to the president and the attorney general entitled "Keep Science in the Department of Justice."  They hoped that politics don’t intrude on the science-based approach that the National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics has fostered in recent years.

CCJS Mourns the Loss of Ray Paternoster

I am sad to inform members of the university and alumni that Ray Paternoster passed away on Sunday.  As you all know, Ray was one of “the founding members” of the Department that Charles Wellford assembled in the early 1980s and a major reason for the continued high quality of the program since that time. 

James Lynch Awarded Grant From Research Network on Misdemeanor Justice

Department Chair James Lynch, has been awarded a three-year grant from the nationwide Research Network on Misdemeanor Justice to conduct studies in partnership with the Prince George’s County’s Departments of Corrections and Police. The two-part research project will examine patterns and trends in misdemeanor offense enforcement in the county, in addition to studying the county’s pre-trial detention population. More information can be found at: https://bsos.umd.edu/feature/ccjs-project-examine-law

John Laub Embarking on a New Research Project on Young Adults in the Justice System

With the support of the William T. Grant Foundation, Professor John Laub is starting a new three-year project with Vincent Schiraldi, a Senior Research Fellow directing the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management (PCJ) at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). This project involves the creation of Learning Community for Young Adults in the Justice System. There are increasing discussions taking place across the country regarding the current response to young adults in the justice system. Several states and local jurisdictions are considering alternative policies and practices towards this special group.

Summer 2017 CCJS Study Abroad – Thailand & Cambodia

Interested in exploring a different culture? Want to learn more about human trafficking? Participate in a UMD Education Abroad short program this summer! Travel to Thailand and Cambodia, earn three CCJS credits, and participate in a life-changing experience. 

The trip will include travel across Thailand and into Cambodia. Participate in service learning, NGO visits, and cultural activities such as bathing elephants, cooking class, and city tours!

Shady Grove CCJS Students Participate in Poverty and Crime Research Group

The Poverty and Crime Research Group is a group of four students (2 from UMD's CCJS program and 2 from UMBC's Social Work program) who conducted a qualitative study on the relationship between crime and poverty in Montgomery County, in coordination with the Montgomery County Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission (CJCC). Leaders from all Montgomery County (and some state) agencies engaged in our criminal justice system were present at the presentation of preliminary findings to the CJCC.