Criminal Justice at South Hills School of Business & Technology

Criminal Justice

Two-Year Associate in Specialized Business (ASB) Degree Program
Available at the State College Main Campus
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The Criminal Justice program at South Hills will launch you on a career in the field of justice—from law enforcement to corrections to advocacy. The program is designed to be very hands-on, combining theory with practice and application. The CJ program provides students with an understanding of the criminal justice system and the socio-economic factors that impact the field. As a South Hills Criminal Justice student, you will learn investigative techniques, basic security skills, and the criminal legal process/procedures for the Pennsylvania court system, as well as the basics of criminal and family law. Students even receive training to earn Oleoresin Capsicum Aerosol Training (OCAT - pepper spray) and Practical and Tactical Handcuffing (PATH) certifications.

Our Criminal Justice graduates are working in careers as local and state Law Enforcement Officers and Deputies, Juvenile Justice Center Professionals, Corrections Officers, Private Security Guards, Loss Prevention Managers, and Victim Advocates.

 
 

Successful students in this program will be ethical, hard working, willing and eager to learn, and believe in the criminal justice system and the law.


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Program Info Sheet

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Complete Course List

Criminal Justice Course List

Criminal Justice Course List for 2019-20

This program information appears in the 2019-20 school catalog. Click here for all course descriptions.
TermCourse #Course NameCreditsClock Hours  
First TermGE183Business English 1460
LE119Family Law for CJ2.536
CJ123Introduction to Criminal Justice560
CJ125Introduction to Law Enforcement4.548
GE213Oral Business Communications224
PD110Professional Development224
CJ128Sociology for CJ448
First Term Totals:24300
Second TermLE118American Constitutional Law4.548
GE180Applied Psychology336
GE184Business English II460
LE120Intro to the Law of Torts336
CJ122Introduction to Corrections560
CP283Microsoft Office460
Second Term Totals:23.5300
Third TermCJ225Criminal Investigations336
CJ227Criminology560
CJ124Introduction to Criminal Law560
GE181Introduction to Statistics for CJ336
CJ126Introduction to Victimology4.560
CJ232Terrorism & Homeland Security336
Third Term Totals:23.5288
Fourth TermCJ119An Introduction to the PA Criminal Justice Handbook336
CD104Career Development I224
CJ224Criminal Evidence336
CJ226Criminal Procedures560
CJ120Forensic Science336
CJ127Rehabilitation of the Offender336
GE182Writing for CJ4.560
Fourth Term Totals:23.5288
Fifth TermCD105Career Development II224
CJ233Criminal Justice Capstone Project460
CJ234Criminal Procedures II336
* Elective336
CJ229Emergency Procedures224
GE178Human Relations in the Workplace2.536
CJ121Human Rights Issues in Criminal Justice336
CJ230Juvenile Delinquency4.560
Fifth Term Totals:24312
Fifth Term Elective Choices* CJ228Drugs, Crime and Criminal Justice336
* CJ231Media and Criminal Justice336
Sixth TermCD106Career Preparation0.510
CJ236Criminal Justice Internship11330
CJ235Specialized Certifications for CJ2.536
Sixth Term Totals:14376
CJ PROGRAM TOTAL CREDITSCJ PROGRAM TOTAL HOURS
132.5 Credits1,864 Clock Hours

Careers in Criminal Justice

With two years of hands-on training and strong skillsets, our Criminal Justice graduates are prepared for a variety of career options, including:

  • Local Law Enforcement Officer
  • Corrections Officer
  • Juvenile Justice Center Official
  • Loss Prevention Specialist
  • Private Security Guard
  • Sheriff’s Deputy
  • State Law Enforcement Officer
  • Victim Advocate

Each student completes a summer-long internship before graduation, providing real world experience. We have placed interns at locations including:

  • Centre County Correctional Facility
  • Centre County Sherrif’s Office
  • Clearfield County District Attorney’s Office
  • Clinton County Correctional Facility
  • Huntingdon County Emergency Management Agency
  • Lewistown Borough Police Department
  • State Correctional Institution at Houtzdale
  • State Correctional Institution at Rockview
  • State College Police Department
  • Tiadaghton Valley Regional Police
  • Trough Creek Forestry Camp

South Hills Criminal Justice graduates are well-trained and in demand for their knowledge and work ethics. Some of the many locations employing our graduates include:

  • Abuse Network
  • Centre County Sheriff’s Office
  • Centre County Correctional Facility
  • Central Counties Youth Center
  • Centre County Youth Service Bureau/Stormbreak
  • Clearfield County Prison
  • Clinton County Correctional Facility
  • Elk County Prison
  • Payton and Associates
  • Pennsylvania State Police
  • State Correctional Institution at Rockview
  • St. Moritz Security Services

Meet the Faculty

Jennifer Stover

Program Coordinator / Instructor
State College Main Campus

Jennifer's Biography
Jennifer Stover has been a Criminal Justice instructor since 2008 and currently serves as the Coordinator of the Criminal Justice program. She is an advisor to the second-year Criminal Justice students and is the advisor for the Community Outreach & Public Service (C.O.P.S.) Club at South Hills. Jennifer is certified as an instructor in Practical and Tactical Handcuffing (PATH) and Oleo Capsicum Aerosol Training (OCAT).

Jennifer is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. She began her employment in the criminal justice field working with the Lycoming County District Attorney’s Office and the Lycoming County Drug Task Force before becoming an Investigator for the Inspector General’s Office. During her years of employment, Jennifer loved the criminal justice field which led her to decide to share her passion through teaching. She then earned her Master’s Degree in Education before joining the South Hills team.

John McCullough

Adjunct Instructor
State College Main Campus

John's Biography
John McCullough has been an instructor in the Criminal Justice program since 2008. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from Ursinus College and a Master’s degree in Social Service from Bryn Mawr College School of Social Work.

He has worked in two federal and four state prisons in the following positions: Social Worker, Director of a drug program, Director of Treatment, Deputy Superintendent (Camp Hill and Rockview), Superintendent (Houtzdale), Supervising Superintendent (Houtzdale, Huntingdon, Smithfield, and Cresson), and Deputy Secretary for the Western Region of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. He also taught part-time at Penn State in the Administration of Justice program.

Sarah Stoltz

Adjunct Instructor
State College Main Campus

Sarah's Biography
Sarah Stoltz has been an instructor at the South Hills State College campus since 2011. She teaches legal courses in the Criminal Justice and Business Administration programs, as well as English courses in various programs.

Sarah graduated magna cum laude from Mount Aloysius College in 2005. She then earned her Juris Doctor in 2009 from Penn State, The Dickinson School of Law.

Before joining South Hills, Sarah served as a law clerk to the Honorable Pamela A. Ruest at the Centre County Court of Common Pleas. In addition to teaching, Sarah continues to practice law as a part-time Student Legal Services attorney at Penn State.

Louis Lombardi

Instructor
State College Main Campus

Lou's Biography
Lou Lombardi has been an instructor teaching at South Hills since 2010.

Prior to teaching at South Hills, Mr. Lombardi taught criminal justice courses at Penn Highlands Community College. Mr. Lombardi is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University graduating with a B.S. degree in the Administration of Justice. Upon graduating from Penn State, Mr. Lombardi joined the New York City Police Department where he spent twenty years in the agency and rose to the rank of Police Captain. While in the NYPD, Mr. Lombardi attended law school and graduated cum laude from Brooklyn Law School. He currently is licensed to practice law in three states – New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Program Advisory Committee

State College Main Campus
Member NameJob TitleCompany
Tina Baronio Loss Prevention Supervisor Kohls Department Store
Josh Brown Corrections Officer SCI Rockview
Dana Droll Assistant Administrator Central Counties Youth Center
Catie Harpster Centre House Case Manager Housing Transitions
Adam Salyards Community Relations & Crime Prevention Specialist State College Police Department
Brandon Wheeler Corrections Officer SCI Benner
Joseph Yedlosky Corrections Officer Centre County Correctional Facility

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Kari Lynn Schlegel

March 4, 1992—December 15, 2016

Kari Schlegel was born in March 1992 and graduated from South Hills in September 2012.

The Kari Lynn Schlegel Memorial Gallery is named in memory of Kari Schlegel, a lifelong Bellefonte resident and 2012 graduate of the Graphic Arts program at South Hills.

Kari was often the exclamation point in any story about the Class of 2012. Her effervescent good mood, enthusiasm, and seemingly endless supply of optimism and positive spirit was infusive, lighting up the classroom.

Kari (right) is shown with her beloved sister, Mindy.

Her classmates still laugh at the memory of Kari wearing her bunny slippers on the Graphic Arts field trip to New York City. Groan-worthy puns and jokes? Kari had a volume of them. She delighted in sharing stories and photos of her four beloved cats as well as trivia and tales of Harry Potter and Disney World. She was a rare combination of innocence, maturity, trust, and hope. She was filled with a joy of life and an unconditional love for her friends, her family, her pets… and people she just met. That was Kari Schlegel.

Kari dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow for the South Hills “BooFest” Halloween party in 2012.

She loved her school, even coming back to audit several GA classes after graduating. Kari also particularly enjoyed returning to South Hills every summer to perform as part of the Music Picnic Series with the Bellefonte Community Band.

Kari died December 15, 2016, in a tragic automobile accident. It’s a loss everyone who knew her still feels. In the end, Kari truly lived her life with passion and joy, treating others as she wanted to be treated: with love, compassion, and respect.