BUCKHANNON — West Virginia Wesleyan College has been awarded $795,000 in federal funding to establish a Center for Ethical Professional Development in Criminal Justice as part of over $5.2 million in U.S. Department of Justice grants awarded across West Virginia.
The new center, funded through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants Program, aims to “improve public confidence and trust in the West Virginia criminal justice system,” according to a description of the award provided by the Department of Justice. It will offer a 15-credit-hour certificate program focused on aligning the actions of criminal justice professionals with institutional values in a democratic society by utilizing an educational framework called Role Morality.
“In much the same way that medical professionals train to align their professional behaviors with the Hippocratic Oath regardless of their private beliefs, we propose to create a Role Morality framework for criminal justice professionals that will circumvent the shortcomings of Implicit Bias training,” according to the project description. “Rather than try to reconstruct the personal beliefs of criminal justice professionals, Role Morality training will focus on aligning the actions and behaviors of criminal justice job requirements with the institutional values of a criminal justice system in a democratic society to enhance the ethical application of justice.”
The center will use simulation and virtual reality technology for scenario-based training. Curriculum experts will design, implement and evaluate the program’s effectiveness during its pilot phase.
“We are excited to receive significant support for this important program,” said Dr. Lynn Linder, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. “We’re proud of the work our faculty have done on this, and we look forward to sharing more details as the project takes shape.”
United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced the broader funding initiative, which includes support for various law enforcement agencies and educational institutions across West Virginia. Other recipients include sheriff’s offices in Hancock, Wetzel and Marion counties. In addition, Fairmont State University received $1.7 million and West Virginia Potomac State College received $439,000, both for campus security upgrades.
The West Virginia Wesleyan College project is still in development, with plans to engage “the public to identify the values expected from the community that integrate into the curriculum,” according to the project description.
As the largest federal source of justice funding to state and local jurisdictions, the Byrne JAG program supports a wide range of initiatives, from crime prevention and law enforcement technologies to drug treatment and crisis intervention.
