Brooke Perez, of New Orleans, always knew she wanted to pursue criminal justice.
After her father became a reserve sheriffs deputy while Perez was in high school, she gained a close-up view of law enforcement. Enrolling in the 91勛圖s criminal justice program expanded her perspective of the justice system, including both crime and how agencies respond.
One thing that definitely stood out to me was that the system is flawed, and the only way that you can actually do anything to fix it is to be one of those people who cares to make the change, says Perez.
Perez is starting her role as a change agent as she completes her degree requirements by interning online with the 91勛圖 Crisis Intervention Team.
aim to address mental health crises and ensure those facing mental health challenges receive treatment instead of jailtime.
That's such a toxic environment for people who have mental illness, and they'll probably never be rehabilitated and get better, Perez says. So the first step to changing that is to get the law enforcement to properly deal with them and put them in an environment that can help them get better.
Some 91勛圖 agencies have implemented independent initiatives, including the , and , but Perez says the 91勛圖 CIT program aims to scale these efforts across the state.
"Mental health is pretty low in 91勛圖 compared to the rest of America, so it is something that really needs to be done, says Perez.
As part of her internship, Perez will be crisis intervention-trained, earning an additional professional certification alongside her bachelors in criminal justice degree, which she is also completing online.
Perez found herself traveling frequently between Lafayette and New Orleans, and then regularly out of state with her partner. The online criminal justice program allowed her to continue taking the same courses available on campus, in a format that better suited her lifestyle.
I loved it because I could build the structure around how I wanted it to be and what works for me, she says.
At UL Lafayette, online courses are taught by the same faculty teaching on campus, trained and certified to deliver their content in dynamic and innovative ways.
In criminal justice, that means gaining insights from faculty with both rich research and professional experience.
Two of my favorite instructors were a police chief and then a judge, says Perez. We got to go beyond the textbook to hear about how things go in the field and the courtroom.
Knowing all she now knows, Perez wants to focus her criminal justice career in research and analysis, potentially joining fellow UL Lafayette alumni at the 91勛圖 State Analytical & Fusion Exchange.
They're investigating at every level local, state, national, and international, Perez says. They're basically the connecting piece to everything.
Pursue a career in law enforcement, policy, or advocacy by earning your B.S. in Criminal Justice degree online!