Compassion Fatigue among Criminology & Criminal Justice Interns

Abstract

Much research has been conducted on compassion fatigue among criminal justice system professionals, particularly those working with victims of crime. These professionals often receive training on how to deal with the day-to-day stressors of their jobs and how to engage in self-care to avoid compassion fatigue. However, when it comes to interns in the criminal justice field, little attention has been paid to how these students handle the stress of working with crime victims. The current research attempts to explore how student interns working with adult and juvenile victims experience stress in their internship roles and how they deal with that stress.

Keywords:

• Compassion fatigue
• criminology interns
• criminal justice interns
• victims’ services internships

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Carly M. Hilinski-Rosick

Carly M. Hilinski-Rosick, Ph.D., is associate professor and department chair in the criminology and criminal justice department at the University of Tampa. Her research focuses on corrections, including the behavior of people who are incarcerated, as well as fear of crime and victimization of women. She has recent publications in Victims and Offenders, Crime & Delinquency, and Corrections: Policy, Practice, and Research.

Kathryn A. Branch

Kathryn A. Branch, Ph.D., is Assistant Dean of the College of Social Sciences, Mathematics, and Education and Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Tampa. Her research interests include the ways in which sexual violence affects college populations and campus communities and the use of yoga and mindfulness practice for coping with trauma post crime victimization. Her research is featured in Feminist Criminology, the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Violence & Victims, and Violence Against Women.

Anayah Walker

Anayah Walker is a second-year doctoral student in the College of Education at the University of South Florida. Her research focuses on the intersectionality of race and gender in doctoral program experiences. She is currently the assistant director for Assistant Director for Diverse Student Support Services at the University of Tampa.