Date: June 13, 2007
Contact: Lindsay Gladstone
Governors State University
Phone: (708) 534-7090
Fax: (708) 534-8399
Email: l-gladstone@govst.edu
For Immediate Release
University Park, IL, June 13, 2007 - Caron Jacobson brings her understanding of the criminal justice system, her passion for justice, and her personal experiences to the classroom when she teaches Criminal Justice at Governors State University in University Park.
Jacobson recently moved to the south suburbs from Detroit to join the GSU faculty. She will teach several new classes as part of the university’s expanded restorative justice program. Jacobson will teach courses in the history of corrections and on female offenders.
“How we punish crimes in this country is grounded in the social and political context of the times so it is very important to study the history of corrections,” says Jacobson. “History helps us understand the reasons for many of the problems we face today in the prison system.”
Studying and understanding the reasons female offenders commit crimes and how they are punished is also very important to understanding today’s criminal justice system according to Jacobson.
“There has been very little research on female offenders, but it is very a very pressing issue. Currently, women are incarcerated at a higher rate than men. We need to understand why women commit crimes in order to understand what they need to effectively re-enter society after they have been in prison.”
Jacobson has studied criminal justice and worked in the field in various capacities. She is currently concluding work on her doctorate and previously was the executive director of a post-prison re-entry program for women in Michigan.
“Teaching at Governors State University gives me the chance to work with people dedicated to learning, research, and increasing the effectiveness of the criminal justice system.”
According to Dr. James Coldren, Academic Program Coordinator of the Criminal Justice Program and Co-Director of the Center for Law Enforcement Technology Collaboration at GSU, “The courses Caron Jacobson teaches offer our students important perspectives for understanding the criminal justice system. As we refine and expand our program, we provide students with the tools and background they need to succeed after graduation in whatever criminal justice or legal field they enter.”
For more information on the undergraduate and graduate programs in criminal justice and Jacobson’s courses, call 708-534-4010 or visit www.govst.edu/cas.
