Assessing computer technology in the criminal justice classroom: A case study

Previous research examining computer-assisted teaching is inconclusive. Some studies find enhanced student performance while others find no difference from traditional-approach pedagogy. This case study compares student performance and course evaluations for computer-assisted and traditional-approach sections in three criminal justice courses: crime theory, criminal courts, and inequality in the justice system. Overall results indicate a significant difference between student performance in computer-assisted and traditional classes. Yet differences are not the same for each course. The theory course shows the least difference while the courts course had the greatest difference. Student evaluation data indicate computer-assisted activities are enjoyed, yet differences from traditional-approach sections are not significant. Questions for future research on the use of technology in teaching are raised.     

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.     

The graduate record examination as a predictor of graduate student performance: The case of criminal justice

Research on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as a predictor of graduate student performance has been marked by much debate. Thornell and McCoy (1985) have found that the relationship between student performance and the GRE may be sensitive to the discipline being studied. While unexplained to date, this disciplinary variation may be related to the differences in means and/or relative dispersions of GRE scores among disciplines. Further, there has been only one study (McKee, Mallory, and Campbell, in press) for criminal justice, the field with the lowest mean GRE score. This paper focuses on this neglected field. Data were collected from the files of 70 criminal justice majors in a master's program at a large midwestern urban university. The results indicate that GRE scores are largely unrelated to indicators of graduate student performance (GPA, grades in specific classes, and the completion of the M.A. degree). The one exception is a strong relationship between verbal GRE and graduate GPA. This relationship may indicate a nonlinear ceiling effect wherein verbal GRE scores affect GGPA, mainly in disciplines with means at the low end of the verbal GRE score distribution.     

论司法与行政的界限——以刑事审判为范例

从广义上理解司法与行政,为我们重新审视刑事审判中的司法与行政关系并确定两者界限提供了新的视角。在刑事审判中确定司法与行政界限要考察下列因素:审判的权威性、程序的正当性、法官意志的独立性、审判中的利益权衡,并从法定和裁量两方面对司法与行政进行界分。     

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.     

A model for teaching criminal justice ethics

Questionnaire data from 137 panel chairs at the 2003 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences meeting in Boston reveal respondent perceptions of the conference site, overall impressions of the conference, as well as panelist attendance, and the quality of information presented by panelists. The findings reveal high marks for the conference space, hotel rooms, and the city of Boston itself, resulting in an overall positive conference experience, but responses also highlight several areas of concern, including panelist attendance problems and presentation etiquette. Recommendations are provided, which may foster positive, incremental change at future ACJS annual meetings.     

Development of criminal justice as an academic field

Thirty years ago Justice Robert Jackson persuaded the American Bar Foundation to conduct and the Ford Foundation to finance a major empirical study of criminal justice administration. That research demonstrated the importance and complexity of criminal justice and the inadequacy of then current university programs. This new field of criminal justice has demonstrated both strengths and significant weakness. The challenge for the future is to maintain the strengths and eliminate the weaknesses.     

The use of multiple intelligences in criminal justice education

This research explores Gardner's (1983) theory of multiple intelligences (MI) as it relates to career choice among criminal justice majors. The identification of the predominate intelligences of criminal justice majors may help students identify what types of careers suit them best, based on their MI strengths and weaknesses. The data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire of the population of enrolled criminal justice majors during spring 2001. The results of chi-square analyses indicate that criminal justice majors are predominately intrapersonal. Additional findings suggest there are significant differences between career choice and predominate intelligences.     

A commitment to justice at a jesuit university: A comparison of criminal justice majors to non-majors

While both criminal justice programs and Jesuit institutions claim commitment to the realization of justice, their conceptions of justice differ. This exploratory survey of 31 criminal justice majors and 51 non-majors compares criminal justice majors' concept of justice with that of non-criminal justice majors. We find that criminal justice majors and non-majors generally do not differ in their views of justice or their rank of goals for specific criminal justice professionals, regardless of the number of theology/philosophy or criminal justice courses taken or other demographic factors.     

Examining paradigmatic development in criminology and criminal justice: A content analysis of research methods syllabi in doctoral programs

Kuhn (1996) describes a paradigm as a model for a field of scientific inquiry. He notes the importance of shared scientific research methods in the paradigm. This study examines the teaching of research methods in doctoral programs to identify elements of a paradigm. Research methods syllabi were obtained from schools that have a doctoral program in criminology and criminal justice. Content analysis was conducted to identify themes in courses and readings. There was little evidence of consensus in doctoral-level research methods teaching at these institutions. This is indicative of a discipline that does not have an established paradigm.     

Reviewing criminal justice baccalaureate curricula: The importance of student input

While criminal justice undergraduate enrollments continue to burgeon, rarely do criminal justice departments conduct comprehensive surveys of their majors as part of the baccalaureate curriculum review process. This paper describes one such survey completed by 238 criminal justice majors at Wayne State University in Detroit. Major survey findings are presented along with their implications for student and faculty diversity, curriculum design, teaching and grading methods, student advising, and department administration.     

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.     

Impact of a university-government partnership in criminal justice: A linkage model for the 1990s

Evaluation findings of a social experiment involving a university-government partnership in the Commonwealth of Kentucky are presented. The findings are based on telephone interviews in 1987 with 677 decision makers of state and local governmental offices who had been sent research products from six studies conducted over a two-year period by a university-based criminal justice statistical analysis center. It was found that dissemination strategies tended to be problematic in that one-third of the decision makers did not remember receiving any of the nine products. Among those who remembered receiving one product or more, however, a large majority rated the quality of the research as high, and they discussed the products or referred them to others. An “adequacy of performance” evaluation used the ratings of a panel of research utilization experts as the basis for comparing the level of research use. The panel found the performance of the university-state government partnership to be more than adequate in relation to the knowledge and experience of the panel members. Despite positive evaluation results and extensive productivity, the university-based model did not survive as originally designed. Implications for implementing future university-government partnerships are discussed.     

Workload and compensation among criminal justice faculty members: A national survey

This article reports the results of a nationwide survey of ASC and ACJS members conducted in spring 1991. The respondents first were asked to describe their current academic position, their department, and the nature of their teaching, research, and administrative responsibilities in the course of a typical academic year. Respondents then were asked about various salary and compensation issues. ANOVA was used to explore the impact of various structural and demographic factors (e.g., type of appointment, academic rank, gender, region, department, and university size) on salary levels.