CJ In the Know

Visitors to the Texas Prison Museum this month have an opportunity to experience a limited-time exhibit created by Sam Houston State University’s College of Criminal Justice (SHSU CJ) graduate students. The exhibit features memorials honoring murder victims with a focus not on how they died, but how they lived.  “It’s about who they were as people,” SHSU Department of Victim Studies Chair Shelly Clevenger said. “Because often when we talk about murders portrayed in the media, it’s about how they died, not how they lived.” The memorials were created as an assignment in Clevenger’s Murder and Victimization class, an Academic Community Engagement (ACE) course. Students were instructed their installment must feature someone from Texas and could be from any point in time, recent or historical. “When I first learned about the assignment, I was not sure where to begin or how to approach it,” said Jason Palmi, an SHSU CJ graduate student. “I wanted to be respectful of the victim and be abl...

Derlic and Kokkalera at ACJS meeting in Chicago Stuti Kokkalera has been recognized for her work with students by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). The Sam Houston State University (SHSU) College of Criminal Justice assistant professor has received the 2024 ACJS Outstanding Mentor Award. “To receive this recognition was unexpected,” Kokkalera said. “I was really surprised because it’s early in my career. I’m grateful to my colleagues, collaborators and especially students.” The ACJS Outstanding Mentor Award recognizes educators who have made a significant contribution to the professional development of criminal justice graduate and doctoral students and junior faculty members. To be considered, nomination letters are submitted on behalf of the faculty member. Kokkalera was nominated by Dragana Derlic, program coordinator of criminal justice and criminology at Kentucky Wesleyan College. The two met through a professional mentorship program and have been collaborating ...

Kristina Block, a Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice (SHSU CJ) doctoral student, was named the 2023 recipient of the Rolf Loeber Student Innovation Award by the American Society of Criminology’s (ASC) Division of Biopsychosocial Criminology. The accolade recognizes an exceptional paper written by a current graduate student in the biopsychosocial criminology field. Block won the award for her paper, “Head injury, sleep disturbance, and delinquent offending: Evidence from a longitudinal sample of juvenile detainees.”   “Winning this award reflects my passion for research,” Block said. “I’ve grown a lot since I started the SHSU CJ doctoral program in 2020. This award reflects that and gives me the confidence to keep moving forward.”  Eric Connolly, Block’s faculty mentor and SHSU CJ Undergraduate Programs Director, says the recognition is well-earned, pointing out that her work not only advances research but could also impact policy in the legal system....

Sam Houston State University is partnering with Florida International University (FIU) and Texas A&M University (TAMU) in Phase II of the nation’s only forensic science Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC). The Center for Advanced Research in Forensic Science (CARFS) brings together top academic forensic science researchers to develop solutions to industry partners’ top needs. The CARFS Phase II award is a five-year endeavor with intended funding of $4.25 million. “Under the center leadership at FIU, we are really excited to be partnering on Phase II of CARFS,” Sarah Kerrigan, CARFS SHSU site director and SHSU Institute for Forensic Research, Training and Innovation (IFRTI) director said. “The National Science Foundation’s IUCRC program offers unique benefits to industry, universities and government by providing industry with access to talent, promoting unique opportunities for our students, leveraging research dollars while encouraging networking and collaborat...

Doug Dretke, executive director of Sam Houston State University’s Correctional Management Institute of Texas (CMIT), has been named a recipient of the 2024 E. R. Cass Correctional Achievement Award by the American Correctional Association. The recognition honors the most dedicated corrections professionals and is considered the highest accolade in the industry. Dretke follows in the footsteps of George J. Beto , who received the award in 1972 . “I am so deeply honored and humbled by this recognition,” Dretke said. “I am rarely at a loss for words, but I find it difficult to fully convey the level of emotion I feel with this honor.” While Dretke is honored by the award, he shares this award with his CMIT colleagues and the SHSU community. Without their support, the outstanding work that he and his peers produce would not be possible.  Phillip Lyons, SHSU College of Criminal Justice dean, says the honor is well deserved. “Doug’s contributions to the criminal justice field of correcti...

What began as an assignment for Shelly Clevenger’s seminar in victimology course transformed into an exhibit in the Houston Toy Museum. The exhibit showcased how toys and play help people cope with trauma and was displayed in October in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Inspiration for the collaboration came to Clevenger, chair of the Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice's (SHSU CJ) Department of Victim Studies, after observing a display on foster children at the museum. She knew that students in her course, which is an Academic Community Engagement (ACE) course, would benefit from working with the museum to create a unique display. “In the past, I’ve talked about play therapy in my classes,” Clevenger said. “I reached out to the toy museum and asked if they would be open to having a display for information about how toys and play help people cope with trauma.” Houston Toy Museum Director Sara Broussard says she was thrilled to collaborate with C...

Fifty years ago, Sam Houston State University passed an important milestone in its history. In 1973, the SHSU College of Criminal Justice, originally the SHSU Institute of Contemporary Corrections, conferred the university’s first two doctoral degrees to R. Paul McCauley and Ronald Waldron. To mark the occasion, we asked McCauley to share some memories about his experience at SHSU and his career post-graduation. From left, George Killinger, Randall McCauley, Ronald Waldron an Elliot Bowers chat after McCauley and Waldron's dissertations were approved T@S: Why SHSU and the College of Criminal Justice? RPM: Being married and having just received a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Eastern Kentucky University, I was looking for employment. I had done well in my graduate work and the dean asked me if I was up to a doctoral program. Me, a doctor? After my wife, Gail, and I talked it over and considering that I was a former Marine I had access to the GI Bill and additional feder...

Three Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice undergraduate students, Avery Brinegar, Daniel Rodriguez and Jaritzy Ochoa, spent their summer conducting research alongside Stuti Kokkalera, an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology . The research project, “Representing Victims in Parole Hearings: A Mixed Methods Evaluation on Victim Impact,” was made possible by funding from a Faculty And Student Team (FAST) Grant received from the SHSU Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) through the Enhancing Undergraduate Research Experiences and Creative Activities (EURECA) Center. When asked to participate, all three students jumped at the opportunity. “The moment I reached out to them, they said yes,” Dr. Stuti Kokkalera said. Brinegar saw the opportunity as a chance to build on her resume while still earning her undergraduate degree. “I am graduating this December,” Brinegar said. “I decided that I needed to get some extra things to b...

Sam Houston State University’s College of Criminal Justice (SHSU CJ) online master’s program is ranked No. 3 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in their best online rankings for 2024. This is the ninth year the program ranked among the nation’s top programs. Additionally, SHSU CJ was ranked No. 2 for best online master’s in criminal justice program for veterans. “I am honored our online master’s programs are recognized by this highly regarded publication,” Phillip Lyons, SHSU College of Criminal Justice dean said. “Every day, we work tirelessly to provide a relevant and rigorous education for all our students. For our online scholars, we pride ourselves in delivering our quality programs beyond the walls of our institution to serve not only students, but their communities as well.” A leading authority in educational rankings, U.S. News & World Report evaluated criteria including faculty credentials and training, services and technologies, engagement and peer assessment t...

Randy Garner, SHSU College of Criminal Justice associate dean, executive director of the Criminal Justice Center and professor, rang in 2024 embarking on an eight-day quest to reach the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. “This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and I am pleased to have been successful,” Garner said. “Very few people have the opportunity to experience this climb and only about half that begin the trek successfully summit.” At 19,341 feet above sea level, Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest free-standing mountain in the world and often called the “Roof of Africa.” Weather and altitude make the climb difficult, taxing even the most experienced of hikers. Many who attempt this trek experience altitude sickness after only a few days. While Garner fortunately did not experience any illness, only 80 percent of his group successfully made it to the summit. “The weather ramped up the difficulty factor,” Garner said. “As you get to higher elevations...