December 19, 2019
The National Criminal Justice Month (NCJM) Committee of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) has named the BMCC Criminal Justice Program (of the BMCC Social Sciences, Human Services and Criminal Justice Department) as recipient of the 2019 Program of the Year Award. BMCC’s application for the award highlighted opportunities for students during National Criminal Justice Month, March 2019. National Criminal Justice Month, established by Congress in 2009, promotes social awareness of the causes and consequences of crime, and strategies to prevent and respond to crime.
Events included the panel and workshop, Criminal Justice Careers in the Courts, (coordinated by Drs. Shirley Leyro and Shenique S. Davis) which presented speakers from the Brooklyn Defender Services, New York Supreme Court and others. In addition, criminal justice majors attended the Eastern Sociological Society in Boston where Leanna Feliciano was the first BMCC CRJ major to present a research poster at the conference, entitled, “Exploring the Effects of the School-to-Prison Pipeline,” with mentorship and guidance from Dr. Shenique S. Davis. The Criminal Justice program also screened the acclaimed documentary, Beyond the Wall: After Incarceration, There’s Life.
Due to the collaborative efforts of the BMCC Criminal Justice Program faculty, more than 200 students participated in these events, an opportunity for learning as well as networking and activism in the criminal justice field. “Many of our events are supported through grant funding, but all are performed in the service of our students and the greater college community,” wrote BMCC Professor Jason Ostrowe in the nomination of the program. Criminal Justice Program Coordinator, Dr. Michelle Ronda, said, “we’re excited by this honor and recognition of the outstanding events organized for students by the dedicated faculty.” The award will be conferred on March 27 at the 2020 ACJS Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.
