CJ In the Know

Victoria Rivera Laugalis and Matthew Caines Two Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice (SHSU CJ) doctoral students participated in the latest cohort of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences' (ACJS) Doctoral Summit. Matthew Caines and Victoria Rivera Laugalis received a scholarship to join PhD students from across the country attending the ACJS 2024 annual meeting in March. To qualify, Caines and Laugalis had to maintain at least a 3.5 grade point average, be of advanced doctoral student standing and demonstrate they are rising leaders in the field through their nomination and application materials. Jason Ingram, assistant chair and graduate program director for the SHSU Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology says it’s an honor for the students to be selected and the accolades are well deserved. “Matthew and Victoria's academic and leadership achievements here at SHSU made them great candidates for participating in the summit,” Ingram said. “We are g...

OCIEL Team (Left to Right): Doug Dretke, Patricia Macias-Fisher, Dr. Bitna Kim The Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice (SHSU CJ) announces the launch of the Office of Comparative and International Education and Leadership (OCIEL). Working closely with SHSU’s Global Engagement Center , OCIEL will provide support and resources for international students to ensure they are successful during their time at SHSU. OCIEL will also serve SHSU CJ faculty as a resource in the development and delivery of study abroad programs and increase the number of course options for students.  “Our university global engagement center does tremendous work with our international students,” OCIEL Director Doug Dretke said. “At our college level, we provide additional support and resources to our international students studying criminal justice. We’ll be the first stop for them and answer their questions and try to help them handle challenges they might face.” Joining Dretke is a team of ...

As she neared the end of her time at Sam Houston State University, one College of Criminal Justice (SHSU CJ) doctoral student was able to see her work recognized in a way that few can boast. Kristina Block’s work quoted in the New York Times in an article focused on the tragic events that unfolded during a Superbowl celebratory parade in Kansas City, Kansas earlier this year. “I was surprised,” Block said. “I didn’t know it would be highlighted in the New York Times and am happy my work could have a real-world impact.” Block’s work featured in the article is a snapshot of what she studied during her time at SHSU. However, she didn’t envision this as her career path when beginning her college journey. “I was originally a physics major when I started college,” Block said. “It quickly became clear that physics wasn’t the right fit for me. After shopping around a bit, I realized I was fascinated in criminology and psychology and wanted to learn more about the factors related to criminal be...