The Missing Issue in the Presidential Campaign
If crime is not an issue in the presidential campaign, it ought to be. According to a national survey conducted by John Jay College, voters ranked crime evenly with health care and the economy. Fifty three percent of the 1,000 registered voters surveyed last October and November considered crime a very serious problem. “If you’ve watched the presidential debates over the past few months, you would be hard pressed to hear a discourse on crime. You hear a lot about security and terrorism – incredibly important issues, to be sure – but not about crime,” said President Jeremy Travis who also noted that, “this poll indicates that candidates need to discuss crime – its causes and potential ways to address it because voters are ready to listen.” The poll, conducted for the College’s Center on Media, Crime and Justice by Global Strategy Group, also looked at a number of related issues such as press coverage of crime, the extent to which voters believe that illegal immigrants are involved in crime, as well as perceptions of school violence and juvenile crime. The poll was made possible through a grant from the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation and the Open Society Institute. The OSI recently awarded the Center a $500,000 two-year grant to enhance and augment its programs for students, budding and mid-career journalists, and ethnic and community media editors and reporters. For more about the poll, click here.

Excellence in Criminal Justice Reporting Awards
The 2007 winners of the Excellence in Criminal Justice Reporting Awards were Gary Fields of the Wall Street Journal for his individual article, “Tilted Scales,” which examined the separate and unequal justice for one million Native Americans living on reservations. Susan Green and Miles Moffeit of the Denver Post won for their four-part series, “Trashing the Truth,” which showed how authorities undermine justice by discarding and destroying criminal evidence. Each winner received a $1,000 prize presented by President Jeremy Travis and Joyce Purnick of The New York Times at the third annual Harry Frank Guggenheim Symposium. The annual symposium brings together journalists, practitioners and academicians for the purpose of improving criminal justice reporting.

The Spring Lineup for Continuing Education
With more than 60 courses from which to select, those interested in honing their criminal justice credentials, developing new skills or just having a good time should look no further than John Jay’s program for continuing education. Among the numerous areas to choose are:

Alumni receive a 10 percent discount. For more information about registration, go to www.jjay.cuny.edu/CE or come to one of the open houses on Monday, January 14; Wednesday, February 6 or Thursday, February 21 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

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"Taking Advantage"
Dov Horwitz wanted his graduate experience to be different from his undergraduate one when he went to school full-time and worked full-time. “I felt I missed out on all that college had to offer so I promised myself that I would be more involved when I went to graduate school.” And involved he is. As president of the College’s International Emergency Managers Student Association, he organized a guest lecture series and career fair that brought out more than 200 students and alumni. He is also the graduate representative on the Student Council and an ambulance volunteer with the Central Park Medical Unit on weekends. He grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, went to high school in Baltimore, Maryland and then attended Providence College in Rhode Island. “John Jay was at the back of my mind even then. I was looking in the areas of public safety and emergency management and John Jay’s Master’s in Public Administration looked good.” The program has exceeded his expectations, he says, not only for the quality of instruction, but also for the interaction with students who are also practitioners. And, he found his recent internship as a criminal investigator with the Legal Aid Society particularly rewarding. So far his experience has been “amazing.” “I’m a rural kind-of-guy, so I knew there would be an adjustment coming to New York City. But I became active here at the College and have made many good friends. I wanted to take advantage of everything. And I did.” He expects to receive his master’s degree in May 2008.