Considerations for Faculty Preparing to Develop and Teach Online Criminal Justice Courses at Traditional Institutions of Higher Learning

Criminal justice programs at traditional institutions of higher learning have been moving toward offering courses online and, in some cases, placing entire programs online for the better part of the past decade. In competition with for‐profit institutions, many traditional colleges and universities have expanded their distance education programming to include online courses and programs to attract students. As a result, the number of criminal justice students has increased, as have the profits for home institutions. With this growth in the online education market, the criminal justice faculty member has been thrust, willingly or unwillingly, into the world of online teaching—a method of instruction foreign to many instructors. From the authors’ experience at their current (and in the case of the lead author a second) institution, this paper addresses many issues that must be considered by faculty members before embarking on this type of time‐intensive initiative.     

Probation Simulation: A High-Impact Practice

High-impact practices (HIPs) implemented in criminal justice have traditionally been designed as stand-alone courses. However, HIPs can also be integrated into existing criminal justice courses to deepen student empathetic understanding of key roles and concepts. As such, the purpose of the present study is threefold. First, we provide a discussion of a HIP probation simulation project created as a key part of an undergraduate community corrections elective course utilizing the D.E.A.L. Model for Critical Reflection for all assessments. Second, we examine student experiences at the conclusion of the HIP by performing a content analysis of the summary experience papers for themes related to their overall experience, and individual empathetic experiences as a probationer and probation officer. Third, we discuss suggested modifications for future iterations of this and similar HIPs implemented within existing criminal justice courses.     

Teaching the ultimate crime: Genocide and international law in the criminal justice curriculum

The rapid expansion of international law and the establishment of an international criminal court have resulted in new justice institutions that should not be ignored in criminal justice curricula. Genocide, as the focal point of an entire course or a unit within other courses, provides instructors with an organizational framework for addressing a wide variety of topics related to international law. This paper discusses how the crime of genocide can be integrated into criminal justice curricula and the opportunities it provides for examining international law, history, current events, and the interdependence of criminal justice system components. A course on genocide taught to advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students is described and evaluated.     

Addressing Issues of Justice (and Injustice) in Criminal Justice Education

Although they use the term “justice” for purposes of self-definition, undergraduate criminal justice courses rarely examine the concept of justice in a systematic way. This paper documents justice’s status as a curricular afterthought in criminal justice course offerings. It also proposes ways to remedy the deficiency it identifies.     

Diversity Course Effectiveness Among Criminal Justice Students

Most universities today require their students to learn about diversity as a part of their degree. Research has examined the effectiveness of diversity courses at changing attitudes toward groups, focusing on sexism or racism, within psychology and women’s studies disciplines. Given the increasing concern over bias in policing, however, this diversity training may be of importance to the study of criminal justice. The current study aims to examine the effectiveness of a diversity course within a criminal justice program at changing perceptions of groups using a survey based on validated measures of attitudes toward women, homosexuality, and symbolic racism. Change in attitudes between the pre-test and post-test are examined. Results suggest that the course is effective at changing attitudes toward homosexuality, but not race or sex. The results also suggest that these perceptions are dependent on group characteristics.     

The State of Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Programs in the United States: Institutional,Departmental, and Curricula Features

Bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice (BCJ) now constitute one of the ten most awarded undergraduate degrees in this country, yet little attention has been paid recently to the institutional, departmental, or curricular aspects of these programs. This study used primary and secondary data collected from the population (N = 670) of US colleges and universities offering BCJ degrees during the 2015–2016 academic year to describe and assess the state of these programs. Results indicated BCJ programs are typically found at relatively small, residential, non-selective, private, sectarian, master’s-level institutions located in urban areas; the programs are housed in smaller departments labeled “criminal justice” located in academic units other than colleges/schools of arts & science; and BCJ curricula vary in total, required, and elective hours for the major, required courses in the major, and do not offer concentrations. Observations about the current state of BCJ programs are made as are recommendations for future research.     

How Will They Understand if We Don’t Teach Them? The Status of Criminal Justice Education on Gay and Lesbian Issues

Inclusion of race and gender in criminal justice education has, to some degree, been prompted as a result of perceived bias by criminal justice system professionals. Utilizing the race and gender experience as a template, interactions between the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) community and the criminal justice system are explored. This study surveyed criminal justice undergraduate degree programs to ascertain course content on gay and lesbian issues. Results indicate that an extremely small number of programs have such a course or alternatively incorporate GLBT issues within existing race and gender courses. Implications for criminal justice education are discussed.     

“Ain't no faggot gonna rob me!”: Anti‐gay attitudes of criminal justice undergraduate majors

This study examines the attitudes of undergraduate criminal justice majors towards gays and lesbians. A sample of 1055 undergraduate students including both criminal justice majors and non‐majors were surveyed at four universities. The analysis indicates that criminal justice undergraduate students are unique in the degree to which they hold negative attitudes towards gays and lesbians     

Thinking About Thinking in Criminal Justice Education

Metacognitive learning techniques encourage students to engage course material in such a way that facilitates learning, retention, and application of information gained from a course. While metacognition has begun to be widely used in higher education, little is known about its applicability to criminal justice education. Using a sample of undergraduate students from core criminal justice major courses, this study assesses the impact of metacognitive exercises on learning for criminal justice majors. Specifically, we compared the effect of implementing metacognitive activities on objective and subjective measures of student learning. The results of our evaluation revealed that metacognitive learning techniques were found to have varied objective effectiveness while simultaneously having consistent subjective effectiveness.     

Developing an online justice studies degree program: A case study

Online technology allows higher education to reach additional students. Because of its convenience many universities will offer a variety of criminology and criminal justice courses online. This paper presents a case study of the transfer of a graduate justice studies degree program from traditional instruction to online delivery. The transformation must involve the coordination of several university departments. Online course instruction includes development, instruction, and assessment stages that are distinct from traditional courses. The lessons learned from this process are discussed.     

Service Learning and Criminal Justice Students: An Assessment of the Effects of Co-Curricular Pedagogy on Graduation Rates

Service learning courses provide meaningful community service for students in order to assist them with the integration of theory and practice. A partnership with local high schools allows students in a large criminal justice program on the west coast to serve as mentors for students who are referred to the program by school counselors and/or social workers. Data on student performance are used to assess whether the exposure to service learning improves matriculation. All criminal justice students who participated in the program were included in this analysis. The impact of this pedagogy is highlighted by using a randomized sample of criminal justice students who have not participated in this particular course. Findings from this program assessment indicate that race and gender are not strong predictors of graduation. Students with high GPAs and those taking service learning courses are more likely than their low GPA and no service learning course counterparts to obtain a degree.     

Using chipendale in the classroom

One of the most common complaints among criminal justice educators is that students have very poor writing and research skills. In particular, educators cite that students’ papers are poorly organized, are replete with grammar and spelling errors, are missing key elements in their discussions, and are often plagiarized. Despite the need for research and writing classes, very few social science faculty members teach writing‐intensive courses because of the amount of time such a course requires. Accordingly, this paper presents a model criminal justice writing class that outlines specific teaching methods to overcome the most common problems found in criminal justice writing and research.     

Teaching Cybersecurity to Criminal Justice Majors

Responses to breaches in cybersecurity are increasingly reliant on criminal justice practitioners. However, while the demand for criminal justice participation in cybersecurity increases daily, most universities are lagging in their educational and training opportunities for students entering criminal justice agencies. This paper discusses the need for cybersecurity programs in criminal justice, and examines how the evolution of this “new crime” has become an issue for criminal justice professionals in addition to computer science experts. A review of existing cybersecurity programs in Texas suggests that most four-year universities have yet to develop courses/programs in criminal justice. Course recommendations, sample syllabi for cybersecurity courses in criminal justice, and recommendations for development of these programs are included.     

Identifying the Prevalence of Courses on Mental Illness in Criminal Justice Education

Persons with Mental Illness (PMIs) require unique consideration and individualized attention in the criminal justice system. Research has demonstrated the prevalence with which police come into contact with these individuals, the unique considerations made by courtrooms serving PMIs, the overrepresentation of PMIs in correctional settings, and the problems PMIs experience when reentering the community from incarceration. Given the growth of attention to this area, and the increased reality of challenges that criminal justice professionals encounter when working with PMIs, this paper explores the prevalence of courses on mental illness in criminal justice undergraduate programs in the United States. The current review of over 640 curricula in the United States illustrates that courses devoted solely to the topic of mental illness in the criminal justice system are particularly rare. The importance of offering more courses in the interface between mental illness and criminal justice for future professionals in the field is discussed.     

Student attitudes towards internship experiences: From theory to practice

Traditionally, internships have provided a unique way for criminal justice students to gain work experience while earning academic credit. Questions remain, however, as to whether a student's educational experiences adequately reflect the realities of internship (and other work-related) experiences. As part of a larger study, we sought to explore student views and attitudes regarding their undergraduate curriculum and its relevance to their experiences at the criminal justice agencies. Through the use of self-report surveys, findings were two-fold, indicating tremendous support for internship programs. Moreover, (1) students felt their undergraduate curricula adequately reflected the practical realities of criminal justice operations, and (2) internships were regarded as invaluable in preparing students for criminal justice careers.     

The forensic science needs of law enforcement applicants and recruits: A survey of Michigan law enforcement agencies

Many colleges and universities offer forensic science courses ranging from a single introductory class to majors. Previous research has not addressed how valuable these courses are to undergraduate criminal justice students who aspire to enter the law enforcement field. A random sample of law enforcement agencies in Michigan were surveyed. Seventy-eight percent of respondents agreed that knowledge of forensic science was important and 46% preferred that applicants have a forensic science background prior to hiring. The knowledge areas deemed most important were interviewing techniques, crime scene documentation, evidence collection, and latent fingerprint analysis.     

The Specter of Authoritarianism Among Criminal Justice Majors

Authoritarianism has been an influential concept in social science research. Furthermore, researchers have long been concerned about the potential dangers of authoritarianism within the criminal justice system. The current study uses Altemeyer’s RWA Scale to measure and compare levels of authoritarianism between criminal justice majors and non‐criminal justice majors in a sample of undergraduate students. Results indicate that criminal justice majors, males, and lower‐division students have higher mean RWA scores than non‐criminal justice majors, females, and upper‐division students. However, it is male criminal justice majors who demonstrate the highest levels of authoritarianism. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Exploring the impact of correctional facility tours on the perceptions of undergraduate criminal justice students

Students’ negative perceptions of inmates are a challenging aspect of teaching criminal justice. Scholars suggest exposing students to the criminal justice system may provide a realistic approach to understanding offenders. Prison tours have become a viable solution for instructors who want to create such exposure, but contrasting perspectives on the impact of prison tours on students’ learning are present in research. Drawing upon theories of experiential learning, we designed a pre-/post-survey to address the following exploratory questions: (1) What perceptions do criminal justice students hold regarding corrections, inmates, and correctional officers? (2) Do these perceptions change after going on a tour of a correctional facility? Data were collected from a convenience sample of 123 students attending courses at two Midwestern universities. Findings add to the body of literature on prison tours as a component of criminal justice education and further our understanding of the complexity of student learning.     

Preparing for the real world: A prelude to a fieldwork experience

This article discusses the challenges of self-directed learning and the benefits of thorough preparation of undergraduate students for an internship experience. It describes a course offered at a unit of the State University of New York that prepares students in criminal justice and human services for their required fieldwork experience, focusing on the component activities of the course and their educational rationale.     

Perfecting Lessons Learned for Criminal Justice Online Graduate Education: Reflection,Integration, and Application

Criminal justice programs are seeing an increase in the number of online classes both at the graduate and undergraduate levels. At the graduate level, criminal justice online education requires students to achieve mastery of higher ordered thinking and advanced analytic skills. Some students may believe that online education is simply a matter of reading postings and writing simple responses to queries. In order to counter the view that modern online courses, particularly those at the graduate level, are not academic enough, online graduate faculty must find ways to engage students through useful course design and meaningful assessments that promote deep learning. Such engagement requires faculty and students to show reflection in design as well as the integration and application of course materials in a consistent and significant way. This paper will discuss our attempts to reframe graduate criminal justice online classes in order to enhance student engagement and, ultimately, their deeper learning.