Observations and Reflections on the Evolution of Crime-Related Higher Education

The 1970s marks one of the most significant decades in the evolution of crime-related higher education in America. The Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) and its Office of Criminal Justice Education and Training (OCJET) played an integral and important part in the development of the field during that period. The story of OCJET, however, is not well known or documented in the literature. This article concerns the influence that OCJET had in addressing important issues of quality and relevance as the field of crime-related studies found its place in academia. * Thanks are due to Chris J. Bayer, copyeditor, who assisted with the preparation and submission of this article.