Investigating the criminal justice program with Dr. Richard Gee

March 9, 2018

Finlandia Fridays dove into the criminal justice program this week with Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Dr. Richard Gee. “The criminal justice program at Finlandia is unique in that we we don’t do any of the stuff that you would get at a police academy or a corrections academy. Instead, what we do is focus on a skill set that is useful for a broad range of careers after graduation.”

Students in the criminal justice program will take a variety of different courses including statistics, to be able to read and use data in the field, as well as criminological and psychological theory to understand why crime happens. Dr. Gee mentioned that the program is based in social justice, which encourages students to breakdown arguments, separating the emotional and stereotypical biases to the merits of the argument.

For the students interested in becoming police officers, the criminal justice program at FinnU is beneficial due to the variety of topics to be discussed. Dr. Gee used an example with his crime and inequality class,“having a discussion on inequality, in relation to criminal activity, makes a better police officer,” he said. “Having someone who can set aside bias, set aside stereotypes, and again focus on the merits, instead of preconceived ideas is what makes a better police officer.”

Criminal Justice Study Abroad opportunities

One of the many benefits of the criminal justice program are the study abroad opportunities. One of the opportunities includes a comparative justice course, where students will look at the criminal justice systems in several other countries, and then travel to those countries to experience the systems firsthand. This year students will visit Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the United Kingdom. The other opportunity is a semester exchange. Students get to go to the United Kingdom and take classes at Sheffield Hallam University.

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