FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DCC JUSTICE PROGRAM OFFER 3 SHORT-TERM SPECIALIZATIONS

Members of Danville Community College’s Administration of Justice Curriculum Advisory Committee gathered recently for an advisory committee meeting at the Green Rock Correctional Center located in Pittsylvania County. Shown, left to right, are: (front row) Jesse Tate, Special Agent of the ABC Board; Gary Goodson, Pittsylvania County’s Chief Deputy; Jeffry Dillman, Warden, Green Rock Correctional Center; John Wilt, Associate Professor of Administration of Justice; Alton Blackstock, Blue Ridge Regional Jail in Lynchburg; Philip Broadfoot, Danville Chief of Police; and Jim Dooley, Sheriff City of Danville. (back row)  Douglas Morrison, Chief Probation and Parole Officer; Alan Wells, Virginia State Police First Sergeant; D.J. “Jeff” Oakes, Halifax County Sherriff; and Frank Mardavich, Director of Danville’s Adult Detention Center.

DANVILLE, VA, August 20, 2007 – Danville Community College’s training programs in law enforcement, corrections and protective services come just in time as more jobs in these fields are available both locally and nationally.

 DCC offers three specializations in its Administration of Justice programs - Law Enforcement, Corrections and Protective Services. The programs lead to an Associate of Applied Science Degree, which requires two years of full-time study, or to a Certificate, which takes one year to complete.

 John Wilt, Associate Professor of Administration of Justice, says these specializations offer opportunities for career-oriented students who are interested in working in the field or for professionals who are seeking promotion in their field. Wilt is especially pleased with the options.

“The Certificate programs take classes from their associate degree program counterparts but are packaged differently,” says Wilt. “Each program requires 44-48 credits. These classes are short term and doable for people to become law enforcement, correctional and protective service professionals or for people who already work in the fields to pursue more education and promotion.”

With increased job opportunities, such as those at the new Green Rock Correctional Center in Pittsylvania County, the new Certificate programs are right on time according to Wilt. He adds the prison currently holds up to 300 inmates, but is expected to expand its population to approximately 1,000 inmates by next year. This means Green Rock Correctional Center will be an employer constantly in search of qualified employees, Wilt says.

 During a recent tour of the Green Rock Correctional Center facilities, Wilt and the members of the Administration of Justice Advisory Committee met Warden Jeffrey Dillman and discussed employment opportunities at the center.

Wilt says openings at Green Rock and at other facilities and governmental entities mean that DCC graduates have opportunities for employment. Wilt explains that the programs allow students to have a concentration of coursework in his or her chosen field, thereby matching student interests with career choices.

“The associate degree program is a more intense program, containing 67-69 required credits which may take up to two years for a full-time student to complete,” Wilt notes. “The new certificate programs consist of fewer credits and may take a shorter amount of time to complete.” He adds that the associate degree program coursework is transferable to a four-year college or university Administration of Justice program contingent on the academic credit transfer policies of those colleges.

Wilt says students may receive additional credits for on the job training classes. For example, students who have attended police academy can receive credit for up to four classes. Therefore, the students will only have to complete 33 of the 45 credits needed to earn the Certificate in Law Enforcement. Depending on training, currently employed correctional officers may receive credit for up to three classes, 9 credits. This means they are only responsible to complete 35 credits to earn a Certificate in Corrections. Furthermore, state certified private security officers will receive credit for one class, meaning they are responsible for only 41 of the 44 credits required to earn a Certificate in Protective Services.

Yet, Wilt hopes students who successfully complete one of the Administration of Justice certificate programs will continue to move forward and work toward an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Administration of Justice.

“These (Certificates) are considered feeder programs to the associate degrees,” says Wilt. “I hope more people will be encouraged to pursue their associate degrees in administration of justice.”

Opportunities abound for graduates of these programs. Wilt says students who complete the Law Enforcement Certificate may find employment in civilian or military areas, such as Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), Air Force Security Forces, Deputy Sheriff, Military Police, Military Intelligence, Police Officer or as a Virginia State Trooper. Students who earn Protective Services Certificates may work as dispatchers, loss prevention managers, security supervisors and body guards. Finally, students who complete the Corrections Certificate may seek employment as commercial and industrial security officers, correctional officers, insurance investigators, jail deputies and youth care workers.

“People in these fields have the power of life and death in their hands.” Wilt explains. “They need to be able to keep themselves out of trouble in the workplace. That’s where the value of an education, along with the training, becomes invaluable to the employer. It is up to the employers to encourage their employees to seek a well-rounded education.”

Consequently, seeking a higher education can result in higher pay and promotions, says Wilt. He notes on the correctional pay scale, the salary difference between a correctional officer with only a high school diploma and a correctional officer with a college education is at least $5,000. Also, he says police officers receive a five percent pay raise for each 30 college credits they earn. This increase continues to grow until the police officer has reached a maximum of a 10 percent pay raise with 60 credits or more.

Wilt also acknowledges that there are certain prerequisites that must be met for employment in administration of justice. These include: excellent physical and mental health, normal range hearing and color vision, weight proportional to height, excellent moral character, no conviction of any crime involving moral turpitude or conviction of any felony, or an excessive number of traffic citations, and most importantly, U.S. citizenship.

Registration for Fall Semester classes is being conducted now. For more information about DCC’s Administration of Justice Program, contact John Wilt at 434.797.8468; toll free at 1.800.560.4291, ext. 8568; or click here.