School of criminal justice at Rutgers University in Newark announces new institute Rutgers Institute on corruption studies

Rutgers University in Newark has established a new research center, the Rutgers Institute on Corruption Studies (RICS). Under the auspices of the School of Criminal Justice and the leadership of Dr. Adam Graycar, the school’ s dean and former director of the Australian Institute of Criminology, RICS will conduct research on public corruption and devise ways to reduce its proliferation.  The faculty and staff of RICS will train Rutgers graduate students to research corruption and apply their results to real-world conditions.  Moreover, the institute will work internationally with agencies, companies, non-governmental organizations, and nations who seek to strengthen their economic and governmental infrastructure and integrity.
“Given the School of Criminal Justice’s expertise in crime reduction techniques, it’s quite fitting that it establishes an institute to study corruption and help combat it,” says Dr. Steven J. Diner, chancellor of Rutgers University in Newark. “Our leading-edge work has addressed successfully the prevention of crime and promotion of safety, security and justice, which RICS now will apply to minimize corruption.”

“Corruption is the abuse of public office for private gain. In general, it includes bribery, extortion, patronage, misappropriation of funds, and many other types of malfeasance. In developing countries, bribes are often required to obtain simple healthcare, gain access to schools, or conduct daily business. Corrupt officials also steer public money towards friends or their own companies,” comments Graycar.

“The World Bank estimates that one trillion dollars annually is paid in illegal bribes, and about $400 million is looted each year by corrupt officials. Development officials often complain that progress and assistance to the poor are greatly impaired by corruption,” notes Graycar.

Solutions to addressing corruption lie in prevention, transparency, appropriate policies and procedures, accountability, enforcement, and education. In that regard, the new institute’s various areas of study will include: opportunities for corruption; ways of reducing the rewards gained from corruption; methods of combating bribery; sector susceptibility; corruption indicators; and prevention mechanisms, to name a few. Because corruption is a multinational activity that crosses many sectors, RICS also will work collaboratively with a wide range of researchers and experts at Rutgers University and throughout the entire world to ensure the best interdisciplinary analysis. Moreover, RICS will focus on specific elements of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption such as preventive measures, law enforcement, international cooperation, asset recovery, and technical assistance.

For more information about RICS, contact Graycar at graycar@rutgers.edu or 973-353-3311, or visit the RICS web site at www.newark.rutgers.edu/rscj/RICS.html.

MORE ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Rutgers School of Criminal Justice (SCJ) is a major national and international center for scholarly research on all aspects of policing, delinquency, crime, and criminal justice administration. This provides a basis for its educational programs that also fulfill public service obligations by helping to address the needs of criminal justice agencies within the city, state, nation, and world.

Based at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, SCJ’s faculty includes some of the top scholars in the field, and the Ph.D. program in criminology has been ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The doctoral program continues to set the standard for doctoral training, and SCJ’s graduating students are highly sought after by universities recruiting new faculty. Among the distinguished faculty of SCJ are George  Kelling, Marcus Felson, Ronald Clarke and Leslie W. Kennedy. All of the degree programs offered by SCJ provide classroom as well as research opportunities that prepare students for positions in research, teaching, and criminal justice system management and policymaking. For more information on the school, please visit www.rutgers-newark.rutgers.edu/rscj.