A landmark case comes down on the side of Americans’ individual right to arm themselves. What the best research has to say about what it all means, and why. Read the rest of the article here.

The increasing growth in the U.S. prison population over the past three decades has been unprecedented in the country’s history, resulting in 2.4 million offenders in jails and prisons in 2007. The cost to taxpayers for adult and juvenile corrections in 2009 will reach approximately $50.3 billion, more than triple the 1986 cost of $15.6 billion. Consequently, lawmakers and policymakers are seeking alternative means of controlling offenders without jeopardizing public safety.

Congratulations to 2007-2008 Scholarship Winners Each year, the College recognizes outstanding criminology and criminal justice students with academic and area-of-interest awards. Congratulations to this year’s recipients:

Melissa Hickman Barlow, has been elected president of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. She is the third FSU graduate to receive the honor in the past five years. Barlow is a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and director of the Institute for Community Justice at Fayetteville State University. She has served as the College of Basic and Applied Sciences assistant dean (2005-2006) and the interim Criminal Justice Department chair (2006-2007).

The Florida State University College of Criminology and Criminal Justice will help to lead the newly formed “Alliance for the Advancement of Education in Juvenile Justice and Adult Corrections,” a national coalition of correctional and educational professionals promoting proven education programs for incarcerated juvenile and adult offenders. “Despite the current recession and the threat of cuts or worse to many public programs, our nation literally cannot afford to see the Alliance mission fail,” said Florida State Professor Tom Blomberg, dean of the college.

A week dedicated to helping you explore your future. Tuesday, January 20 Advancement Luncheon and Panel Discussion11:30 a.m. • Hecht House Conference Room Hear from some of the College’s successful alumni from underrepresented populations. Learn how graduate school advanced their careers and discover what opportunities are available to you.

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This past summer under the direction of Professor Cecil Greek, Criminology and Criminal Justice major Aaron Labreque studied comparative criminology and visual criminology in Prague through FSU International Programs. Upon arriving in the Czech Republic, Aaron\’s first impression was “What have I gotten myself into? I was dropped off at my apartment in the morning and told I\’d be picked up at 5 p.m., and it was a little nerve racking at first because I wasn’t sure what to do. But then I quickly got my bearings and everything was fine!”

Making the most of his time here at FSU, Criminology and Criminal Justice student and student government president Laymon Hicks understands the challenges students face in doing well in coursework while balancing many additional responsibilities and preparing for the future. He recently spoke about his experiences and offered valuable insight to other students.

By Libby Fairhurst Birds of a feather flock together, according to the adage, and adolescent males who possess a certain type of variation in a specific gene are more likely to flock to delinquent peers, according to a landmark study led by Florida State University criminologist Kevin M. Beaver. “This research is groundbreaking because it shows that the propensity in some adolescents to affiliate with delinquent peers is tied up in the genome,” said Beaver, an assistant professor in the FSU College of Criminology and Criminal Justice.