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| Beto Criminal Justice Center |
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| Timeline: |
| 1976 |
Construction completed |
| Apr. 1977 |
Hazel B. Kerper Courtroom dedicated |
| Oct. 1986 |
George G. Killinger Auditorium dedicated |
| Apr. 19, 1990 |
Sundial memorial dedicated |
| Feb. 8, 1992 |
Renamed for Beto |
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The Beto Criminal Justice Center is located at the northeastern corner of campus. It is the flagship building of the College of Criminal Justice, flanked by the University Hotel and Blackwood LEMIT building.
The Criminal Justice program's roots go back to the mid-1960s and a joint venture between the university and Texas Department of Corrections. Originally the Institute of Contemporary Corrections and Behavioral Sciences, courses were part of the Sociology Department and held in the Woods Building.
Construction began in the early 1970s on a new four-story, 197,000 square-foot building containing classrooms, offices, a 500-seat auditorium, and courtroom. The center was built entirely by inmate labor and thus severely reducing the cost of construction. A display in the building honors the inmates who helped with construction, noting the irony of the convicted felons building a facility to prepare future generation for careers in law enforcement. The cap of one such inmate, Terry, is included in the display.
Shortly after opening, State of Texas v. Nicol became the first criminal case tried in the building’s courtroom. Two years later the courtroom – which has been used for numerous seminars, programs, and trials over the years – was renamed in honor of Hazel Kerper. |
| Photographs |
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An aerial photo from the mid-1970s showing the construction of the CJ Center and adjoining University Hotel. |
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Governor Dolph Briscoe and his wife, Janey, unveiled the plaque for the dedication of the Criminal Justice Center, as shown in this 1978 Alcalde photo. |
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A landscaped planter box south of the main entrance was dedicated in 1990, the 25th anniversary of Criminal Justice classes at SHSU. The sundial serves as, "A memorial in honor of the alumni of the Criminal Justice Center who serve the cause of justice throughout the world and in memory of those who have perished in this service." The Latin on the sundial - Ius est ars boni et aequi – translates as “Law is the art of the good and the equitable.” |
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The plaque Briscoe unveiled is now featured prominently in the front lobby of the building. It's probably one of the few plaques to feature a Bible verse: "Seek the peace of the city..." (Jeremiah 29:7). |
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Dr. Charles Friel wrote a brief biography of Terry, one of the laborers that had a hand in construction of the Criminal Justice Center. A native of northeast Texas and one of nine children, his troubles with the law began in his 20's with drugs and traffic violations - 16 arrests by age 35. In 1975 he was sentenced to six years for theft in the Texas Department of Corrections. Friel writes that Terry was one of the last inmates to work at building the center and probably "inadvertently forget his cap at the end of a long day, which I found in one of the classrooms the day the center opened." Terry was paroled in 1978 after serving three years. |
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The Criminal Justice time capsule was created to celebrate the program’s quarter century (1965-1990). Memorabilia was placed in the time capsule on Criminal Justice Commemoration Day, April 26, 1991. The capsule is due to be opened in 2015, whereupon the materials will be reviewed and then be placed back into the time capsule along with materials covering the second quarter century (1990-2015).
Ben Pruitt, a wood working instructor at the Windham Unit, built the time capsule from Honduran mahogany. The sculpture was completed by Charles Pebworth of the SHSU Art Department using varied materials including aluminum, copper, brass, silver, lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, agate from India, bone from Rhode Island, and petrified wood from Huntsville. |
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Sources:
College of Criminal Justice |
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