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John Jay College to Receive More Than a Half Million Dollars in NIJ Grants

New York, NY, Oct. 27, 2011 –John Jay College of Criminal Justice became the only CUNY College in 2011 to be awarded grants by the National institute of Justice. The College was awarded $520,747. Of the 357 awards presented by NIJ in 2011, only 50 went to universities.

"It is an honor for John Jay faculty to receive such a high percentage of the NIJ grants awarded in 2011," said Professor Karen Terry, Associate Provost and Dean of Research and Strategic Partnerships (Interim). "This is a testament to the quality of research and scholarship taking place at John Jay and solidifies the reputation of the faculty as leading scholars in the field of justice research."

The following faculty members awarded the prestigious grants represent a variety of disciplines:


  • Professor Hung En-Sung of the Department of Criminal Justice received $12,060 for his project titled "The Forsaken Out-Laws: Crime Among Undocumented Migrant Workers in Palisades Park, NJ." The grant will allow Professor Sung to collect survey data from 120 undocumented immigrant women from Central America living in the United States. The inclusion of survey and focus group data from undocumented Hispanic women will provide a much more comprehensive assessment of the crime and victimization experiences of undocumented immigrants in American suburbs.
  • Professor Margaret Wallace of the Department of Sciences received $196,720 for her study, "The Development of an Immuno-Magnetic Procedure for the Separation of the Spermatozoa from Vaginal Epithelial Cells." The approach developed by Professor Wallace would benefit forensic scientists by enabling them to separate a rape victim's DNA from that of her attacker when processing rape kits. Using her method, sperm antibodies attached to magnetic beads would be added to the solution that holds the sperm and the epithelial cells. The antibodies attract the sperm and when these bind, it is then possible to use a magnet to pull the beads out from the solution. The DNA can then be extracted from the sperm only and a DNA profile of the donor created.
  • Distinguished Professor Cathy Spatz-Widom received $311,967 for a follow-up to her earlier NIJ-funded study that documented a relationship between child abuse and neglect and later violence. The "Thirty-Year Follow-up of the Cycle of Violence" examines the criminal histories of the earlier study's large sample of abused and/or neglected children and matched controls. The research is an attempt to further understand the lifecourse of criminal behavior in these individuals who have now reached middle adulthood.

 

Established in 1964, John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York is an international leader in educating for justice. It offers a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to upwards of 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations. In teaching, scholarship and research, the College approaches justice as an applied art and science in service to society and as an ongoing conversation about fundamental human desires for fairness, equality and the rule of law. For more information, visit www.jjay.cuny.edu.