Celebrating 100 Years of Criminal Justice Education, 1916–2016

Berkeley Police Chief August Vollmer, in coordination with the University of California, created a baccalaureate degree granting program for his police officers in the summer of 1916. The program was titled Criminology and consisted of courses on police practices, criminal law, and many of the natural science classes including biology, chemistry, and toxicology. This program continued through the summer of 1932, when a university-wide program was developed and overseen by then Professor August Vollmer. The summer program, begun in 1916, developed into both the modern criminology and criminal justice programs of today. The purpose of this paper is to recognize the development of criminal justice education which marks its 100th anniversary in the summer of 2016.