Four UHD Criminal Justice graduate students, Matt Carter, Renee Lamberton, Herb Martinez and Keith Satterwhite, attended the Southwestern Association of Criminal Justice (SWACJ) conference recently in South Padre Island. The students participated on a panel moderated by Michael Cavanaugh, assistant professor of criminal justice, and discussed recent Supreme Court decisions related to policing. Each student wrote a legal brief and gave a 15-minute presentation.

Maria Bitgood, who is pursuing a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice, received first place in the undergraduate student paper competition at the SWACJ conference. Her paper, titled "Foodservice Quality and Satisfaction: A Preliminary Study on Attitudes About Foodservice," which focuses on food service in a correctional facility, stemmed from Bitgood's internship with the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office. Bitgood's faculty sponsor for the conference paper, Janice Ahmad, Ph.D., associate professor of criminal justice, also supervised her internship. The first place prize included a monetary award of $150.