Center for Criminal Justice Research, Policy and Practice

Co-Directors:  Diane Geraghty, JD & David E. Olson, Ph.D.

Website: https://www.luc.edu/ccj/

Mailing Address: 

Philip H. Corboy Law Center

25 East Pearson Street, Suite 1116 

Chicago, IL 60611

Phone:  312.915.7876

Email:   [email protected]

The Center for Criminal Justice Research, Policy and Practice (CCJ) is an outgrowth of Loyola’s strategic plan that commits the university to building a more just, humane and sustainable world. There is a growing national consensus that the American criminal justice system has reached a point where reforms are needed in order to respond more effectively to the needs of individuals and communities affected by crime and violence. These improvements must be based on principles of social justice, empirical evidence and more thorough and objective analyses of criminal justice policy and practice. 

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The Center’s mission is to promote fair, informed, effective and ethical approaches to criminal justice policy and practice through collaborative interdisciplinary research and evaluation, professional leadership development, and targeted projects designed to bring about systemic improvements in Illinois’ criminal justice system. 

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The Center’s work advances four specific and interrelated goals: 

• Improve the quality of knowledge and practice in the criminal justice field;

• Motivate and support policy reform efforts;

• Carry out targeted reform initiatives; and

• Provide an institutional home for sustained criminal justice research, education and reform.

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Key strategies of the Center focus on sound research, policy analysis and training, as well as specialized projects aimed at improving Illinois’ criminal justice system.  The design and implementation of these strategies will be carried out by faculty and students from across Loyola’ s schools and departments in collaboration with public and private partners, including policy makers and justice-system practitioners.

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Sample Publications

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Trends and Characteristics of Youth Admitted to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, 1993-2013

Examination of the Kendall County Youth Education Class

An Examination of Admissions, Discharges & the Population of the Cook County Jail, 2012

A Profile of Women Released Into Cook County Communities from Jail and Prison, 2012

Illinois Criminal Justice Data Guide

Illinois Juvenile Justice Data Guide

National Scan of Emerging Adults Policy, Practice and Programs

Applied Crime and Justice Research: Focus on Women in Prison

Property Crime Arrests in Illinois, by Gender (December 2017)

Weapon Arrests in Illinois, by Gender

Drug Offense Arrests in Illinois, by Gender

Violent Crime Arrests in Illinois, by Gender