NCJ Number
143031
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Education Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1993) Pages: 177-187
Date Published
1993
Length
11 pages
Annotation
An introductory criminal justice class used a pedagogical process to challenge typical university students' preconceptions and beliefs about the personal and neighborhood factors that most often characterize crime and criminals.
Abstract
Students were assigned the tasks of responding to the similarities and differences between themselves and the characters in Alex Kotlowitz's (1991) book "There Are No Children Here" and of relating the book conceptually to issues discussed in the classroom. Rather than their previous expressions of ideological narrowness, the students' response papers revealed consistent themes of injustice, powerlessness, unfair police or court practices, and racism. The exercise enabled the students to stop distancing themselves from "criminals" and to consider the ways social disorganization and social institutions influence individual hopes and opportunities. 4 notes and 9 references