NCJ Number
168472
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Education Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1997) Pages: 61-73
Date Published
1997
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article describes a multifaceted course in correctional institutions that integrates policy and practical issues with management theory.
Abstract
The Department of Criminal Justice Sciences at Illinois State University offers undergraduate majors one required course and two elective courses in corrections. Correctional Institutions (CI), an elective for juniors and seniors, has an enrollment of 30-35 in the fall and spring semesters and 20-25 in the summer. CI combines traditional elements of college instruction (lectures, readings, films, and papers) with exercises conducted by learning teams that focus on a number of practical management skills required in modern correctional workplaces. These skills are also fundamental to successful employment in other areas, such as policing, probation, and parole. The framework of CI could be a model for a number of criminal justice courses that combine a scholarly with a "training" objective. When the semester ends, students know that corrections is a complex blend of law, human resource management, and government mandates. They have also learned to perform new tasks and have improved their skills in other tasks. Course evaluations show that students enjoy the freedom of working on their own, and they find coaching and structured classroom activities a refreshing change from lectures and scantron examinations. 41 references