Student education without criminal justice, and a society with crime

As it stands, education on the criminal justice system every person participates in — to varying degrees and severity — primarily extends to high school civics, television and maybe a 100-level class chosen from a list of options to fulfill a graduation requirement. 

Loyola is no different. 

With few exceptions in related majors, criminal justice classes occupy three options among a list of 19 courses that fulfill the Core Curriculum’s Societal and Cultural Knowledge and Inquiry graduation requirement. 

The average student can secure their degree without learning how decisions are made by elected officials. Students’ vote, or lack thereof, affects the nearly two million people under correctional supervision of the U.S. criminal justice system.

Criminal justice literacy informs the actions of all operating under the U.S. system of justice, not just convicts. What’s the point in mandatory study of crime for those who never plan on appearing in court? 

Whether it’s through victimization, career crime triggered by unlucky circumstances or a split-second bad decision, even law-abiding individuals will never be completely detached from the criminal justice system.

Because of this distressing reality, criminal justice education should begin sooner rather than later to adequately prepare students for the possibility of engaging with the system. This need doesn’t appear to be a priority given the lack of standardized education on criminal justice. 

Most students’ first educational introduction to government systems — and to some extent its criminal branches by association — is through mandatory civics classes required for high school graduation. 

These classes may be annoying for students involved, but when taught in an engaging way, they can successfully prepare students to engage in a democracy through practicing interpersonal skills, introducing government career interests, increasing voter turnout and fostering better participation in broader political engagement. 

While this education can push students in the right direction, civics classes extend to a very limited portion of government, leaving knowledge gaps regarding what happens when criminal activity inevitably throws a wrench in the justice system. 

University implementation of mandatory criminal justice education can mitigate these gaps and bring a number of benefits with it for students across all levels of schooling, regardless of whether they choose to pursue careers in criminal justice. 

In Loyola’s own words, criminal justice courses produce a number of unique learning outcomes students may come across outside the classroom — state responses to crime, understanding court systems and the role of police all contribute to the daily lives of students, be it through public news or private operations. 

Criminal justice education does more than just achieve these learning outcomes. 

Introducing the field can increase interest in criminal justice occupations, adding vital diversity within the area, lowering future crime among learners and producing positive postgraduate outcomes even among those deemed a poor fit for criminal justice careers.

Additionally, challenging learners to understand the complexities of societal responses to crime helps develop broadly applicable skills in empathy, problem-solving and decision-making.

While such topics may seem inappropriate for certain ages to learn, the criminal justice system isn’t restricted to adults. 

Armed officers patrolling school grounds, children with incarcerated guardians placed in foster systems and those held in juvenile detention all show the inevitable presence of crime in children’s lives, and thus deserve addressing. 

The idea of exposing students to the criminal realities of life may be scary, but it’s nonetheless essential to prepare children and young adults to enter American society. A formal criminal justice education is far from the only way to become a productive worker in America, but it does present a unique range of benefits and a widely applicable skillset. 

While learning about criminal justice may not be a hard requirement for all students, it’s certainly worth considering to better understand the system we live in — even if it means picking up an introductory class just because of “CSI”.