Correctional and Juvenile Justice Studies
Center for Criminal Justice Education & Research (CCJER)
As a unit within the Department of Correctional and Juvenile Justice Studies, the Center for Criminal Justice Education & Research (CCJER) is designed to further the overall mission of the Department, College, and University.
The CCJER provides education, training, research, and consultation services for public and private organizations in the justice and safety field as well as for university administrators, faculty, staff, and students. Administrative and support services are provided to funding-based projects within the college, including the location of grant opportunities and assistance with research proposals.
Additionally, the CCJER views part of its mission as supporting the development of individuals who desire a concentration of study in the areas of research methodology, statistics, quantitative and qualitative computer data analysis, and computer data management.
To carry out these goals, the CCJER provides individual support services to prospective consumers and producers of research regardless of the individual's level of research expertise.
Consultation and instructional support services are offered in the areas of research design, instrument development, data collection and management, statistical analysis, and interpretation and dissemination of findings. Additional instructional support services are offered in general computer literacy and specific computer software applications.
Center Activities
CCJER evaluation research services include
- Research Proposal Development
- Research Design
- Instrument Development
- Data Collection and Management
- Statistical Analysis
- Interpretation, Application and Dissemination of Findings
- Program Development and Evaluation
The CCJER has as its scholarly focus the creation and execution of correctional and juvenile services research projects. Much of the CCJER's research involves accountability studies, determining the extent: 1) to which a program has been implemented correctly, 2) is reaching its intended targets, 3) is having the desired effects, and 4) to which funds are being expended properly.
The CCJER provides a training program to those who have completed an internship in the organization. These interns can then become qualified to serve as consultants on projects within the CCJER and can serve as Research Assistants.
The CCJER offers training seminars on specific research related to computer applications (e.g., SPSS)
Center Facilities
The CCJER maintains a research computer laboratory equipped with computers containing the latest software applications used to perform both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. CCJER research tools include software and hardware such as:
- SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) Software
- Base and Advanced Statistics (to analyze quantitative date)
- Tables (to automatically generate reports)
- MapInfo (geocoding software for mapping)
- Data Entry (to create web-based surveys for the Internet)
- Smartviewer Web Server (view survey results over the Internet)
- Amos (structural equation modeling)
- The Ethnograph Software (to analyze qualitative data)
- Scantron E-Listen & Pulse Survey Software (to create scannable surveys)
- Scantron High Speed Scanners (to read scannable surveys)
For more information about Center facilities, contact: Dr. James B. Wells, Department of Correctional and Juvenile Justice Studies, Stratton 105, Richmond, KY 40475-3131. 859.622.1155
