Sponsored by Hawai’i Pacific University
Hawai’i Pacific University’s Criminal Justice program is structured to make students think critically about the causes and consequences of crime and deviance, research and discuss the evolving issues in the field of criminal justice, and evaluate the potential of empirical research to help guide policy development.
Hawai’i Pacific University values the importance to properly prepare students to join the ranks of professionals working for the criminal justice system or in the social services. Students are introduced to both established and contemporary theory, research skills, and skill sets that are required to work in the field.
“I most definitely think that the classes at HPU are preparing me for the future,” says Amanda Borjas, a Criminal Justice student at HPU. “I love that it’s not only strictly academics and out of the textbook — they like to incorporate a lot of the outside life situations and expectations.”
Sheryl Sunia is currently an instructor of criminal justice at Hawai’i Pacific University. In addition, she serves as department chair of public service and program chair of criminal justice within the College of Professional Studies.
Sunia retired from the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) in 2009. During her 29 years of service, she was a patrol officer and in 1989 was promoted to detective and assigned to the Child Sex Crimes Detail. In 2001, she became the first women to be assigned to the homicide detail where she worked until her retirement. For the last 19 years of her police career, she was also part of HPD’s hostage and crisis team that involved high profile cases to include the Xerox murders in Hawaii and the Sand Island standoff.
Circuit Court Judge (ret.) Randal Lee is an assistant professor in Criminal Justice. Judge Lee spent ten years on the Circuit Court bench and presided over civil, criminal and appellate cases. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Lee was a Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for approximately twenty five years and had prosecuted a number of high publicized, complex white collar, and corruption cases.
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