Prison Justice College students Excel at Regional Convention

The College’s American Prison Justice Affiliation (ACJA) chapter, Psi Omega, lately attended the ACJA Area IV Convention and excelled. Held at West Chester College in Pennsylvania, the convention introduced legal justice college students and their professors collectively to community, study, and display their data and expertise. The occasion, which had a K9 theme, additionally enabled college students to work together with a number of K9s and their handlers.

College students took half in quite a lot of competitions from fixing a mock crime scene to assessments of their bodily agility. A number of college students took house awards, and their professors and membership advisers Daniel Maxwell, MPA and Maria Torre, M.S., additionally acquired a number of high honors.

Under, a number of college students who took half within the convention replicate on their expertise.

Destini Craven ’22, ’24 M.S.

I used to be so excited once I was informed we had been in a position to go to the regional convention in West Chester, PA. This was my first convention, regardless that I had been with the membership since my first 12 months on the College. COVID-19 has impacted college students in so some ways, so I used to be going to benefit from this chance.

The planning that this convention took was in depth, however I knew it might be all price it ultimately. Total, I had a good time on the convention. I didn’t know what to anticipate, however the internet hosting college was very pleasant.

This 12 months’s theme was associated to K9 items, which was wonderful. My favourite a part of the convention was the K9 demonstration. There have been three completely different canines: one was a patrol canine, one was an arson canine, and the opposite was a drug canine. They every did demonstrations discovering completely different substances, and it was wonderful to see what these canines may do.

On the finish of the journey was the awards ceremony. This was very rewarding as a result of it confirmed how properly the membership did total. For me, it was further rewarding as a result of it confirmed all of the preparation and planning that I did with the membership actually paid off.

I can’t wait to attend extra conferences and to get to satisfy extra college students who’ve the identical passions as me and aspire to be in legislation enforcement.

Noah DiNallo ’25

Since becoming a member of the American Prison Justice Affiliation membership in September, the regional convention was considered one of my first involvements with the membership. Not realizing what to anticipate, once I arrived at West Chester College for the primary night time of regionals, I found how massive the American Prison Justice Affiliation actually was. School college students of all ranges and professionals from the sphere got here collectively to participate in competitions associated to the sphere of legal justice, and it was an eye-opening expertise.

The theme of the convention was K9s, so on the primary full day of the convention, we had been launched to 3 K9 canines, together with a chunk canine, arson canine, and narcotic-detection canines. I used to be in a position to see how every canine operates, together with how they sign what they’ve been skilled to detect, what rewards they look ahead to, and the way they work together with people aside from their handler.

Personally, my favourite takeaway from the convention was the Crime Scene Competitors. In teams, college students got quarter-hour on against the law scene to take notes, full a tough sketch, and ask particular inquiries to obtain data to assist resolve the crime. We had been then given 45 minutes to write down a story on what we knew and what forensic assessments we wish to have accomplished. As a youthful faculty scholar, I’ve not had a lot training in crime scene investigation, however the expertise additional solidified to me that I’m on the best profession path.

We additionally competed in a bodily agility competitors and had been examined on our data of a number of points of legal justice, equivalent to legal legislation, policing, juvenile justice, corrections, and homeland safety.

The regionals convention was solely the tip of the iceberg in comparison with what I’m anticipating on the nationwide convention within the spring, and I like to recommend that each scholar who’s obsessed with legal justice attend this convention. It’s an eye-opening and distinctive alternative to compete in related competitions, community with college and college students from different colleges, and uncover what you’re actually obsessed with.

Vanessa Schenking ’23

I at present function vice chairman of the College’s ACJA chapter, and I’ve been concerned with the group since my first 12 months. Earlier this month, I attended the American Prison Justice Affiliation’s Area 4 convention in West Chester, Pennsylvania with our chapter, Psi Omega.

The theme of the convention was K9s. We had the chance to observe a K9 demonstrations together with three canines: K9 Elou is skilled in arson investigation, K9 Remy is skilled in detecting quite a lot of completely different medicine, and K9 Axel is skilled in each medicine and monitoring. The K9 demonstration was very enjoyable to observe, and we had been in a position to ask all the officers questions to raised perceive their canine’s function in investigations.

Through the convention, we took half in several competitions that examined our data and bodily means. We took six assessments in police administration, legal legislation, corrections, homeland safety, and juvenile justice. We additionally competed in teams of three to try to resolve a mock crime scene. Lastly, we competed within the bodily agility portion, which was arrange as an impediment course.

Earlier than we went to the convention, we ready our members for all of those competitions by internet hosting Kahoot nights, sharing the fundamentals of crime scene, and making a bodily agility take a look at. We had been all properly ready, and most of us received trophies on the banquet. I received two trophies: third place within the higher division for Lambda Alpha Epsilon (LAE) Data and seventh place total within the mock crime scene. On the banquet, we had been in a position to socialize with professionals and members from different chapters throughout Area 4. This served as a fantastic networking alternative.

Total, all of our members had a incredible time on the regional convention. We had been in a position to get to know one another higher and bond over the experiences we shared. I’m so grateful for the chance to attend this convention, and I’m so excited to attend the Nationwide convention in Louisville, Kentucky, in March!

Colin Graham ’23

I joined the Psi Omega chapter of ACJA within the Fall of 2021 and sat on the convention training and firearms security committee. Sadly, because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we weren’t in a position to attend the 2021 regional or nationwide conferences. As a substitute, our e-board organized a mini-regional occasion, which simulated the occasions typical of a regional convention, together with a mock crime scene.

After I acquired phrase that Psi Omega was attending the 2022 Area IV Convention, I used to be initially not sure if I used to be going to attend. I had began my internship later within the semester and was involved I might not be capable of full the 150-hour requirement. I used to be additionally dissatisfied that, regardless of nice effort from our e-board and advisors, Psi Omega wouldn’t compete within the firearms competitors, which I used to be most concerned with. In the long run, I made a decision to attend.

Just one Psi Omega member in attendance had convention expertise. Whereas most of us didn’t know what to anticipate, we did properly. I had completed first on the homeland safety examination and third on the corrections examination within the higher collegiate division, and my group completed ninth within the crime scene sensible.

Except for tutorial competitions, I discovered the K9 demonstrations fascinating, significantly arson K9 Elou of the Higher Chichester, PA Police Division. We had been additionally given a tour of the Chester County Public Security Coaching Campus, a facility which I had not ever seen the likes of. The power included a tactical village and firearms facility, which housed two ranges: one 50-yard vary and one 100-yard vary.

The times had been lengthy, however I felt our bond as a company grew. In three days, I went from hardly realizing my friends inside Psi Omega to being requested by the e-board to co-chair the convention training and firearms security committee for the spring 2023 semester.

Attending the Area IV Convention supplied me with alternatives I might haven’t been afforded in any other case. I plan on attending the 2023 nationwide convention within the spring, and I might urge my fellow Psi Omega members to think about doing the identical. I might additionally encourage incoming Lee School college students to hitch the Psi Omega chapter of ACJA and to take part within the regional and nationwide conferences.

Destini Craven ’22, ’24 M.S. is a candidate within the College’s graduate program in forensic know-how who additionally earned a bachelor’s diploma in legal justice. She serves as president of the College’s ACJA chapter. Noah DiNallo ’25, Vanessa Schenking ’23, and Colin Graham ’23 are legal justice majors, and Schenking is vice chairman of the College’s ACJA chapter.