The criminal justice program at Geneva focuses on restorative justice rather than just incarceration. Professor Millie Johnson has students examine how to help people reintegrate into society after leaving the system. This includes establishing support programs. Students gain hands-on experience through mock crime scenes where they collect evidence and respond as if it was real to understand what it's like on the job. Johnson was impressed with how professionally her students handled the recent mock crime scene.

1. The restorative,hands-onapproachof Geneva’sCriminal Justice Program
Millie Johnson,CriminalJustice Professor,said“AtGeneva,we focuswholeheartedlyonthe restorative
justice piece of criminal justice.We don’tjustfocusonthe incarceration piece…weactuallyturnthe
table andask students‘whatdowe do for people whentheygetoutof the system’.”
Genevaasksitscriminal justice studentstolookatpeople leavingthe systemaspeople whohave sinned
and challengesthemtoseekwaystohelp these peopletofulfill whatJesushascalledthemtobe inlife.
Johnsonsaidthatshe also focusesonthe entrepreneurshipsideof justice,whichinvolvesthe
establishmentof programsdesignedtohelprestore peoplewhohave leftthe system.“If there isn’t
somethingtocatch someone,aprogramof some kind,itbecomesanissue of reintegrationintothe
systembecause theyknownothingelse.”
The criminal justice majorseekstoprovide studentswithreal experience thatwill helpthemtofully
understandthe potential rolestheywill be fillingasfuture police officersorinanotherpart of the
criminal justice system.Thisincludesspeakersfromall partsof the field,tripstosee workingpolice
stationsandmock crime scenes.
The firstmock crime scene occurredon October20 and allowedstudentstoparticipate inacrime scene
that wastreatedas real in orderto getvaluable handsonexperience.Studentsplayedall of the partsin
the scenarioand workedtoprovide care forthose involvedaswell as collectevidence.
StudentsinDr. Johnson’sCriminal investigationsandprocedurescourse createdascenarioforthe
crime.It involvedalove triangle featuringahusband,wife andheron-the-side boyfriend. The scene
endedwithall three dead;one bystabbingandtwoby gunshot.
Whenaskedhowstudentsinteractedwiththe scene,Johnsonreplied,“Theydideverything.Iwas
involved,orcourse,Iwas the motherof the female victim.Iwantedthemtocreate the entire crime
scene.Thatincludedpolice officers,investigatorsandamedia/coroner.Everybodyhadapart.”
Studentswere responsible forthe entire crime scene.Thisincludedtapingthe scene off withyellow
tape,fake blood,fake weaponsandpaperclipbullets.Theycollectedevidence off of the bodies,labelled
it andplacedit inevidence bags.
Johnsonsaid,“Iwanted[students] togetanopportunitytosee the proceduresof how a crime scene
operates…Once theyare in the fieldtheyneedtounderstandwhatit’slike tobe a law enforcement
officerandto be the firstreportingofficer,soIwantedthemtoget an actual feel forwhatit’slike to
arrive on a crime scene andto be able torendercare and doyour jobat the same time inthe midstof
chaos.”
“Theyhandledthe chaos,”saidJohnson onher student’sperformance.“Youwouldhave thoughtitwas
a live scene.Theydideverythingveryprofessional.I’msoproudof them.”

2. Johnsonisexcitedaboutthe future of the program.“I’mhavingthe time of my life,”saidJohnson.“I
thinkthat the programwill continue togrow tremendously.”