Professional Partnerships

The George J. Beto Criminal Justice Center is home to several prestigious training and research institutes dedicated to advancing the criminal justice field through professional development and investigation of key issues. These institutes partner with individuals and agencies across the state to help bring research into practice in various disciplines.

The Texas Legislature selected Sam Houston State University to host four institutes to provide training to top leaders in law enforcement, corrections, and non-profit organizations in the state. Other institutes are the result of long-standing partnerships with agencies to promote evidence-based practices in the field. Here is a list of our professional and research institutes:

  • Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT): is a nationally recognized Institute offering premiere professional development opportunities in policing
  • Correctional Management Institute of Texas (CMIT): delivers professional development training programs to personnel in juvenile and adult institutional and community corrections agencies
  • Crime Victims' Institute (CVI): studies the impact of crime on victims, their friends, families, and society and makes policy recommendations to the Texas Legislature and victim advocacy groups
  • Institute for Homeland Security (IHS): is a center for strategic thought with the goal of contributing to the security, resilience and business continuity of the critical infrastructure sectors of Transportation, Energy, Chemical, and Healthcare from a homeland security perspective. For more information visit the site or email IHS@shsu.edu
  • Institute for Forensic Research, Training, and Innovation (IFRTI): advances the practice of forensic science through research partnerships and training for laboratory personnel to pass rigorous certification tests
  • Institute for Legal Studies in Criminal Justice (ILSCJ): increases faculty mentorship on legal research and publication on issues related to law
  • Police Research Center (PRC): operates the Criminal Research, Information Management, and Evaluation System (CRIMES), a state-of-the-art police information management system, and coordinates with major city police departments to identify and address common issues
  • Southeast Texas Applied Forensic Science (STAFS) Facility: is a willed-body donor and state-of-the-art research and training facility designed to advance academic and technical knowledge in the application of forensic science disciplines to criminal investigations
  • Texas Regional Center for Policing Innovation (TRCPI): is designed to foster police-community partnerships that can lead to innovative methods of reducing crime and improving neighborhood safety