SIU Carbondale Criminology & Criminal Justice

06/11/2026

Big shout out to PhD candidate Shannon Christensen and Peyton Ballington, MA, who assisted Deerfield Police Department in assessing and updating departmental job descriptions.

Commander Oliver Cachola visited SIU last month to acknowledge their hard work and visit with students, and Shannon presented recommendations to the Village Board last week.

Great work from our outstanding graduate students!

05/20/2026

05/11/2026

Congratulations to all of our 2026 Saluki CCJ graduates! We can't wait to see what's next!

Once a Saluki, always a Saluki - so be sure to stay in touch!

04/13/2026

Tremendous thank you to Pulaski County Jail and Lieutenant Womack for hosting SIU CCJ students last week, where they toured the facility, learned about working in the system, and learned some new skills. These opportunities give our students a lot of insight into the field!

04/01/2026

The School of Justice held its 2nd annual Egg Hunt today! Thank you to all who joined us and congratulations to those who found those special golden eggs!

03/13/2026

The annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences meeting in Philadelphia saw a meet-up of those with SIU connections: current faculty/staff, alums, and former faculty members.

From left to right:

-John Walsh (SIU BA and MA graduate; current chair of School of Criminal Justice at Ferris State University)

-David White (SIU PhD graduate; current associate professor of Criminal Justice at Ferris State University)

-Jason Ingram (SIU BA and MA graduate; current chair of Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Sam Houston State University)

-Joe Schafer (former SIU Criminology and Criminal Justice professor and department chair; current professor in School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University)

-Jeff Nowacki (former SIU Criminology and Criminal Justice professor; current associate professor of Sociology at Colorado State University)

-Matt Giblin (current director of SIU School of Justice and Public Safety)

-Breanne Pleggenkuhle (current professor and SIU Criminology and Criminal Justice director)

-Kaylee Yearian (current SIU office administrator)

-Bailey Saldana (SIU PhD graduate and current professor in Criminology at Avila University)

-Audrey Hickert (former SIU professor; current assistant professor of Criminal Justice at University of Cincinnati)

-Sujung Cho (current SIU associate professor)

-Haley Martinez (current SIU office support specialist)

The conference also saw SIU PhD graduates including Monica Summers (now at California State University-Fresno), Mike Toro-Alvarez (now at University of Scranton), and Lauretta Sam (now at Arizona State University).

It was great to see everyone and we look forward to crossing paths again soon!

02/28/2026

Criminology and Criminal Justice students, faculty, and staff took to the Student Center on Thursday 2/26 for a fun (and slightly competitive) few hours of bowling and pizza. Thank you to the undergraduate and graduate students who joined us for what is a highlight each semester. Look for additional fun events coming soon!

02/21/2026

The Criminology and Criminal Justice program was honored to award the Pravin Mathew Varughese Memorial Scholarship today to CCJ sophomore Ashlyn Polydor in a ceremony on the Carbondale campus. For the program, this is the most special award we can give. Program members (Sujung Cho, Matt Giblin, Raymund Narag, Breanne Pleggenkuhle, and Kaylee Yearian) collectively gathered with Lovely Varughese and the Varughese family and friends, local law enforcement, and campus administration to ensure Pravin’s legacy continues 12 years after his death.

Congratulations, Ashlyn!

02/18/2026

Congratulations to SIU Carbondale Criminology & Criminal Justice students, Alesia and Aden, on your new positions with the Carbondale Police Department. We wish you great success and safety.

Hey Carbondale,
Please help us welcome our newest Community Service Officers, Alesia and Aden to the team. Alesia and Aden (pictured below with Chief Copeland) will be assisting all divisions within the police department while they attend school.

The Community Service Officer (C.S.O.) is a non-sworn uniform position responsible for assisting both sworn and civilian departmental personnel in the performance of their duties. The C.S.O. is subject to assignments, shifts and duties according to the needs of the Department. Another objective of this position is to provide training and experience to the C.S.O. who wish to pursue a career in law enforcement. The C.S.O. will complete training to learn the operations of the Department demonstrate proficiency in multiple aspects of law enforcement and learn how to become a professional police officer. Once a candidate successfully completes the training curriculum, they have the opportunity to apply for the entry-level police officer position.

02/02/2026

The Criminology and Criminal Justice program's Breanne Pleggenkuhle, Matt Giblin, and Kaylee Yearian welcomed 17 prospective students and their parents/supporters to campus on Friday, January 30 for its Preview Day event. Guests were provided with information about the program, participated in a mock class, heard from students, and engaged in hands-on activities.

Some feedback from attendees:

"Had an amazing time and learned so much new information about SIU on a personal and academic level that I had never known. Also had a very fun time with all the interactive assignments."

"Super fun and very informational. The professors are so nice and the mock class was easily my favorite part!!! Super engaging and I feel like I already learned a lot!!"

"I found everything to be well taught and walked through, answered all the questions with honesty and without judgment. Had a good time."

Interested in SIU's Criminology and Criminal Justice program? Look for our next Preview Day in Fall 2026.