Criminal Justice and Criminology students’ Mental Health and Psychological Well-Being: A Scoping Review of the Available Research Evidence

Abstract

Working in the criminal justice sector can be psychologically challenging. It is important that students seeking to join this workforce are adequately prepared for the psychological rigours that they will invariably be exposed to. This paper presents findings from a scoping review examining whether there are mental health-related or psychological well-being issues specific to criminal justice and criminology students and what universities and colleges have done to respond to, or prevent, such issues. Only 15 eligible studies were identified within the published literature with the majority examining potential trauma to criminal justice and criminology students. Only six studies explicitly examined any response to mental health or psychological well-being issues. This paper reflects on the implications of these findings and highlights future directions notably that more attention must be paid to the mental health and overall well-being of criminal justice and criminology students. Despite this recognition, research in this area remains limited, highlighting a critical gap in our understanding of how to support these students effectively.