Volunteering in an Aotearoa New Zealand Prison: Expanding Sociological Criminal Justice Learning

Abstract

This article outlines an evaluation of a student-volunteer program at a corrections facility in Aotearoa New Zealand. The aim of the volunteer program was to offer students the opportunity to think critically on the criminal justice system and to give back to the community. This article explores the volunteering project evaluation in terms of the potentials and limitations of service-learning initiatives and unpacks the implications for teaching sociological criminology. While learning in a community setting is a powerful tool, this evaluation indicates that student learning initiatives may need to be adapted to initiate increased reflection upon the role of structure and agency in shaping lives, and to develop a framework that encourages students to engage in a critical consideration of taken-for-granted assumptions (about who is ‘dangerous’, about what ‘rehabilitation’ means). These findings point more broadly to some of the challenges in teaching sociological criminology in the contemporary era.

Keywords:

• service-learning
• volunteer learning
• sociological criminology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 While gender was not a key focus of analysis, it is nonetheless of note that this gender ratio reflects both an over-representation of women in the volunteer applications; as well as an over-representation of women studying criminology at this institution: the first-year cohort is ¾ women. A more heterogenous group (this sample was largely Pākehā women) may have yielded different results.

2 These statistics are worse for young people and Indigenous people. 70% of those under 20 and 55% of Māori will be returned to prison within the 4 years following release (Nadesu 2008).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a small University Teaching Development Grant from the University of Otago.

Notes on contributors

Fairleigh Evelyn Gilmour

Fairleigh Evelyn Gilmour is a Senior Lecturer in Gender Studies and Criminology at the University of Otago, New Zealand.

Lauren Alessi

Lauren Alessi is a Research Associate at the Social Work Research Center, Colorado State University.