News

“A report issued today by a group of experts led by a Rutgers University corrections policy expert sets forth new best practice guidelines for how New Jersey’s agencies work with halfway houses, including the push for accountability and a rewards model based on performance.

The report, “Halfway from Prison to the Community: From Current Practice to Best Practice,” includes 11 recommendations, the result of three roundtable discussions held at Rutgers by 19 educators, advocates, policymakers and corrections practitioners between August and November 2012.

“When states contract out for such services, they should make absolutely clear what they expect those services to be and how they expect them to..."

To read the full article published in Rutgers Today, click here.

At this year’s commencement ceremony, 16 Criminal Justice graduates received the prestigious Albert Roberts Scholar Award. Each year this award is given to graduates who have demonstrated uncommon achievement in the Criminal Justice major. Students who receive this award must complete a minimum GPA of 3.8 in the major. This award remembers longtime faculty member Al Roberts, a scholar of victimology and social work, who had exemplary commitment to undergraduate education.

This year’s recipients are: Kristine Arandela, Lucas Biebelberg, Jill Colban, Brian De Jesus, Evan Hackler, Jordan Henry, Jasmine Love, Jason Montalvo, Megan Moran, Jessica Saad, Kaitlin Savarese, Paige Schilling, Henri Schraeder, Edward Sulca, Marilyn Tenpenny, and Chelsea Wait.

Albert R. Roberts died on June 23, 2008. Dr. Roberts taught in the Program in Criminal Justice in the School of Arts and Sciences.

Albert R. Roberts, Ph.D., Rutgers Professor and author was born in the Bronx, N.Y., and lived in Kendall Park for the past 19 years. He received his B.S. degree in sociology from C.W. Post College, his M.A. degree in sociology from Long Island University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, School of Social Work.

Roberts was a college professor for 35 years, and for the past 19 years taught criminal justice and social work courses at Rutgers University. Earlier in his career, he taught in the School of Social Work at Indiana University in Indianapolis, the University of New Haven, Brooklyn College, and New York Institute of Technology. Roberts has more than 250 scholarly publications, including 38 books, and was the Editor-in-Chief of the highly acclaimed "Social Worker's Desk Reference," published by Oxford University Press. Until his death, he was the Editor-in-Chief of two professional journals: "Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention" and "Victims and Offenders." He was also the editor of three book series: the Springer Series on Social Work, the Springer Series on Family Violence, and the Greenwood/Praeger Series on Social and Psychological Issues.

Professor Roberts was the recipient of many awards for his teaching and his scholarly publications. He was a Fellow of the American Orthopsychiatric Association and a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the Council on Social Work Education, and the National Association of Social Workers.

Son of the late Harry and Evelyn Roberts, and brother of the late William Roberts, he is survived by his wife of 36 years, Beverly Schenkman Roberts; a son, Herbert Seth Roberts; a niece and nephew, Evelyn Roberts Levine and Harrison Roberts; four grandnieces; and a sister-in-law, Carole Roberts.

Special Requests: Memorial contributions may be offered to:
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
2141 Rosecrans Ave,
El Segundo, CA 90245
(www.pancan.org).

The Criminal Justice Organization extends our sincere appreciation to all who generously donated toys and volunteered their time for our recent community engagement event supporting children facing adversity. Over 200 toys were collected and thoughtfully wrapped by more than 30 dedicated volunteers. We wish to thank Suydam St. Reformed Church, our community partner for this worthwhile cause.