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Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice

Welcome to Criminology and Criminal Justice at Carleton University

ICCJ 2025/2026 Student Awards

ARAC Student Essay and Community Engagement awards

Criminology Electives

CCJ Approved Electives

Field Placement

Get Practical Experience

Honours Thesis

See opportunities for research

Program Summary

Why Criminology and Criminal Justice?

Most of us consume a high dose of the three traditional ‘Cs’ of criminology and criminal justice: crime, cops, and corrections. Fictional and news media coverage of criminalized individuals and criminal law actors and institutions are key components of our lives. Working towards greater justice requires time, energy, resources, commitment and imagination. Criminology and Criminal Justice examines what is socially constituted as crime, why and whether we should punish, the origins and function of police and prisons, and how to think outside the box of criminal justice. The field of Criminology is key to understanding and achieving a more just society while also preparing students to become thoughtful, engaged, and employable community members.

Explore ICCJ

The Evan Shipp Story

Sarah Scriver: Crawling Out of the Pits of Hell”: Exploring Indigenous Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth After Experiences of Incarceration

Research, Supervision, and Mentorship at the ICCJ

Policing Indigenous Movements

News

ICCJ 2026 Winter Colloquium

The Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice (ICCJ) kindly invites you to join us at the ICCJ Winter 2026 colloquium, “Enemies of the State: How …

Dr. McClelland Receives Canadian Institutes of Health Research Grant

Tracking (In)Justice on the Fifth Estate

Tracking (In)justice–a law enforcement and criminal justice data and transparency project lead by the ICCJ’s Alex McClelland and supported by researcher Lindsay Jennings–contributes to a recent …