The Marginalization of Critical Perspectives in Public Criminal Justice Core Curricula

• Published in: Criminology, criminal justice, law & society criminal justice, law & society, 2012-11, Vol.13 (3), p.21
• Main Author: Frederick, Brian Jay
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavior; Colleges & universities; Core curriculum; Criminal justice; Criminology; Curricula; Departments; Gender; Inequality; Public schools; Social sciences; Society
• ISSN: 2332-886X

Although critical perspective courses in criminal justice programs have grown considerably since the 1960s, the failure of contemporary public criminal justice programs to require critical perspectives in their undergraduate core curricula threatens to leave students without a framework for discussion of these issues within the greater context of their degree programs. Students must thus look to the other social sciences to further their knowledge in these areas, thereby perpetuating the neglect of criminal justice departments to present these views. Within most academic criminal justice programs, preference is given to the administrative facets of the criminal justice system and the theories and methods of social scientific research; for this reason, even general discussions of critical topics are limited. Furthermore, because many elective courses also focus on various aspects of the administration of justice, critical perspectives are conspicuously absent overall. This paper reveals the extent to which core, cognate, and other required critical perspective courses are marginalized within public criminal justice programs, and how, on average, private institutions require more of these courses. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]