March is National Criminal Justice Month

Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences


February 16, 2011

March is National Criminal Justice Month

Greetings ACJS Members,

March was established as “National Criminal Justice Month” by the U.S. House of Representatives on March 4, 2009. ACJS played an integral role in generating the resolution that was ultimately passed by the House. Now, ACJS is encouraging all members to recognize and promote the month in attempt to promote societal awareness regarding the causes and consequences of crime, as well as strategies for preventing and responding to crime.

Shortly after the resolution passed the House, the ACJS Executive Board established an ad hoc committee to promote March as National Criminal Justice Month. Among other things, the committee assembled a list of means by which members can help promote the month, including:

• Hosting a student paper and/or poster contest in honor of the month;
• Selecting and recommending a criminal justice book for students to read in
recognition of the month, and hosting a discussion for students to share their thoughts;
• Reaching out to police departments, courts, corrections agencies, and other criminal justice-based agencies to encourage them to promote the month;
• Encouraging school-based criminal justice societies/organizations to host events
to promote the month;
• Distributing public service announcements that recognize March as National
Criminal Justice Month;
• Encouraging government leaders to recognize the month.

All ACJS members are also encouraged to join the Facebook fan page the committee created in recognition of National Criminal Justice Month (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=144688108878798), and all are invited to stop by the National Criminal Justice Month table in the Exhibit Hall at the ACJS Annual Meeting in Toronto. Members are also encouraged to learn more about National Criminal Justice Month and what can be done to spread awareness at www.acjs.org/cjmonth.cfm.

Thank you for your efforts in promoting the month, and please let any of the ad hoc committee members know if you have ideas or thoughts on how we can best spread awareness of March as National Criminal Justice Month.

Respectfully,


Chip Burns, Texas Christian University
Vidisha Barua, University of North Texas - Dallas
Charles Crawford, Western Michigan University
Marissa Levy, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey