Criminal Justice (AS.CRJ)

*CRJ 111 and CRJ 113 are recommended for the 3+1 Law and Justice Studies program.

Joseph Rizzo

Mr. Rizzo has been with RCBC as a full-time instructor since September of 2016.  Joe is currently the Coordinator for the Criminal Justice program. He teaches CRJ 101-Introduction to Criminal Justice, CRJ 106-Introduction to Corrections, CRJ 111-Criminal Law, CRJ 207-Community Corrections, and CRJ 310-Theories of Crime (3+1 Program Course).

Mr. Rizzo is a retired NJ Department of Corrections Prison Administrator.  Joe began his career as a teacher with New Jersey public schools for 7 years before working as an educator with the Department of Corrections.  He spent 26 years with the Department beginning in 1981 as a teacher and rising through the ranks as an Education Director and then as Assistant Superintendent.  In 2000, Joe was appointed as the Administrator of the Mountainview Youth Correctional Facility, where he served for 5 years before finishing his career at the Central Reception and Assignment Facility in Trenton in 2007.

Mr. Rizzo served as a consultant from 2007-2013 with The Kintock Group, a private Community Corrections company and Urban Renewal Corporation located in Newark New Jersey.  He has taught as an adjunct professor from 2009 to 2016 at Burlington County College, Mercer County Community College, Brookdale Community College, Rowan University, and Kean University teaching various Criminal Justice classes. Since 2017, Joe has served as an auditor and executive board member for the American Correctional Association (ACA). Mr. Rizzo also serves on the Law and Public Safety Advisory Board at Burlington County Institute of Technology (BCIT).

Mr. Rizzo earned his BA from Glassboro State College (Rowan University) and his MA from Trenton State College (The College of New Jersey).

Mr. Rizzo received the prestigious Professor of the Year award for 2020! He can be reached at 856-222-9311 ext 2343 or at jrizzo@rcbc.edu

Dr. Amber L. Ciccanti

Dr. Ciccanti has been with RCBC since 2004 and has served as an adjunct instructor, distance learning course designer and currently as full-time faculty. Dr. Ciccanti teaches CRJ 101-Introduction to Criminal Justice, CRJ 102-Police Operations and Procedures, CRJ 113-Criminal Investigation, CRJ 114-Criminalistics, CRJ 218-Private Security, and CRJ 315-Drugs and Crime (3+1 Program Course). In addition to teaching, Dr. Ciccanti currently serves as the Advisor for the Criminal Justice Club and serves on the Criminal Justice Advisory Board for Burlington County Institute of Technology (BCIT). Dr. Ciccanti is a school safety advisor for a local private school, on a local school board, is a member of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), a member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, and a member of the American Society of Criminology. 

Dr. Ciccanti began her private security / law enforcement career by working for private companies; as an investigator with the Six Flags company and then as a security officer with Murray Guard in Tennessee, working in government buildings. She then began working in the public sector, when she obtained a position with the University of Tennessee Police Department as a police dispatcher and campus security officer. She realized her dream of becoming a police officer, when she accepted a position with the Willingboro Police Department, where she served as a patrol officer for over 7 years, a detective for over 12 years, and as a patrol sergeant until her retirement. Some of her career highlights with the police department include receiving a Lifesaving award, being named Detective of the Year four times, successfully clearing two homicide cases by arrest and conviction, carrying a fellow officer who had been shot to safety during an armed robbery, and recovering a kidnaped child, who had been missing for over six years. The Lifetime movie “Little Girl Lost; The Delimar Vera Story” is based on that case. Additionally, she taught tactical handcuffing and unarmed self-defense at multiple police academies in New Jersey for over 18 years.

Educationally, Doctor Ciccanti started at Rowan College at Burlington County earning an Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice. She then earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Law and Justice from Rowan University, a Master’s Degree in Criminology from Saint Joseph’s University and finally, a Doctorate Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in the Criminal Justice System from Northcentral University. 

Dr. Ciccanti can be reached at 856-222-9311 ext 2594 or at aciccanti@rcbc.edu

Students who have graduated with an Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice from RCBC have obtained employment in several areas of public safety and some have attended law school.  Some examples include:

Local/Municipal/City/County Police Agencies:  Bordentown Township Police Department / Burlington County Sheriff's Department / Burlington Township Police Department / Camden County Police Department-Metro Division / Chesterfield Police Department / City of Burlington Police Department  / Edgewater Park Police Department / Evesham Police Department / Mount Holly Police Department  / Mount Laurel Police Department / Riverside Police Department / Willingboro Police Department

New Jersey State Police Agencies:  New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife / New Jersey State Police / New Jersey Transit Police  

Out of State Police Agencies: Carrollton County Sheriff’s office (Oh) / Reno Police Department (NV) / Wausau County Police Department (WI)

Federal Law Enforcement Agencies:  Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) / Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) / United States Supreme Court Police 

State/County Corrections: New Jersey Department of Corrections / Burlington County Department of Corrections                                      

Out of State Corrections:  Bucks County Department of Corrections 

Parole/Probation:  Burlington County Department of Probation / New Jersey State Parole Board          

College/University Public Safety or Police: Rowan College at Burlington County Department of Public Safety / The College of New Jersey Department of Public Safety                                          

Law Schools: Rutgers University Law School / Widener University Law School