Criminal Justice Classroom Research Articles

The Use of Narrative in the Criminal Justice Classroom: Book Club as a Teaching Tool

This paper explores the use of crime narratives through book clubs in criminal justice education. While true crime media has gained popularity, it often presents a skewed view of criminal justice realities. In contrast, carefully selected narratives in educational settings can promote significant learning experiences, as outlined in Fink’s taxonomy. These narratives can help humanize justice-involved individuals, challenge stereotypes, and provide a more balanced understanding of the criminal justice system. The growing field of narrative criminology further supports the use of stories to examine social hierarchies and inequalities within the justice system. Book clubs, when integrated effectively into coursework, have shown promise in increasing student engagement and building relationships.

Reacting to the Past Games in the Criminal Justice Classroom

While student engagement and student-centered learning have been demonstrated, at length, to increase academic achievement, how can criminal justice as an academic field continue to effectively engage students in a contemporary society that appears to be ever more based on dogmatic tribes and beliefs? The answer might be reacting to the past (RTTP) games which utilize “elaborately designed role-playing games set in pivotal historical moments of clashing ideas and interests” to increase student engagement and academic performance. When confronted with a controversial topic in criminal justice, one that fits well into the aforementioned dogmatic tribal belief structure, instructors might see the task of student engagement daunting. Utilizing RTTP as part of their pedagogical approach would provide instructors with a tool that places students in similar controversial moments with little to argue as the historical events the RTTP game is based on is well recorded.

Photovoice as a Research Technique for Student Learning and Empowerment: A Case Study from a South Texas Border Town

Criminal justice (CJ) education often includes culminating research courses as part of its curriculum. Many of these courses follow a traditional process of considering ethics, theory, research design, quantitative and qualitative methods, and aspects of experiential learning. However, the pedagogy around engaging contemporary modes of knowledge building in CJ, especially those that critique traditional models and rely on new technologies, is lacking. This paper documents our experience using Photovoice methods to empower students as both residents and researchers to systematically assess manifestations of social disorganization in a mid-sized city along the U.S.-Mexico border. We first introduce how other disciplines have incorporated Photovoice into pedagogy, then focus on using a Photovoice study in the CJ classroom to investigate and understand social disorganization in a South Texas border town and consider influences for social action. We conclude with lessons learned and ideas for teacher-scholar-activists to engage in new modes of research pedagogy.

Student Perceptions of Team-Based Learning in the Criminal Justice Classroom

As instructors seek ways to increase student engagement and retention, several innovative pedagogical approaches have been developed that fosters critical thinking and quality group work. One of these approaches is Team-Based Learning (TBL), a flipped-classroom model that has been found to improve student outcomes and knowledge retention. While prior research has found students tend to have positive perceptions of TBL, these have been limited to other disciplines. The current study sought to examine how students perceive the use of TBL in two criminal justice courses through pre- and post-test surveys. Results indicated that students overall had positive perceptions of TBL as they found solving problems in teams to be effective and tended to prefer TBL to traditional lecture-based courses. Implications and future directions are also discussed.

Holocaust lessons for the criminal justice classroom

The rise of antisemitic acts across the United States and worldwide and the general lack of Holocaust knowledge highlights the need to better integrate Holocaust education across disciplines, especially criminal justice. An undergraduate criminology class at Queensborough Community College (QCC) at the City University of New York (CUNY) was aligned with the goals and objectives of an on-campus exhibit, Conspiracy of Goodness, at the Kupferberg Holocaust Center. The exhibit focused on the rescuing behaviors of the village of Le Chambon during the Holocaust. Survey information suggested that prior to the class, students only had a rudimentary understanding of the Holocaust. During the semester students engaged with the exhibit, attended associated events and completed a paper comparing and contrasting the behaviors of Le Chambon with those of Jedwabne, Poland. Students selected and critically applied a criminological theory to explain the differences in behavior. Upon completion of the course, the majority of students showed an increased mastery not only of the facts of the Holocaust, but of their ability to think critically and make connections between historical events, criminological theories, and current events evidenced by their final papers, suggesting the benefit of aligning the studies of the Holocaust and criminal justice.

Clickers and Online Homework in the Criminal Justice Classroom: A Test Study

The criminal justice discipline has few studies that explore the use of technology as a supplement to traditional face-to-face instruction. Using a sample of criminal justice students enrolled in two sections of the same 300-level foundational criminal justice course, this study examines the impact of clickers and online homework on student performance in the course, as well as observes student perceptions of the integrated technology. Results reveal that while students perceived the technologies as helpful to their learning, the addition of technologies to the one section of the course had little impact on student performance indicators such as test scores and final letter grades. Potential explanations for these findings and directions for future research are discussed; and suggestions on how to potentially make these supplemental tools more useful are provided.

Integrating philosophy, sociology, and dialog-based instruction in the social & criminal justice classroom

In creating this analysis of pedagogical strategies, we began with the recognition that criminal justice education currently tends to be limited in its scope. The focus on courts, law enforcement, and incarceration dominate the curriculum in the university context. We hope to broaden this scope within social and criminal justice courses, and here we outline effective pedagogical strategies. The focus is primarily on cultivating student consciousness of foundational bases of justice using perspectives from philosophy alongside sociological and criminological research. Descriptions of philosophical and sociological content and concepts around justice are accompanied by an analysis of dialog-based instructional methods and the use of Michael Sandel’s Justice: What’s the Right Thing to do? From this approach, we address fundamental philosophical perspectives on virtue, maximizing general welfare, and freedom; and we tie this content with studies of core sociological issues of civic engagement and social solidarity, economic/racial/gender inequality, institutional anomie and deviance, among others.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Team-Based Learning in Undergraduate Criminal Justice Courses

Team-based learning (TBL), as developed by Larry Michaelsen, is a pedagogical strategy designed to incorporate group processes in academic settings. The effectiveness of TBL as a teaching method has been tested in a number of disciplines with mixed results. Few empirical tests of TBL in the undergraduate criminal justice classroom exist. Articles concerning TBL in the criminal justice classroom are predominantly descriptive and expository in nature, leaving questions about potential effectiveness of this teaching method in the discipline. This study evaluates the effectiveness of TBL in comparison with a lecture-based course. Results indicate that students in the TBL course reported higher levels of student involvement, preparation, and accountability. However, there were no statistically significant differences in overall student performance in comparison with those in the lecture-based course. The article reviews the potential benefits and drawbacks of using TBL.

Classical Literature for the Criminal Justice Classroom

When students are confronted with primary sources to be critically evaluated, a path toward independent inquiry and, ultimately, self‐awareness, is forged. Primary sources challenge intellectual passivity in that they force the mind to take charge of its own thinking, and such independent thinking is the means by which intellectual freedom and strength are achieved. In incorporating primary sources into the criminal justice classroom, one place to start is with the Classical world. This paper shares some practical teaching tips, tricks, and tools for teaching Classical primary texts about “justice” to students of criminal justice. Sample materials used in undergraduate classes from five lessons centering on the question of justice are also discussed.

Creating a Teaching and Learning Environment in Criminal Justice Courses that Promotes Higher Order Thinking*

Active learning techniques have long been shown to increase the extent to which students are able to think critically about problems and solutions to them. The extant research suggests that efforts to engage students in higher order thinking should extend beyond the typical setting in which the more advanced students are introduced to active learning techniques. White and Frederiksen (2000) have found that most students, regardless of achievement levels, can reach a higher order thinking level when they are encouraged to do so. This paper explores several issues associated with active learning techniques in the general sense and then uses examples to demonstrate how such techniques can and are being used on the criminal justice classroom. The pros and cons of using active learning techniques are also discussed. *An earlier version of this paper was first presented at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology. The author would like to thank three anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful comments on this paper. The paper is much improved because of their insights.

Using Content Analysis Projects in the Introduction to Criminal Justice Classroom

analyze presentations of specific players in the criminal justice system, including criminals, victims, police, and lawyers. Students were then required to compare the media presentation with reality, as derived from the criminological literature. This article demonstrates that this type of project can address course objectives of introducing students to the criminal justice system. Further, the project is consistent with constructivist teaching practices. Included in the article is a description of the project, justification for the project, specific project details, examples of students' projects, students' assessment of the project, and what students learned. The final section presents a personal reflection about the project, including recommendations.

Bringing the field into the criminal justice classroom: Field trips, ride-alongs, and guest speakers

Educators in a number of disciplines rely on field strategies to show their students how to apply concepts they have learned in their coursework. Very little guidance has been provided to criminal justice educators on ways to successfully bring the field into their classroom. Three strategies for bringing “the real world” into criminal justice courses include field trips, police ride-alongs, and the use of guest speakers. Using our experiences and ideas from the educational literature, this paper addresses the use of each method and suggests a number of strategies to make these field experiences pedagogically successful in criminal justice courses.

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.

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.

Low-Tech vs. No-Tech: An evaluation of the impact of introducing presentation software into a criminal justice classroom

A study was conducted to measure the impact of using presentation software in a legal evidence class in a rural community college. The No-Tech group was taught through traditional teaching methods via chalk and blackboard, while the Low-Tech group received the same lectures utilizing computer generated presentation software. Although posttest measures did not reveal significant differences between the Low-Tech and No-Tech groups, several explanations are explored as to why this occurred, as well as recommendations on how to incorporate Low-Technology into the classroom setting.

Gender balancing the criminal justice curriculum and classroom

This article sets forth some of the major areas involved in transforming the criminal justice curriculum and classroom to make them more inclusive of issues and concerns related to women and minorities. These areas include a comparison of feminist and traditional pedagogy, classroom climate and teachers' behaviors, sexist language, criminal justice textbooks, and course content. A curriculum transformation project in one university is described and analyzed. Appendices include an outline and evaluation of a faculty development project. A list of library and audiovisual resources to help transform the criminal justice curriculum is available.