The Walker Career Center’s newly developed Criminology program offers a new career option for students to consider. The program consists of categories such as policing, court proceedings and the Department of Corrections. The class is intensive, dual credit, and ran by a new teacher with experience in the field.

    Criminology teacher Joseph Barney has had a law career in previous years. Although he has retired from his professional criminology career, he has now taken up teaching the subject to help the new generation criminology students. 

    “We try to give students a little piece of all the court branches,” said Barney. “Just because you’re in criminal justice doesn't mean you’re going to learn everything about criminal justice. I want to teach them life skills.”

     While most of their curriculum is taught through their Criminology l book, Barney aims to teach more real world instances for a better perspective for the students. Some key values in the classroom include keeping up on current events, following news feeds and experience. 

    “Everything we learn may not come from a textbook, or be on our next exam or seem pressing now, but we all know it will,”  criminology student Keaun Brown said.

    Brown’s favorite part of the class is the detailing. He enjoys listening to how Barney can not only describe the literal, but the figurative insides of a bullet. Although the whole reason for him taking the class is because he believes he should have knowledge on the very backbone of the nation and fix the cracks in the system.

    Overall, the most prioritized topic projected in class is respect. In criminology, respect is the most important when dealing with people and situations, and to Barney, a good criminology major never stops asking “what if.” There is always another possibility waiting just around the corner and another day to make a difference in someone's life or one's own.

    “Everyday is unique, everyday is impactful and everyday means something,” said Brown. “And for that, this class means everything, to all of us.”