Criminal Justice Studies Faculty

Frank Plunkett, MAT, MCJ

Frank Plunkett

Frank Plunkett

Associate Professor, Legal Studies

PhD Candidate, Capella University
MCJ, Boston University
MAT, Marygrove College
BA, LaSalle University

Subject Areas: Criminal Justice, Policing, Corrections, Probation and Parole, Courts, Criminal Investigation, Criminal Law, Criminal Justice Ethics, Juvenile Justice, Homeland Security and Computer Crimes

Frank Plunkett is an Associate Professor of Legal Studies at Peirce College, focusing on Criminal Justice Studies. He joined the Peirce faculty as an adjunct in 2016 and became a full time faculty member in 2017. Prior to joining Peirce College, Professor Plunkett held the position of Chairperson for the School of Criminal Justice at ITT Technical Institute in Levittown, PA for three years where the program received accolades as the best in the Northeast District for ITT. He was a faculty member at ITT for a total of six years in the criminal justice program.

Prior to teaching, Professor Plunkett was a municipal law enforcement officer in New Jersey for 25 years. He was also involved as a volunteer as an Emergency Medical Technician and firefighter.

With the goal of maintaining field currency and networking, Professor Plunkett is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and the American Society of Criminology, The American Society for Evidence based Policing, and several other criminal justice and education related organizations.

In addition to college teaching, Professor Plunkett is an active volunteer for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and its MS Cycling event. He volunteers as a leader in his local community civic association. He is a merit badge counselor and a leader in Scouting USA.

Professor Plunkett holds a Master's in Criminal Justice degree from Boston University, a Master's in the Art of Teaching degree from Marygrove College in Detroit MI and bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from LaSalle University in Philadelphia PA. He is currently a PhD candidate in criminal justice with a specialization in criminology at Capella University.

 Contact Frank Plunkett, MAT, MCJ: fplunkett@peirce.edu

    The faculty of Peirce College's Criminal Justice associate and bachelor’s degree programs approach teaching Criminal Justice courses from both a practical and theoretical perspective. Appreciating that the field of Criminal Justice is constantly evolving, our on-campus and online Criminal Justice degree students will engage in a full range of courses that lay the basic foundation of knowledge required to work in the field of criminal justice.

    The faculty has designed the courses to serve to students’ individual interests within the field of criminal law. Students will work directly with faculty members who are practitioners in the criminal justice field and who will prepare them to deal with real-life examples of issues that arise in the field of criminal justice. Our professors will teach you the critical thinking and effective communication skills necessary to successfully negotiate the issues professionals face in the field.

    As they introduce you to the building blocks of criminal justice, the faculty will focus on its three main components: law enforcement, the courts and corrections. Your professors will help you to understand what truly constitutes a criminal offense, how crime is measured and introduce you to the theories of crime causation.

    As you proceed through the program, the faculty will turn its attention toward teaching you the basics of studying crime and crime behavior and the criminal justice system and its related processes. You'll learn about the modern challenges facing those professionals working in the field, but they'll also give you a historical perspective on criminal law and show you how to properly research criminal statistics, studies and reports.

    The faculty will deliver lessons on ethics, the role of technology in the criminal justice system, law enforcement's role in and duty to society as well as the place of private and public security outfits. The advanced courses the faculty teaches deal with topics such as victims, criminal investigations, computer crimes, probation, parole and homeland security. Finally, your capstone professor will foster in you leadership development and put your cumulative criminal justice knowledge to the test through simulations mimicking the daily functions of those working in the criminal justice system and the ethical issues they face.

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