Founded in 1979 by Professor Lyle Shannon, The Center for Criminology and Socio-Legal Studies is a venue that allows faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students to study crime, law, deviance, mental health, and social control. The Center has two major features:

• The Colloquium Series on crime, law, and social control allows affiliates and outside speakers to present their ongoing research. This offers a forum for dialogue and feedback on research issues. One recent event was a presentation by Ronald Simons, a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Sociology and Research Fellow in the Institute for Behavioral Research and the Center for Gene-Environment Transaction at the University of Georgia.
• The Graduate Training Program helps train graduate students by providing funding for travel to ABD students, and collaborative research projects between faculty and graduate students. In addition, the Center provides students with an environment conducive to study, including quiet office space and excellent computing resources.

The Center is located in the Department of Sociology and Criminology, but faculty work to maintain interdisciplinary ties to other entities on campus, including the College of Law, the School of Social Work, and the Public Policy Center.