About The Criminal Justice Program

The Criminal Justice program at Lehigh Valley College is designed to prepare students to enter into the criminal justice profession in a variety of first-tier protective services positions. Students of the program are exposed to the culture of the criminal justice system, and foundational areas of the discipline: investigation and law enforcement, law and courts, and corrections and parole. The program also addresses juvenile delinquency and the juvenile justice system. Within a variety of courses, students can:

In addition all of the programs at LVC have an internship component. The internship allows the students to receive hands on practical experience and serves as a finishing course for their program of study. Students are placed in positions in facilities that match their program and are supervised during this training period.

Students in the Criminal Justice program should be aware that additional education or testing may be required for employment in some positions. Upon successful completion of the Criminal Justice Program, an Associate in Science Degree is awarded. In most cases, the Criminal Justice Degree can be earned in as little as 18 months.

Lehigh Valley College is located just outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania, on a beautiful 30-acre campus. Within an hour's drive of Bethlehem, Easton, and Philadelphia, Lehigh Valley College is also less than two hours from Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and New York City!

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Upon completion of the Criminal Justice program at Lehigh Valley College there are numerous career opportunities available. Below is a sampling of career outcomes and employers who have hired our graduates. The presence of properties on this list does not guarantee availability of career opportunities. Additional training and/or education may be required for certain positions.

Alan Mege

Mr. Mege holds a Juris Doctorate from the Dickinson School of Law (of the Pennsylvania State University) as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Administration of Justice and a minor in the Legal Environment of Business from the Pennsylvania State University.

Mr. Mege brings to Lehigh Valley College teaching experience at Cedar Crest College and over ten years of industry experience. Having been a judicial law clerk for two judges, Professor Mege was an associate attorney at two of the Lehigh Valley?s largest creditors? rights and collections firms, after which he founded his own practice.

Mr. Mege is admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey as well as the federal courts and the United States Supreme Court. He is also a member of the Lehigh County Bar Association, Pennsylvania Bar Association, and American Bar Associations and is an arbitrator for the Court of Common Pleas of Lehigh County, Court of Common Pleas of Northampton County, and the Better Business Bureau.

Lorry Bradley, holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice with minors in Sociology and Social Welfare and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology. She joined the Lehigh Valley College (LVC) faculty as an adjunct instructor in July of 2004 and became a full-time Assistant Professor in January of 2005. She acted as the Master of Ceremonies for the LVC Winter 2006 commencement. In 2005, Ms. Bradley was nominated as a LVC Educator of the Year and was inducted into the Alpha Beta Kappa National Honor Society for faculty.

Ms. Bradley brings over fifteen years of experience working with various at-risk populations to her classroom. She began her social services career as a Social Worker for the Board of Social Services in Morris County New Jersey working with homeless HIV positive individuals and welfare families. She worked as the Sexual Assault Program Coordinator for the Domestic Abuse and Rape Crisis Center in Warren County New Jersey where she served as a board member for the New Jersey Coalition of Sexual Assault. During her board term, she was the Chairperson for the Sexual Harassment Committee charged with facilitating the creation of sexual harassment policy recommendations for the state.

Upon relocating to the Lehigh Valley, Ms. Bradley began working at THE PROGRAM for Women and Families, Inc. During her tenure with the agency, she was a counselor for female offenders in an intermediate punishment program. While in this position, she developed the RESPECT Program, a 12-hour psycho-educational program for female offenders and developed a school-based juvenile probation program in Lehigh County and an intensive juvenile probation program in Northampton County. Upon promotion to Child Abuse Prevention Program Director for the agency, she became responsible for supervising the Parent Aide, Counseling and CALM-Batterer?s Intervention Programs. Additionally, while employed at THE PROGRAM, Ms. Bradley wrote two chapters for the textbook Female Offenders, Aspen Publishers, 1998 ? Needs Assessment and Goal Planning and Model Programs: Working with Prostitutes. She also presented workshops at local agencies and for a conference of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. In 2005, Ms. Bradley became a board member for THE PROGRAM.

Ms. Bradley returned to the victim service field in 1998 when she became the Northampton County Project Director supervising Northampton County initiatives for Turning Point of the Lehigh Valley, Inc. ? the domestic violence agency within the Lehigh Valley. In 2002, she was promoted to the Director of Program Development. In this capacity, she was responsible for all programmatic pieces of the agency?s grants and for supervising and developing prevention programs for the agency. She has presented numerous workshops and programs regarding the impact of violence throughout the Lehigh Valley and at several Pennsylvania conferences. Ms. Bradley continues to be a volunteer for Turning Point.

In addition to her social service experience Ms. Bradley was a Board Member for the Catasauqua Area School District, is a Board Member of the Catasauqua Midget Wrestling Association and volunteers for the Catasauqua Youth Athletic Association. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two children and other family and friends.

Susan Pettit

Professor Pettit, an Associate Professor and a Program Specialist, has been employed by the college since the Fall of 1993. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from East Stroudsburg University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. Professor Pettit earned her Juris Doctor from Temple University School of Law.

Currently, Professor Pettit serves as the Legal Studies Internship Coordinator. She is employed by Scherline & Associates, where she serves as legal counsel for Miss Pennsylvania, the Miss Pennsylvania Scholarship Organization, Inc. and works closely with the Miss America Organization.

Professor Pettit?s teaching experiences include adjunct positions at Pennsylvania State University and Northamptom Community College. On-campus and Distance Learning classes are currently taught by Professor Pettit.

During her free time, she is a Board Member of Common Sense for Animals. She is an avid tennis player participating in several United States Association Leagues.