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Student Perceptions of Juvenile Offender Accounts in Criminal Justice Education

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Abstract

In criminal justice programs, a major teaching objective is to expose students to the wide range of experiences and career paths available in criminal justice. Technological advances increase instructional strategies so that students may gain more realistic educational experience and correct erroneous perceptions about the criminal justice system. This paper describes one such strategy for online criminal justice students, a virtual prison tour, founded on the principles of social learning, experiential learning, and e-learning. In an upperclass course in juvenile delinquency, 43 students viewed a video of incarcerated juvenile offenders recounting their experiences of institutionalization, sentences, challenges, programming, and fears upon release. Student responses to seven quantitative questions and one qualitative question revealed that the video greatly impacted their attitudes, understanding, and perceptions of the juvenile justice system and provided pedagogical benefits. This strategy can be used to help criminal justice educators enhance student learning so that students experience a major aspect of the juvenile justice system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Criminal Justice Administration, College of Health and Public Administration, Franklin University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Karen Miner-Romanoff

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  1. Karen Miner-Romanoff
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Correspondence to Karen Miner-Romanoff.

Appendix: Instrument

Appendix: Instrument

  1. 1.

    Whether the audio helped you connect theory to practice.

    • Yes

    • No

    • Somewhat

  2. 2.

    Whether you found the audio helpful to your understanding of juvenile corrections.

    • Yes

    • No

    • Somewhat

  3. 3.

    Whether the audio provided a realistic experience of juvenile incarceration beyond your course material.

    • Yes

    • No

    • Somewhat

  4. 4.

    Whether the audio impacted your career choice.

    • Yes

    • No

    • Somewhat

  5. 5.

    Whether the audio impacted your support for community alternatives to incarceration.

    • Yes

    • No

    • Somewhat

  6. 6.

    Whether the audio provided a realistic experience of juvenile incarceration for online learners.

    • Yes

    • No

    • Somewhat

  7. 7.

    Whether the audio impacted your support for rehabilitation, treatment and services, including mental health and education, for incarcerated youth.

    • Yes

    • No

    • Somewhat

  8. 8.

    Please provide any additional responses or feedback regarding your responses to the audio.

    figure a

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Miner-Romanoff, K. Student Perceptions of Juvenile Offender Accounts in Criminal Justice Education. Am J Crim Just 39, 611–629 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-013-9223-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-013-9223-5

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