Academic disciplines are artificial constructions, but also rational methods of organizing curriculum. A relatively new discipline such as criminal justice borrows its substance from established disciplines and wages a constant battle to be scholarly rather than merely vocational. JDs who teach in criminal justice programs find themselves tarred with the vocational brush; the resulting ghettoized status is reflected in salaries, hiring practices and lack of collaboration in teaching and research. JDs have no less commitment to teaching than do PhDs; their education is neither better nor worse, but different. Students will be better served if JDs are drawn into the academic mainstream as equal partners.