CJ In the Know

This summer, Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice (SHSU-COCJ) professor and FBI National Academy (FBINA) graduate Jay O. Coons joined the barbecue cook team for the FBINA 298th Session’s “Texas Night,” connecting with current and former students from SHSU’s Master of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management program — two of whom are FBINA 298 th  Session classmates and one an FBINA graduate. “Coons knows the true meaning of being a mentor and walking the walk,” said Lino Garcia, an SHSU and FBINA graduate. “He didn’t just show up, but he knew exactly which class I had with him and was interested in how the academy was going. It was refreshing to see someone who genuinely shared an interest in their students' ongoing journey and development.” With leaders in policing from across the United States and the world attending the FBINA, the Texas contingent prepares “Texas Night” to celebrate and embrace the state’s unique culture. The menu...

The Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice (SHSU-COCJ) has joined Diplomacy Lab , a public-private partnership with the United States (U.S.) Department of State that engages academic expertise to address real-world foreign policy challenges and inform policymaking. Through this collaboration, students participate in experiential learning by working in teams to develop research solutions for projects proposed by the State Department. During the semester, students interact directly with federal officials to contribute to the policy process and explore careers in diplomacy. Laura Iesue, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology For the college’s inaugural Diplomacy Lab project, graduate students in Laura Iesue’s Perspectives in Criminology course are working with the Diplomatic Security Service in Brazil. Their project, titled “From Classrooms to Criminal Organizations: Investigating the Link Between Primary Schooling and Gang Activity,” analyzes data to ...

This summer, nine students from the Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice (SHSU-COCJ) embarked on an immersive three-week study abroad program led by criminal justice professor John Navarro. The experience began in Texas, where students spent a week exploring the state's correctional system before traveling to Finland, where they visited prison museums, universities, government institutions and historic landmarks. “I actually didn’t know that SHSU offered a criminal justice study-abroad program like this,” said student Ash Du Fief. “Navarro came to one of my classes to talk about it. He just made it sound really cool and exciting and I thought it seemed like something I’d want to do - so I applied.” Before continuing their journey across the globe, students observed the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s (TDCJ) Huntsville, Wynne, Estelle and Byrd Units, engaging with staff and gaining an inside look at how the facilities operate. To reflect on the history ...

  Roxana Martinez Brownsville, Texas Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice While working full-time as an emergency communications operator for the Brownsville Police Department and raising her 6-year-old daughter, Roxana Martinez earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in forensic science from Sam Houston State University (SHSU), completing the program in her hometown of Brownsville, Texas. “From a very young age, I have been keen on law enforcement shows, true crime TV and documentaries,” said Martinez. “This is how I discovered a true love for criminal justice and decided I needed to make it a career for myself.” Drawn to SHSU for its various degree offerings and renowned forensic science department, the summer graduate was thrilled to become a Bearkat through the unique transfer pathway offered in Brownsville. While the program made it possible for Martinez to finish her degree without leaving home, doing so required careful time management as she balanced ...

This past June, Sam Houston State University (SHSU) criminal justice doctoral students, Kelly Martinez and Zoe Hayes, attended a two-week international summer program covering transnational crime and justice. The program was hosted in Vienna, Austria, by the Alliance of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) on Crime Prevention and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UN-ODC) . “When I saw this opportunity come up, I knew I wanted to apply,” said Hayes. “It’s a grad school bucket list item to be able to study abroad since it’s not something that you think you’ll get the opportunity to do, especially not at the UN.” The program involved attending the 35 th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice , connecting with UN leadership, participating in round table discussions with fellow doctoral students and engaging in learning sessions and presentations focusing on SHERLOC (Sharing Electronic Resources and Laws on Crime), the UN’s case law management...

For the third consecutive year, a Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice (SHSU-COCJ) alum has received the E.R. Cass Correctional Achievement Award from the American Correctional Association, the highest honor bestowed upon a corrections professional in the United States. This year’s recipient, retired Lt. Col. Peter Grande (’91), was recognized at the 156th Congress of Correction in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in late July. “I am truly humbled and honored to receive the E.R. Cass Correctional Achievement Award,” said Grande. “As I reflect on previous recipients of this award, the giants in the field of corrections, I am grateful to just follow in their footsteps.” Grande pursued a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice and Criminology as an active-duty captain in the United States Army Military Police Corps. He was the 69 th military police officer to graduate from SHSU with a master’s degree. “In addition to my graduate classes, the criminal justice center offered a ...

Braell Dotson, a computer science student at Sam Houston State University’s College of Science and Engineering Technology (SHSU-COSET), developed a new centralization plugin for Gephi , an open-source software program utilized by organizations such as the Institute for Homeland Security, the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Institute of Texas and the Center of Intelligence and Crime Analysis. “Nate Jones came to me with the idea. The plug-in seemed like a great opportunity to learn, so I thought I should take on the challenge,” said Dotson. “It also was a chance to solve a problem, which is always worth doing.” Commonly referred to as the “Photoshop for graph data,” Gephi allows users to feed in large amounts of data and then interact with it through visualizations, manipulating structures, shapes and colors to reveal hidden patterns. However, the software lacks centralization metrics, which are some of the most crucial measures in social network analysis for examining dark networks. ...