Social Justice Program Certificate

Developing Social Justice Workplace Competencies

Each 4-week social justice course is designed specifically for criminal justice professionals seeking to strengthen agency-community partnerships, in addition to allowing knowledgeable practitioners to enhance their existing social justice skill set.

All courses are virtual and classes will be held live, on Zoom.

Students may register for individual courses or they may enroll in all 4 courses to qualify for the “Social Justice Program Certificate.”

Courses Include:

Historical Perspectives in the Criminal Justice System
This course addresses the history of policing, sentencing disparities, and correctional issues in America’s criminal justice system, paying close attention to the discriminatory practices e.g., racial profiling in policing, mandatory minimum sentencing, and wrongful convictions throughout U.S. history. Topics include, yet are not limited to, the history of policing through slave “patrols”; the fourth, fifth, sixth, and 8th amendment violation by officers, attorneys, and correctional employees; and the harassment of marginalized groups based on civilian age, race, ethnicity, income class, and perceived immigrant status. Participants use the “those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” ideology in order to create professional support systems, and create action plans to include equity, access, and anti-discrimination components in their workplaces and communities.

Saturdays, Oct 2, 9, 16, 23
9:30 am - 11:30am
Instructor: Keith Stith
Chief of Detectives, Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, (Ret.).
Adjunct Instructor, Criminal Justice, HCCC
Adjunct Instructor, Criminal Justice, Monmouth University

Race, Gender, and LGBTQIA+ in Law Enforcement
This course allows participants to gain insight into a different component of policing: the recruitment of individuals from various backgrounds and identities based on race, biological sex, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, disability, and ethnicity. Furthermore, the class content encourages students to develop social justice plans to retain underrepresented populations in law enforcement agencies.

Thursdays, Oct 28, Nov 4, 11, 18
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Instructor: Robert Dowd
Chief of Police, North Bergen Police Department, (Ret).
Managing Partner, Roberts & Associates, LLC
Adjunct Instructor, Criminal Justice, NJCU

Social Justice: Reimagining Structures and Services
This course encourages participants to consider the following: (1) the need to decrease police contact and to (2) include services that compliment law enforcement, the courts, and corrections by using social justice components e.g., equity, inclusion, and access. Topics include, but are not limited to community meetings; local and state community partnerships; citizen review boards; virtual and in-person opportunities for civilians to contact law enforcement for community concerns; and written agreements with local agencies e.g., secondary and post-secondary educational institutions; and more.

Saturdays, Jan 8, 15, 22, 29
9:30am - 11:30am
Instructor: Keith Stith
Chief of Detectives, Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, (Ret.).
Adjunct Instructor, Criminal Justice, HCCC
Adjunct Instructor, Criminal Justice, Monmouth University

Restorative Justice in America’s Criminal Justice System: A Social Justice Paradigm
This course focuses on Restorative Justice (RJ) practices in the U.S. criminal justice system. Students examine the history of RJ in foreign countries and America in order to develop RJ practices within their respective roles in society and/or their roles at work. Participants will explore the main RJ components e.g. offender accountability, the healing of the victim, and the restoration of the community in order to connect these components to the social justice elements of access, equity, inclusion, and civil rights.

Tuesdays, Feb 1, 8, 15, 22
6:00pm - 8:00pm
Instructor: Lisa Ledoux

Program Benefits:

Flexible Course Offerings in Virtual Format.
Saturday or weekday evening sessions.
Experienced instructors with combined 5 decades of experience.
Certificates available after course or program completion.
Year-Round Courses.

Program Tuition:

Each individual course is $325.
Enroll in all 4 courses and receive a 10% discount: $1170.

For group registration please contact: Chastity Farrell at cfarrellFREEHUDSONCOUNTYCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE or 201-360-4262.
For questions about the program curriculum please contact: Richard Walker at rwalkerFREEHUDSONCOUNTYCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE or call 201-360-4791.

Instructor and Curriculum Developer Bios

Keith LaMont Stith is a retired Chief of Detectives from the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office. He is a highly accomplished law enforcement executive with over three decades of accomplishments and successful experience in the
arena of urban policing.

During his time at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, he served the citizens of Hudson County with distinction. He was the first African American appointed Chief of Detectives to lead the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.

Keith understands that public safety success is relied upon by its citizens and leveraged those relationships to achieve a superior homicide closure rate. Under his leadership, the Homicide Task Force consistently maintained a superior homicide clearance rate of (85%) as measured by the national average of 63% in urban cities, a model in the State of New Jersey.

As a reform-minded leader, he has directed his attention towards re-imagining public safety services in urban communities with a 21st century policing focus. In 2019, Keith co-founded the Urban Policing Institute (UPI), a consortium at Hudson County Community College. The UPI places a special emphasis on forming healthier partnerships between the police and the community through a series of seminars, panel discussions and other forms of community engagement.

Keith also serves as a trustee on the executive board of the New Jersey Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

In 2020, he was appointed to the New Jersey Attorney General Use of Force Committee. This committee was developed to assist in the revision of the State of New Jersey – Use of Force policy. Keith along with other law enforcement professionals were tasked with the review of the current policy on how law enforcement officers mitigate force as they interact with individuals going through a mental crisis. The sub-committee submitted comprehensive viable reforms and recommendations to the Attorney General.

Keith holds a BS in Sociology in from Wagner College. His service to Wagner College includes membership on the Alumni Board and The Black Professional Alliance Alumni. Keith was also a past recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King
Agent of Change Award.

Keith received a MS from New Jersey City University. He is an adjunct professor at Monmouth University, and serves on the Monmouth University Criminal Justice Graduate Program Advisory Board. Keith is also an adjunct professor at Hudson County Community College.

Keith’s professional accomplishments include the completion of the prestigious FBI National Academy and NOBLE Potential Chief Executive Officer Mentoring Program. Keith also received the Jersey City Branch of the NAACP Public Safety Award for his efforts in public safety and community service.

Robert Dowd is a retired Chief of Police with 26 years of experience in municipal policing. He is the lead consultant and trainer for Roberts & Associates, LLC. During his tenure as a police chief, Robert was responsible for overseeing a highly diverse Accredited metropolitan police department in Hudson County, New Jersey. Robert is certified by the New Jersey Police Training Commission as a police academy instructor. Robert is a Certified Public Manager (CPM) earning his CPM designation from Rutgers University. He is also a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) earning his Board Certification in Security Management from ASIS International. Robert holds a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from New Jersey City University (NJCU). He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from NJCU where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. Robert is a graduate of the FBI’s Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (FBI-LEEDS) and was designated as an Advanced Level Accredited Chief Executive by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police.

Robert Dowd is an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice at New Jersey City University. In addition, he is an instructor for a company that is considered by many in the law enforcement field to be the nation’s leader in public safety exam preparation. In this capacity, Robert has provided training and instruction to thousands of law enforcement officers who were preparing for promotional exams in the New Jersey Civil Service System, as well as the City of Chicago Police Department. Robert is a contributing author to the 9th edition of Pearson’s long-time best-selling criminal justice textbook Supervision of Police Personnel by Nathan Iannone, Marvin Iannone, and Jeff Bernstein. During his career, Robert Dowd has received honors and awards including commendations from the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Knights of Columbus, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and the Policemen’s Benevolent Association.

In July of 2016, Robert Dowd was invited to the White House by President Obama to participate in a briefing regarding the President’s 21st Century Task Force Report on Policing. Robert has studied abroad at the College of Policing in Manchester, England, at Tulliallan Castle, which is the police academy for Police Scotland, and with members of the City of London Police as well as the London Metropolitan Police Service at facilities including but not limited to Scotland Yard. Robert Dowd is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, the Hudson County Chiefs of Police Association (where he previously served as the county association president), FBI-LEEDA, the Italian American Police Society of New Jersey, and the Northern New Jersey Chapter of ASIS International.

Richard Walker (Social Justice Certificate Program Developer) is the Criminal Justice Lecturer at HCCC and serves as the assessment liaison for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Richard created the Criminal Justice Advisory Board at HCCC and serves as the co-chair. Mr. Walker developed an internship list which involved a substantial overhaul in creating viable sites for Criminal Justice students. He is a member of the Assessment Committee and the General Education Committee.

Richard revised existing articulation agreements for the Jersey City Police Department and the Hudson County Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, allowing an increase in additional credits towards the A.S. in Criminal Justice Degree for officers meeting the eligibility requirements. He assisted with the completion and implementation of the Homeland Security Option Program. Richard introduced Coffee with a COP events at HCCC and worked with law enforcement officers to organize charity athletic events. Richard is the recipient of a New Jersey Special Olympics Torch Run Community Service Award given to him by the North Bergen Police Department in 2018.

Richard holds a B.A. in Sociology and a M.S. in Criminal Justice (with Distinction). His current research interests include community policing, sentencing disparities and ethics in the criminal justice system. Some of Richard’s academic work appears in peer-reviewed publications. Richard is the author of a book focused on restorative justice regarding violent and non-violence offenders.

Lisa M. Ledoux has been an assistant prosecutor with the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office since September 2003. After graduating from the College of the Holy Cross with a bachelor’s degree in History and receiving her Juris Doctor from Seton Hall Law, Ms. Ledoux served as a law clerk for the Honorable Edward T. O’Connor, J.S.C. in the Criminal Division.

Ms. Ledoux began her career as an assistant prosecutor assigned to the Appellate Unit handling appellate matters before the Superior Court. She subsequently was assigned to the trial team where she tried numerous cases involving attempted homicide, robbery, kidnapping, weapons offenses, and narcotics. Ms. Ledoux was also the liaison with the United States Attorney’s Office for triggerlock cases.

After spending several years on a trial team, Ms. Ledoux was assigned to the Narcotics Task Force, a post she held for four years. In this position she worked on investigations and prosecutions involving large amounts of narcotics and gang activity. Additionally, she started a community outreach program with a local charter school to address at-risk youth and gang involvement.

In 2013, Ms. Ledoux was promoted to supervisor of the Juvenile Unit and in 2016 she was named Chief of the Juvenile Unit. As Chief of the Juvenile Unit she oversees the assistant prosecutors who appear in juvenile court, advises local law enforcement regarding juvenile issues, and works with court personnel regarding juvenile complaints and juvenile diversions. She is the co-chair of the Hudson County Council on Juvenile Justice System Improvement and a member of the New Jersey Council on Juvenile Justice System Improvement. She is a member of the Hudson County Youth Services Commission and the chair of its Planning Committee. She has spoken on both the State and National level on the importance of community involvement in the implementation of juvenile justice.

Contact Information

Office of Continuing Education
161 Newkirk Street, Room E504
Jersey City, NJ 07306
(201) 360-4224
CEFREEHUDSONCOUNTYCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE