An Evaluation of a Pilot Service‐Learning Course for Criminal Justice Undergraduate Students*

Abstract

This article focuses on a pilot service‐learning program implemented with undergraduate students enrolled in a juvenile delinquency course. An evaluation of the service‐learning program on students’ attitudes toward diversity, interpersonal skills, personal and intellectual development, and citizenship behavior using qualitative analysis is presented. The results indicate that the majority of students came to view the youth in a positive light, reported learning how to work with youth, experienced a reduction in stereotypes, gained career insights, learned how to apply academic theory to real‐life experiences and developed attitudes about how society addresses delinquency that were sympathetic to the youths’ condition. *We are indebted to our partners David Rogers, program director of the detention center, and Robert Henderson and David Daniels, probation supervisors, who served as the on‐site managers and facilitators, for their dedication and commitment to the program.