December 18, 2019

Criminal justice students make final poster presentations

University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Crime, Corrections, and Punishment (CJUS 316) students recently exhibited their final poster presentations.

Students selected topics that met their own personal passions and career interested. Students also conducted literature reviews to further prepare for the poster session. The topics ranged from mass incarceration policies, inmate suicide, and decriminalizing addiction.

“I have restructured CJUS 316, but my original research plan was modified after I solidified a great partnership with Heather Rickerl in Career Services,” said Allison Willingham , assistant professor of criminal justice. “The revised aim for this project is to now use CJUS 316 as a pre-professional development opportunity where students learn accountability, responsibility, and professionalism prior to field experience, while still maintaining the course content lens of critical criminology.”

Students have had several face-to-face Q&A sessions with in-field criminal justice professionals and have been able to tour multiple work environments such as jails, prisons and detention centers.

“The students have been told to treat this course like it’s their first job,” said Willingham. “Heather has been an invaluable partner to me in integrating Career Services prep into this course, and I have held students to strict deadlines, high expectations for attendance and participation, e-mail etiquette policies, and even a business casual dress code for on and off campus events where they meet career professionals. They have learned to be accountable to not only me as the supervisor, but also to each other.”

The final exam in this class requires these students to apply course concepts to real-life issues they may face as young professionals in the criminal justices system.

University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Crime, Corrections, and Punishment (CJUS 316) students recently exhibited their final poster presentations.