Thanks to America’s criminal justice system, people who commit crimes are sent to jail.
Taylor students may be going to jail, but not because of their crimes.
Students can tour a maximum security prison, given they choose certain electives, in the university’s new criminal justice minor, a program equipping students of all majors to represent Christ in the workforce.
The minor is 21 credits. It requires criminal justice courses, an elective Sociology course, and an elective Psychology course. Some of the sociology electives are courses that offer the prison tours mentioned.
Taylor’s new minor is pioneered by Jeff Wallace, former Chief of Police at Taylor, who teaches Introduction to Criminal Justice. Wallace is excited to use his extensive experience to prepare Taylor students to stand for justice.
“I'd like to think that experientially, I can add a lot to the course, as opposed to textbooks,” Wallace said. “I want to be able to add some real-life stuff too.”
The retired officer sees the Introduction to Criminal Justice course as a way to equip the next generation.
Forging the criminal justice minor was a team effort, Wallace said.
“I work with some amazing faculty and administrators that have been so supportive and have really driven it,” Wallace said. “I'm so thankful for that, because they're amazing people who have amazing hearts doing amazing work, and I get to call them colleagues. So that's beautiful.”
These colleagues fueling the criminal justice program believe in Christ-centered justice. They see criminal justice as an opportunity to represent Christ by loving people at their worst.
“What better area to have Christians trained is there right now...especially with the way things went in 2020,” Max Lambert, a junior in the criminal justice minor, said.
Lambert believes Christians in the police force can show God’s love to the world. He mentioned officers celebrating birthday parties and spending time with lonely kids as an example.
Lambert is an example of students who minor in criminal justice but major in a different field. Lambert, majoring in communications, sees criminal justice as valuable to any career.
Wallace hopes the program prepares Taylor students, going into law enforcement or not, to represent Christ in a broken world.
“It's not just criminal justice for a bunch of people that want to be cops,” Wallace said. “It's criminal justice for a bunch of people that want to do and fulfill the Lord's will in their life.”
Michael Jessup, a professor of sociology, helps monitor the program and teaches an elective for the minor. He said part of what makes this minor so helpful is its broad study scope.
“One of the unique things about this program is it builds on the strengths of not just criminal justice–there's also some psychology and sociology in the program,” Jessup said. Well-rounded law enforcers are needed, he said. He sees a large market in criminal justice education.
He said this demand for criminal justice education enables graduates entering the justice field to succeed rapidly. In Jessup’s experience, students quickly find jobs they’re interested in.
Wallace hopes the numbers increase as students see the opportunities the criminal justice minor brings to all majors.
“There's a lot of talk about it, so I'd hope that it builds momentum,” he said.
The criminal justice faculty aspire to one day make criminal justice a major or offer it as an online course, Wallace said.
“Criminal justice is not just wearing a badge,” he said. “It is, first and foremost, caring about people, and that’s how it should be.”
