Exposure to Urbanized Poverty and Attitude Change: A Longitudinal Case Study on Service-Learning with Rural Undergraduate Criminal Justice Students

Abstract

Criminal justice departments recognize the value of connecting students to real-world problems through service-learning activities. Yet, challenges exist in exposing students to diverse populations. The current study stepped outside the classroom, involving an extra-curricular group of criminal justice students, in a unique service-learning project. Students from a rurally located university traveled to the most poverty-stricken area in Los Angeles, California, known as Skid Row. Students partnered with The Burrito Project, making and serving 950 burritos to people living on the streets. To assess the impact on exposure to poverty, students completed a pre and post-test utilizing the Undergraduate Perceptions of Poverty Tracking Survey. Four years later, follow-up interviews were conducted. Survey results suggest no significant changes pre/post project completion while longitudinal interviews yielded rich data on the project impact. Future directions including criminal justice students within service-learning projects are discussed, especially considering inclusion of students early within their academic careers.

Keywords:

• Service-learning
• criminal justice
• exposure to poverty
• rural students

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

April Terry

Dr. April Terry is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Fort Hays State University, specializing in four lines of research: juvenile corrections, gender and crime, rural criminology, and gender-based violence. Dr. Terry obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice, a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology, and a PhD in Sociology (concentration in Criminology and Gender Studies). Recently, Dr. Terry has published a forward-thinking policy piece on responses to sexual assault in rural communities, the abuse-to-prison pipeline for girls in sparsely populated areas, and the dangers of dense collective efficacy for at-risk girls in rural areas.

Ashley Lockwood

Ashley Lockwood holds a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice and recently completed a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Fort Hays State University. Lockwood's primary research interests take place within the intersections of the criminal justice system, mental health, and disadvantaged groups. Her previous publications have examined attitudes toward mental health held by law enforcement officers in the Midwest and perceptions of mental health and trauma in a sample of juvenile correctional staff. Other projects have examined perceptions of crime and stigma held by community stakeholders in rural location and exploration of stigma of mental illness, mental health treatment experiences, and trauma before and during detainment in a sample of adjudicated youth.