Ever since she was young, Jade Umstead '23 was enthralled by crime dramas like CSI, NCIS and Criminal Minds. In high school, she began taking classes in criminal law, forensic science and forensic psychology. By the end of her senior year, when it was time to decide what to study in college, criminology and justice studies seemed like the perfect fit.  

Umstead was interested in both the criminal justice system and the psychology behind crime and found that curriculum in Drexel’s Department of Criminology and Justice Studies allowed students to immerse themselves in both of these different but related disciplines. Criminology refers to the study of crime and justice in society. It uses sociological, psychological, technological and legal perspectives to theorize the causes and effects of crime and justice policy. Criminal justice generally refers to the application of those ideas and theories within a judicial system, with a focus on law enforcement and corrections. 

“It's important to know the social factors that affect the decision to commit crime and affect our social climate in general,” said Umstead, reflecting on what she learned during her time at Drexel. “I'm a firm believer in the idea that in order to understand where we're going, we need to understand where we've been. All these different social sciences — these explanations and theoretical frameworks to explain human behavior — fall at the center of that, and you need that contextual basis to understand why we as people do what we do and how we should formulate policies surrounding those consequences.”