The future of criminal justice is not in homicides or robberies, but rather in white collar and international organized crime.  The New York Times reported earlier this week,  that the FBI does not have enough agents to investigate and file for prosecution of all the white collar crime they are encountering.  They are in need of more agents, especially with the recent economic crisis. 

This week in Maryland,  at the Economic Crime Conference  ,  the featured speaker

Alice Fisher, former assistant attorney general, criminal division, U.S. Department of Justice stated, "international organized crime provides support to terrorists targeting the U.S. Motivated by power and money, the groups use various methods of economic crime and fraud to garner funds". 

Therefore students looking for the future jobs in criminal justice should have a strong foundation in the working function and process of the criminal justice system with a bachelors degree, and then advance their education with an Executive Masters in Economic Crime Management from Utica College, the only college in the country with the Economic Crime Institute. 

Whether you want to work for the FBI, or big business and degree complimented in both criminal justice and economic crime management would put you ahead of all other applicants for any career. 

Rose Pogatshnik, CJ instructor at Rasmussen – St. Cloud, has coordinated a tour of MCF – St. Cloud.  This facility, often called the "Granite Palace" is a historical site, built in 1889, and is home to the second longest continuous wall, only second to the Great Wall of China.  It houses approximately 1000 inmates and is the intake processing center for the state of Minnesota .  It is a level 4 custody facility.  It also houses juveniles who have been adjudicated as adults. The daily inmate report provides detailed information about the inmates currently housed there.  

The tour is scheduled for Thursday, November 20^th at 9:30am.  A prerequisite to attend the tour is to currently be enrolled in Introduction to Corrections or have successfully completed it.  A background check will be run on all attendees.  You may not attend if you are currently on an inmate visitors list or are currently on probation for ANY offense.  The tour will involve significant amounts of walking and climbing/descending stairs so attendees must be physically able. 

Space is limited so contact Rose at rose.pogatshnik@rasmussen.edu by November 5^th to reserve your spot.  Include your full name, date of birth and driver's license number for the background check.  Transportation will be the responsibility of the student.  Please email Rose with any questions you may have!

When you work in the criminal justice system, do you know what it is like to be a "client" in the criminal justice system?  Should you know what it is like to be processed through the very system you work in?  Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran will be walking as an inmate through the Lake County Jail this week.  He will participate in jail activities not as the Sheriff, but as a "client".  What is the expression,  "you never know what it is like for someone else until you walk in another person shoes"?  Therefore, if you work with client offenders in the jail everyday, shouldn't you know what it is like to walk in their shoes through the criminal justice system?  The best way to learn the real perspective, and how systems and processed really work is to experience them yourself. Whether you are looking for a new job, or going to school for a new career, you should spend an hour, a day, a week doing that job.  Fieldwork and job shadowing should be a major part of your job hunt or education. 

On Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 5:30 p.m. Tim Hansen, Restorative Justice Planner for the Minnesota Department of Corrections, will speak to the criminal justice students on the Eagan campus. I invite all studen