Crime,History, and Hollywood: Learning Criminal Justice History through Major Motion Pictures

In this article, the author discusses the pedagogical value of teaching a criminal justice history course through the use of major motion pictures. He examines the past use of film in academia, specifically the criminal justice academy, and highlights the gap in the literature associating historical films with criminal justice history. The article then proceeds to discuss the manner in which Hollywood often portrays history and include criminal justice history, and presents an example through the Steven Spielberg movie Amistad. The article also describes the author’s experience in creating and teaching a criminal justice history films course.