Criminal justice and non-criminal justice students' views of U.S. correctional issues

Abstract

For the past decade, researchers have examined the differences between criminal justice and non-criminal justice students' attitudes toward various criminal justice issues and problems. However, these same researchers have overlooked one important aspect of the criminal justice system, corrections. Therefore, using data collected from 570 students from four different universities, we examine the difference in attitudes among criminal justice and non-criminal justice majors on various inmate-related problems including overcrowding, violence, sexual assault of inmates, HIV/AIDS, gangs, and drugs. The only statistically significant difference that emerged between the two groups was on the issue of overcrowding. Criminal justice majors were more likely than non-criminal justice majors to believe that overcrowding was a serious problem in U.S. prisons.