Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE- Technology is the future of criminal justice, according to Dr. Laura Patterson, University of Wisconsin-Platteville online instructor. As the manager of Cumberland County's Grants Administration and Intermediate Punishment Program in Carlisle, Pa., Patterson notes that many of the grants she has written recently have been for advanced technology designed to make law enforcement safer and more efficient. Thanks in part to her efforts, officers in Patterson's county are now able to use computer-aided dispatch programs employing GIS mapping; 800MHz radios and mobile computing terminals; AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Information Systems) and the CPIN (Commonwealth Photo Imagery Network). New video-conferencing equipment permits judicial arraignment, thus decreasing the need to transport prisoners, while JNET (justice network hubs) improves the tracking and sharing of case- and offender-information with other jurisdictions.

In addition to writing grants, Patterson facilitates Cumberland County's Criminal Justice Policy Team, a position she enjoys because of the opportunity to interact with criminal justice professionals from all levels. "I was able to meet regularly with the commissioners and the heads of all criminal justice departments (police, courts and corrections, as well as human service agency heads)," she explains. "What makes this fun is it is rare that all the key stakeholders meet and discuss problems and solutions. I was able to facilitate their interesting, and often heated, discussions and keep them focused on decision-making and consensus building. From these meetings, I would set priorities and would search out state and federal grant funding opportunities to address them."

Patterson also serves on the Pennsylvania Commission for Crime and Delinquency's Evaluation Advisory Committee and on the Cumberland County's Court Appointed Special Advocates Advisory Board. She is a member of the American Society of Criminology and the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.

Patterson's vast practical knowledge of the criminal justice arena makes her uniquely qualified to teach in the field. She has taught courses in victimology and corrections at both Florida State University and the University of Maryland. She currently teaches a juvenile justice course at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania and has recently joined UWP's online graduate criminal justice program as an adjunct instructor. She enjoyed her first experience in the virtual classroom and says that the students enrolled in her online courses brought a wealth of professional and academic experience to the program. "Most of the online students are highly motivated, self-starting and creative," she notes.

Dr. Cheryl Banachowski-Fuller, director of the online graduate criminal justice program, reports that Patterson's students ranked her at the highest level of effectiveness on instructor evaluations. "Dr. Patterson has been, and continues to be, an outstanding online instructor for the UWP Master of Science in Criminal Justice Degree program," Banachowski-Fuller says. " Her effective teaching style combines a very personable approach with high expectations of student performance. We are thrilled to have Dr. Patterson as part of the online teaching team!"

Now that she's mastered the D2L platform used by UWP, Patterson has decided to develop a new online corrections course, Survey of Correctional Systems, which will cover the history, theory and practice of the U.S. correctional system. The major focus of the course is on critical analysis of contemporary correctional programming for offenders, with special emphasis placed on programmatic effectiveness (incarceration, parole, intermediate punishments, restorative and therapeutic sanctions) and systemic challenges (e.g., jail and prison crowding, mandatory sentences, conditions of supervision and confinement).

Patterson encourages those who are considering a graduate criminal justice program, but who are hesitant about online courses, to give them a try. "The curriculum is excellent," she says. " The D2L platform is very user friendly, the technical support offers timely help, the online resources are virtually limitless, and the Karrmann Library offerings of abstracts and full information publications is so impressive."

When not working or teaching, Patterson enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons and three dogs. "Our favorite time is spent swimming, kayaking (especially in Maine) and pulling off a good practical joke. Actually, I am probably at the receiving end of the joke more often than not."

UWP offers four degrees at a distance: an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and online graduate degrees in Criminal Justice, Engineering, and Project Management. No campus visits are required. For more information, visit online at http://www.uwplatt.edu/disted, call 800-362-5460 or e-mail disted@uwplatt.edu.