Michael C. Braswell

The seriousness of inmate induced prison violence: An analysis of correctional personnel perceptions

Few studies exist indicating how correctional personnel perceive the seriousness of prison violence. This study surveyed sixty-six correctional employees regarding their perceptions of the seriousness of prison violence, the need for outside police intervention, and the role of news reporting of prison violence incidents. The results supported the hypothesis that correctional employees perceived inmate-induced violence in which inmates were victims as less serious than violence directed against correctional staff.

In the Beginning Was the Student: Teaching Peacemaking and Justice Issues

This article is written in the spirit of Richard Quinneys contributions to teaching as an exploration into the contradictions, ironies, and connections (both obvious and hidden) that allow learning to unfold and show itself to teachers and students. A critique of the conflict between developing expertise and experiencing learning is offered. The value of feelings and intuition, thinking and knowledge, and imagination and creativity are examined as a way to bring teacher and student together in the process of learning into wisdom.

Teaching criminal justice research: An experiential model

Teaching research methods to undergraduate criminal justice students typically has been viewed as problematic. Students often experience considerable anxiety concerning required research courses and frequently lack the motivation to learn and appreciate the usefulness of research. Experiential case studies have been successfully utilized to teach criminal justice students the application of theory in practical situations. An evaluation of the experiential model was made in a post-test only control group research design with two groups of criminal justice research students. The results of the comparison supported the experiential approach and showed greater success utilizing this method over a traditional teaching method.

Child Maltreatment -- An Empirical Examination of Selected Conventional Hypotheses

In recent years the social problem of the maltreatment Of children has become a major concern of the general public and of professionals in social service fields. However, the scope and breadth of knowledge concerning this phenomenon has not kept pace with the growing concern. Our understanding ofthis behavior has been derived largely from the collective impressions that social service personnel have formulated from their field experiences. The need for empirical research is widely recognized, but efforts have been primarily limited to exploratory and descriptive research (Gelles, 1978a; Sweet and Resick, 1979). Moreover, the majority of research has relied upon official sources of data which are often suspected to be unrepresentative (Gelles, 1978b; Pelton, 1978; Smith et al-9 1980). This article reports the utilization of an alternative methodology and testing of some conventional hypotheses derived

Seeking the Truth: An Alternative to Conservative and Liberal Thinking in Criminology

Greater balance in criminological analysis is proposed by the authors as an alternative to partisan pursuits. Rather than rigidly defend a liberal or conservative position, it is more important to use whole sight and to ask more relevant and meaningful questions. An examination of prison research suggests that much of the writing on this issue has suffered from either liberal or conservative partisanship instead of flowing from a more open-minded seeking of the truth. Some examples of writing and research that suggest a more balanced approach are offered.

Case Studies in Criminal Justice Education: An Experiential Model

Case studies have long been used to enhance the learning process for students in a variety of education and training disciplines. There are two basic types: The first type entails “actual” case studies that facilitate objective analyses and discussions of the implications for relevancy in a given situation (analytical). The second type examines hypothetical or actual cases that focus on the experiences of the learner (problem-solving). Such experience-oriented case studies may be approached in two ways: one in which a preferred or most correct problem solution is required; or a second, where there are no precise, clear-cut problem solutions for a given situation (experiential). Criminal justice, as an evolving behavioral science, typically relies on interdisciplinary case study approaches (e.g., psychology, social work, legal research, etc.). But these approaches have not shown adequate success for the criminal justice student/practitioner because they do not apply course material and theory to practical ...

A picture is worth a thousand words: Teaching peacemaking and justice themes in a film course

This article discusses how classic and contemporary films can be used to examine justice and peacemaking themes in personal, social, and criminal justice contexts. Thematic topics include poverty, homelessness, the Holocaust, racial prejudice, prison violence, and religious intolerance. The author attempts to illustrate how transformative justice can occur through individual acts of compassion and courage in difficult circumstances.

Teaching police ethics: An experiential model

Attempts have been made in recent years to decrease police misconduct and improve police performance in areas of ethical decision-making. One attempt has been to provide ethics instruction to police officers at training academies and in-service training sessions. Experiential case studies have been used to help students apply theoretical concepts to practical situations. An evaluation of the experiential teaching model for police ethics was made in a quasiexperimental research design with two groups of police officers. The results supported the experiential approach for teaching police ethics. Police officers were found to better differentiate between ethical and unethical conduct in both an idealistic and realistic manner.

Bodily Fluid Evidence

The collection of bodily fluids can lead to a DNA profile that links multiple crimes to an individual. This is one of the latest yet most effective scientific advancements in the realm of scientific analysis being linked to criminal investigations. This chapter describes how the discovery of bodily fluids can be used to identify individuals at the scene of the crime.

Forensic Anthropology, Odontology, and Entomology

Bones, teeth, and other skeletal remains are the framework of the human body. World-famous forensic anthropologist Dr. William Bass has taught thousands of police officers and anthropologists how to locate and excavate buried human remains. This chapter presents the highlights of those lessons, providing decades of real-world experience with academic training focused on crime scene investigation.