UW-Stout's Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Rehabilitation prepares you to recognize the underlying factors that commonly lead to unlawful behavior, and focus on the rehabilitation of the offender, rather than punishment and incarceration. Our program's unique curriculum will help you develop the communication, critical thinking, decision making, interpersonal and social skills necessary to understand, analyze and apply ethical and legal standards to individual needs.
You can become a certified Wisconsin police officer while earning your degree — an opportunity that's unique, both regionally and nationally. A collaborative agreement with the nearby Chippewa Valley Technical College's Law Enforcement Academy meets the criteria of the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Bureau of Training and Standards and the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Standards Board. Credits from the CVTC academy apply to your Bachelor's degree.
Program Overview
You will be ready to meet the varied needs of offenders, such as mental health and substance abuse, and get them the treatment and resources needed to prevent re-offending. Our faculty of experienced criminal justice professionals will provide you with the education and training to:
- Analyze the nature and causes of crime.
- Integrate and apply human relations skills and counseling to the rehabilitation of public offenders.
- Apply case management and interviewing skills to prepare and monitor case plans for offenders and prepare accurate reports and investigations.
- Participate in community outreach and liaisons with related support service providers and offenders' families.
- Demonstrate cultural sensitivity and examine criminal justice issues associated with racism and oppression.
First-hand learning and individualized program advisement will prepare you to graduate in four years and pursue career opportunities in law enforcement, community corrections, adult and youth offender rehabilitation programs, court programs and correctional administration.
"I was given the opportunity to attend the Law Enforcement Academy while still enrolled at UW-Stout. This experience was great because of all the networking connections I made, and it put me one step ahead of many other students."
-- DeMarcus ZerothB.S.Criminal Justice and Rehabilitation
Use the Request Information form to receive a program summary and learn more about the Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Rehabilitation.
Request Information
Upon the completion of the program, the student will (a) understand terms, operations, trends, and theories of criminal justice; (b) analyze the nature and causes of crime; (c) apply treatment techniques used within probation, parole, or prisons used to rehabilitate (i.e. alter attitudes, values, behavior) adjudicated persons; (d) apply theory and practice through an approved field placement. The graduate will be able to:
- Analyze the nature and causes of crime.
- Describe theories, types, and incidence of criminal behaviors.
- Describe the judicial process as it pertains to adults, juveniles, and persons with disabilities, in regards to civil commitments.
- Describe prevention, treatment, education, and rehabilitation programs for public offenders.
- Integrate and apply introductory knowledge of human relations skills, and counseling to the rehabilitation of public offenders.
- Apply case management and interviewing skills to preparing and monitoring case plans for offenders and preparing accurate reports and investigations.
- Refer offenders for community-based counseling treatment, employment, and independent living support as needed.
- Participate in community outreach and liaisons with related support service providers and offenders’ families.
- Demonstrate cultural sensitivity and examine criminal justice issues associated with racism and oppression.
Development of the program objectives has been informed by stakeholder groups, employers, the Program Advisory Committee, and guided by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Certification Standards for Academic Programs.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of probation officers and correctional treatment specialists is expected to grow nationally by 18 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as average for all occupations (bls.gov/ooh/). Continued growth in the demand for probation and parole services will lead to new openings for officers and related career tracks. In Wisconsin and Minnesota, the employment of correctional treatment specialists is expected to grow by 10 percent to 14 percent until 2018 (careerinfonet.org).
As alternatives to incarceration, such as probation and restorative justice, become more widely used, the demand for correctional treatment specialists will grow in the region. According to the Wisconsin West Central Workforce Development Area Occupational Projections for 2008–2018, correctional treatment specialists will grow 10 percent, while the average increase across all occupations will be 3.3 percent (worknet.wisconsin.gov).
Advisory Committee Members
| Maria | Alm | Dean | UW-Stout, CAHS |
| Eric | Anderson | Criminal Justice Director | CVTC |
| Eric | Atkinson | Police Chief | Menomonie Police Department |
| Sara | Benedict | Dunn County Diversion Court Director | Dunn County |
| Kevin | Doll | Program Director, HDFS campus cohort | UW-Stout, CAHS |
| Kevin | Drzakowski | Associate Dean | UW-Stout, CAHS |
| Allie | Eckes | CJR Student Representative | BS Criminal Justice and Rehabilitation |
| Brad | Erickson | Deferred Prosecution Coordinator | Dunn Co. Victim/Witness Assistance Office |
| Colleen | Etzbach | Program Director, Criminal Justice & Rehabilitation | UW-Stout, CAHS |
| Kellie | Kamholz | Director | Positive Alternatives |
| Daniel | Kelsey | Department Chair | UW-Stout, Counseling, Rehabilitation & Human Services |
| Julia | Kraemer-Martens | Workforce Development Specialist | Minnesota Department of Corrections |
| Joseph | Strano | Corrections Field Supervisor | Wisconsin Department of Corrections |
| Todd | Swartz | Lieutenant | Menomonie Police Department |
| Jeffrey | Sweat | Professor | UW-Stout, Social Science Dept. |
