SPSS vs. excel: Computing software,criminal justice students,and statistics

This study examines the impact of two different types of statistical software on student knowledge and perceptions of statistics. Students enrolled in a summer session introductory statistics class were randomly assigned to either Excel or SPSS. Weekly lab sessions were conducted providing instruction in statistical calculations using Excel and SPSS. The groups were then compared on two levels of knowledge: conceptual and computational. An additional comparison was made in relation to students' perceptions of their understanding of statistics. Results showed Excel students scored higher on both measures of knowledge and had higher ratings of statistical understanding compared to SPSS students.     

The international criminal court: A guide for criminal justice educators

The International Criminal Court formalizes a legal system which transcends national boundaries. This paper provides instructors desiring to incorporate discussions of the court into their classes with a summary of key topics. Among the topics covered are a brief history of the establishment of the court, its structure, operation, and jurisdiction, U.S. opposition to the court, and the limited role the court can play in combating terrorism. Appendices provide a timeline of the development of international criminal law, information on other sources of law regarding terrorism, and a list of selected sources for further information on the court.     

One-person criminal justice programs: An exploratory study

This article examines the issues that confront one-person criminal justice programs. These programs, operated by only one full-time faculty member, have both advantages and disadvantages. Identification, categorization, and analysis of the many relevant issues are the focus of this exploratory study. Nationwide more than one-third of the community college criminal justice programs are staffed by only one educator, as are some four-year college programs. It is important to ensure that the negative points inherent in one-person programs do not impair the quality of criminal justice education.     

Liberal education and the criminal justice major

New perspectives on the impact of college on students, on linking general education, the major, electives and extra-classroom experiences toward the goal of “integrated learning,” and renewed emphasis on the importance of producing liberally educated college graduates, present opportunities for criminal justice educators to make their field a keystone in the architecture of a liberal education. In this essay, I argue that the multidisciplinary perspectives that characterize the field of criminal justice, as well as its core intellectual concerns, make criminal justice well-suited to serve as the infrastructure for a high-quality undergraduate liberal education program.     

Ideology and criminal justice: Suggestions for a pedagogical model

Without the explanatory power of general theoretical principles, criminal justice educators are limited to subjectively describing the structure and function of our systems of criminal justice rather than explaining why these systems behave the way they do. Because of this, criminal justice lacks integrity as a legitimate academic discipline that seeks to meet the objectives of a liberal arts education. This paper explores the establishment of ideology as a first principle of criminal justice, derived from political philosophy and sociological theory. We examine ways to build upon this principle as a means of teaching criminal justice within the guise of the liberal arts tradition by guiding students toward a deeper understanding of the nature of our criminal justice systems and their place in larger society.     

Andragogy: Student centered classrooms in criminal justice programs

Historically, much of the teaching-learning transactions in criminal justice classrooms have been teacher-centered. Teacher-centered approaches are rooted in the behavioral and cognitive theories of education. Andragogy, a philosophical orientation for adult education, receives little attention in the criminal justice literature. Yet the tenets of andragogy form an organizing framework that is consistent with many contemporary and evolving criminal justice practices. This paper defines andragogy and presents an “andragogical guide,” which may be useful for criminal justice educators who desire to experiment with innovative approaches to foster a more effective teaching-learning transaction.     

Using active learning in criminal justice: Twenty-five examples

Active learning strategies may overcome the weaknesses of the traditional lecture approach. This paper outlines some of the main strengths and weaknesses of the lecture approach and reports research which illustrates why active learning strategies should be used in the classroom. The paper concludes with a presentation of twenty-five active learning strategies to be used in the criminal justice classroom, along with a discussion of how these strategies meet the goals of higher education.     

Career choices and characteristics of criminal justice undergraduates

Four hundred undergraduate criminal justice students from twelve colleges and universities in seven states participated in an anonymous, written survey designed to determine career choices and expectations as well as other demographic information. Approximately half of the students surveyed indicated that they were pursuing a career in law enforcement. Almost one-third indicated that they had no career plans. We found that reasons for studying criminal justice vary by race and gender, as do career goals.     

Movies in the classroom: Popular images of criminal justice,criminology, and the law

Courses that pique students' interest, promote discussion and participation, and contribute to their college learning experience are becoming increasingly rare. “Justice Issues and the Media” accomplishes these goals and is a pleasure to prepare and teach. This course links movies, a familiar aspect of American culture, with their substantive contribution to citizens' attitudes and stereotypes about the criminal justice system, criminology, and the law. We make recommendations and issue several cautions, which we hope will lead to the development and offering of this course at other universities.     

Navigating complexity,culture, collaboration,and emotion: student perspectives on global justice and global justice education

Recent years have seen increasing scholarly attention to the ways in which colleges and universities might contribute to educating ‘global citizens’ who work toward addressing injustice and inequity. The present study examines the experiences and perspectives of students participating in an upper level ‘global justice inquiry’ course designed to help meet this goal. Drawing from interviews with students and reflections submitted as part of their course assessment, we explore participants’ developing understanding of global justice and their experiences of learning about this topic. This investigation reveals key issues that students highlight and with which they sometimes struggle, including the complexity of global challenges, the importance of collaboration in attempting to address such challenges, the significance of navigating cultural considerations, and the potential influence of emotion on understanding and action. Implications of these findings, including the potential value of considering these issues as threshold concepts in global justice education, are discussed.     

The bible and the death penalty: Implications for criminal justice education

The death penalty remains a controversial issue. Since many practitioners and students base their opinions of capital punishment on their religious beliefs and/or the Bible, knowledge of the Bible's content on these issues is of value for teachers of criminal justice. People often cite specific verses of the Bible to justify a particular position on capital punishment, but these passages are freuqently acontextual, failing to consider the significance of the passages containing these verses or the Bible as an entire document. The purpose of this paper is a review of the Bible on the subject of the death penalty.