Criminal Justice, B.S.

Xavier Criminal Justice and Public Health

The future of criminal justice is about more than enforcing laws. It is about improving lives.

Today's criminal justice professionals work at the intersection of public safety and public health. They respond to mental health crises, substance use disorders, trauma, homelessness, and behavioral health emergencies. They work with victims of violence, connect individuals to treatment through specialty courts, and help communities recover from the effects of crime. In many cases, criminal justice professionals are the first, and sometimes only, point of contact for people experiencing complex health challenges.

At Xavier University, we recognize that healthier communities are safer communities. That is why Criminal Justice is part of Xavier Health. Our program prepares students to understand the relationship between crime, health, and human behavior while developing the knowledge and skills to create safer, healthier communities.

Why Criminal Justice Is Health

The evidence is clear. People involved in the criminal justice system experience substantially higher rates of health conditions than the general population.

Mental Health

Law enforcement officers are often the first responders to mental health crises, and courts increasingly connect individuals with treatment through specialty courts. At the same time:

  • 44% of people in jail and 37% of people in prison have a mental illness, compared with 18% of adults in the community.
  • Nearly 70% of youth in the juvenile justice system have a diagnosable mental health condition.
  • Suicide is the leading cause of death in local jails.
  • America's three largest mental health institutions are county jails.

Substance Use

Substance use disorders affect justice-involved populations at far higher rates than the general public.

  • Nearly two-thirds of people in jail have a substance use disorder.
  • Sixty percent of youth in juvenile facilities have a substance use disorder.
  • People recently released from prison are ten times more likely to die from an opioid overdose than the general population.

Trauma

Trauma is one of the strongest predictors of involvement in the criminal justice system.

  • Nearly all incarcerated women and most incarcerated men have experienced significant trauma.
  • Ninety-eight percent of incarcerated people have experienced at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), and more than 75% have experienced four or more.
  • Criminal justice agencies across the country are increasingly adopting trauma-informed practices because understanding trauma improves outcomes for individuals and communities.

Brain and Cognitive Health

Justice-involved populations experience significantly higher rates of traumatic brain injury and cognitive impairment.

  • Between one-half and two-thirds of incarcerated individuals have experienced a traumatic brain injury.
  • Older adults in prison experience cognitive impairment and dementia at substantially higher rates than older adults in the general population.

Community Health

The relationship between criminal justice and health extends far beyond correctional facilities.

Research consistently shows that communities with higher rates of crime also experience higher rates of chronic disease, cardiovascular disease, anxiety, obesity, substance use, and lower life expectancy. Communities that are healthier are also more likely to be safer. Public safety and public health are deeply connected.

Criminal Justice at Xavier

At Xavier, we prepare students for the future of criminal justice by recognizing that effective professionals must understand more than laws and procedures. They must understand people.

As part of Xavier Health, students explore how mental health, addiction, trauma, neuroscience, community health, and social determinants influence crime, victimization, and justice system outcomes. Through research, experiential learning, internships, and close faculty mentorship, students develop the skills to make informed decisions, solve complex problems, and improve the lives of those they serve.

Grounded in Xavier's Jesuit tradition, our program emphasizes ethical leadership, service to others, and care for the whole person. Whether graduates pursue careers in law enforcement, corrections, courts, victim services, federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, or graduate school, they leave prepared to strengthen both public safety and public health.

At Xavier, criminal justice is more than a profession. It is a calling to serve others, improve lives, and build healthier communities. Our goal is to prepare servant leaders who advance justice with compassion, integrity, and purpose.