K. Hallenberg

Beyond criminal justice: connecting justice and sustainability

The potential of higher education in advancing sustainability has been widely accepted and even partly realised, although a wholesale reorientation of core activities and curricula toward and embedded with sustainability is still an exception. But even big changes start small and modules that address sustainability have both strategic and symbolic value particularly in disciplines and departments where it has not previously been explicitly, or at all, addressed. This paper discusses a project which aims to introduce sustainability considerations into the criminology and criminal justice curriculum by way of a new and innovative module “Criminology for a Just Society”, developed with the support and funding from the central university sustainability initiative. The module aims to facilitate a broad and nuanced understanding of sustainability and criminology’s potential to further it, focusing on the current ecological, cultural, socio-political and economic problems and ways of addressing them. This is done through a framework of (in)justice which allows students to embed new understanding within familiar disciplinary context and language. The pedagogical approach is interdisciplinary, emphasising service learning through volunteering placements and active student engagement, and assessment which embeds critical reflection and knowledge exchange. “Criminology for a Just Society” was piloted in 2014–2015 and the paper reflects on the project, drawing from both student and staff experiences to evaluate its impact and map further developments.

Education and the Police Professionalisation Agenda: A Perspective from England and Wales

This chapter provides selective commentary on the developments of police learning and education from 1945 to the present time. It describes the role of police services in developing skills and knowledge for officers while commenting on the gradual move to outside providers. The engagement between universities and police services in providing education for officers is described and the different approaches adopted are discussed. Finally, the chapter discusses the consultation around higher education accreditation, and the various considerations in relation to serving officers and future recruits.

Benefits and challenges of academic police education

The chapter reports on findings from a larger study into the role of higher education in the police professionalisation. Specifically, it discusses the likely benefits and challenges of academic police education, drawing from twenty-four semi-structured interviews with fourteen police trainers and training coordinators in England and the existing literature. The potential benefits of academisation identified include broader knowledgebase, standardisation, opportunities for self-development and externally recognised qualifications, which put policing on a more equal footing with other professions and improve officers’ self-confidence. However, the demands on individual officers and the organisation restrict the time and money invested on education, affecting the acceptance and support such schemes receive. Other challenges include the plurality of university programmes, concern over management, previous lack of an overreaching professional body and the potentially adverse effects of academic requirements on equality and diversity.