Northern Arizona University

   

In addition to Criminal Justice club activities, the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice offers students one of the most unique opportunities afforded to students anywhere in the United States interested in combining their theoretical and conceptual knowledge with real life experience. In 2002, the Northern Arizona Justice Project (NAJP) commenced operation. The NAJP is an innocence project designed for students to investigate real cases where actual innocence has been alleged. Students work directly with the Project Director, community attorneys, private investigators, forensic experts, and inmates to determine whether a wrongful conviction has taken place, and how to remedy it. Participation as a student investigator requires senior status in the department, and completion of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Crime Scene Investigation, and Wrongful Conviction.