The need for Evaluation of Criminal Justice Education

Abstract

Criminal justice education programs, the majority of which have enjoyed growth and development in the past decade, are now faced with the prospect of evaluation and assessment. Pressure to engage in self-examination will come from the accreditation standards suggested by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and the requirements of each separate institution for all programs to justify their existence. To aid in this process, preliminary assessment should begin now in order to determine the intellectual character of the student group and to prepare some evidence that criminal justice education has achieved its objectives.