Carrying out research in criminology and helping local, state, federal and international communities with criminal justice-related policy decisions are the goals of the new Penn State Justice Center for Research. A joint venture of the College of the Liberal Arts and Penn State Outreach's Justice and Safety Institute (JASI), the center debuted Sept. 1.

Dr. John McCarthy, head of the Department of Sociology and Crime, Law and Justice, where the center is housed, said his vision for the center is to make Penn State "even more widely known nationally, internationally and to people in the Commonwealth for its basic and applied research in criminology."

Dr. Doris Layton MacKenzie, formerly professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of Maryland, has been appointed the Justice Center's founding research director.

A criminal justice expert whose research focuses on corrections and correctional policy, MacKenzie said the center will seek grants to fund research and will collaborate with faculty and students University-wide, as well as work closely with the Justice and Safety Institute. "JASI has wonderful contacts with people who can help us identify the critical issues where research and theory can help policy makers," said MacKenzie. "I want to bridge research and community to help decision makers."

Doris Layton MacKenzie, new Justice Center director, in China to present research at a conference

Jennifer Allison, a Columbia County deputy sheriff, enters the courtroom and proceeds to outline her case against a defendant for allegedly passing a stopped school bus—with flashing lights—that was dropping off children.

The defendant counters—citing several technical issues, including the citation's listed location for the violation, which the defendant said is not clear. She argues that several roads in the area have similar names.

Magisterial District Judge Carmine W. Prestia Jr., Borough of State College, agrees with the defendant, acknowledging, "This is a difficult and complex section of law." Case dismissed.

"I'm really not disappointed," Allison admitted. "I just went in there and tried my best and learned things to do the next time." The 25-year-old from Bloomsburg said the mock hearings "will make me better able to do my job." That's the point of mock hearing day for Pennsylvania deputy sheriffs participating in state-mandated training at Penn State's Deputy Sheriff Basic Training Academy, delivered by the Justice and Safety Institute (JASI), a unit of Outreach.

The day in court is the latest new element in the training academy, which JASI has been offering since 2000. The academy was created in response to a state Supreme Court ruling expanding deputy sheriffs' law enforcement responsibilities. Since then, the academy has trained nearly 1,600 deputies in partnership with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) and PCCD's Deputy Sheriffs' Education and Training Board.

It is one of many law enforcement training programs offered by Penn State. As a partner with law enforcement and government organizations nationwide, JASI has provided training programs to more than 750 municipal, county, state and federal agencies since 1971. JASI also provides services to law enforcement internationally and in May 2010, with Canadian law enforcement, will host in Baltimore an international executive-level conference on policing.

The deputy sheriff training focuses on authenticity, with training scenarios featuring instructors in the role of suspects and the trainees in the role of deputies. Traffic stops, abuse protection orders and building searches are among some of the scenarios.

The Real World

"The closer we can get to reality, the better the training," said Matt Simmonds, lead instructor for defensive tactics. "[The 19-week program] allows deputy sheriffs to apply what they are learning and make mistakes in a safe environment before they get out in the real world, where mistakes can have serious consequences," added Bob Stonis, academy director.

On the last day of training, deputies present their cases before Magisterial District Judges, just as they will on the job. "They've done the physical work of making the arrest. Now they have to be able to document and present their cases," explained academy instructor Dominic Pelino, who is also a Dauphin County Magisterial District Judge.

Recent academy graduate Keith Homer, Franklin County deputy sheriff, appreciated his experience. "The level of academy instructors is top notch."

Another recent addition to JASI training is a program for police leaders in Allegheny County. Since 2008, JASI has partnered with the Allegheny County Police Training Academy to train police leaders in the county's more than 120 police agencies, as well as other police agencies in western Pennsylvania.

This fall, JASI is offering four programs at the Allegheny County academy, including two Police Executive Development programs that focus on risk management, problem solving, policy development, leadership and ethics. Police Supervisor In-Service Training emphasizes the tools first-line supervisors need to manage police teams, while another program focuses on guiding police leaders in the concepts of personnel promotion, merit raises, retention and termination.

David McIntyre, deputy director of the Allegheny County Police Training Academy, said, "While few things remain constant these days, the excellent quality of the instruction from the Penn State Justice and Safety Institute has been one. … The institute has been providing outstanding and essential training for supervisors and training officers through its courses."