The Role of Virtual Reality in Criminal Justice Pedagogy: An Examination of Mental Illness Occurring in Corrections

Abstract

There is an absence of empirical studies that document the efficacy of interactive technology within a criminal justice pedagogy. The current study examines qualitative responses from a general criminal justice course and a special topics mental health and criminal justice course that included virtual reality (VR). This includes five classes taught in two states between 2019–2020, with a total sample of two-hundred and forty-two (n = 242) undergraduate students. Participant responses were coded by changes in perceptions, emotional content, and overall satisfaction with the VR experience. Findings reveal the presence of crime myths that were altered by the VR experience. The VR experience produced an emotional response that facilitated learning. Qualitative themes include concepts of realism, motivated learning, increased memory recall, deeper meaning in learning, the inclusion of visual learning techniques and validation of overall student satisfaction. This suggests that virtual reality technologies may be an effective though rarely used technology in criminal justice education.

Keywords:

• Virtual reality
• experiential learning
• mental illness
• inmates
• pedagogy

Disclosure statement

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

Notes

1 The researcher recognizes that several of the articles cited in the literature are 10-20 years old. These older citations were purposively included in order to highlight the fact that while criminal justice has only recently embraced virtual reality, the presence of virtual reality in other disciplines has been in existence for some time.

2 Triggering Content Advisory: Students are advised that the material presented in this module is of a graphic or sensitive nature. The goal of this module is to prepare students who enter the criminal justice/law enforcement profession to be acquainted of the symptoms and manifestation of mental health disorder and/or conditions. This experiential learning module requires the student to immerse themselves in a quasi-real-world activity and as such there may be certain themes or components that can trigger negative emotions. Students should also be aware that at any time they can elect to take an alternative assignment (available on Blackboard) that does not contain experiential learning elements.

3 This is an inaccurate perception held by the student. Forcing psychotropic medication on a non-consenting inmate is a complicated and potentially illegal process in the correctional systems of both states in which the study took place.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hayden P. Smith

Hayden Smith is a Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina. His principal focus of study is the intersection of the criminal justice and public health systems. This includes self-injurious and suicide behaviors in incarcerated populations, the physical and mental health needs of correctional populations, best practices in reentry, jail diversion, wellbeing and safety in correctional staff, and reentry initiatives. Dr. Smith has expertise in program evaluation and policy analysis and has worked with numerous correctional and health systems. Dr. Smith's previous publications have appeared in Justice Quarterly, Crime & Delinquency, and Criminal Justice & Behavior.