NCJ Number
197849
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Education Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: Fall 2002 Pages: 297-312
Date Published
2002
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article examines students’ attitudes toward internships compared with classroom learning experiences.
Abstract
The authors surveyed 154 undergraduate students about their perceptions and attitudes toward their college internship program. Under examination was the question of whether students’ classroom education adequately reflected the realities of working within the criminal justice system. The point of the study was to probe whether criminal justice curricula was effectively preparing students for careers in criminal justice. The findings indicate that students strongly supported internship programs as important educational tools. Students claimed that their internships helped prepare them for work after college. On the other hand, students reported a distinct disjunction between classroom learning and actual criminal justice work. The authors call upon criminal justice educators to bridge the chasm that has split criminal justice theory and practice. References, appendix