Perceptions of Professors in Convict Criminology: What Do Students Think?

• In Event: Convict Criminology 1: Feminist Perspectives: Women of Convict Criminology

Abstract

This research examines recent data collected among university students, related to perceptions students have of
professors, most specifically, professors who acknowledge having spent time in prisons or jails. As incarceration rates
remain distinctly high, many ex-offenders are finding their way to academia, to college classrooms, and many to the
field of Criminal Justice and Criminology, where they now teach about a subject that is very personal to them. Many of
these academics have been encouraged to share their unique perspectives and have had peers and academics
openly express the value these professors add to the classroom. However, few studies actually examine this issue
and while gender and racial bias often exists in student perceptions of teachers, this has not been examined in the
context of convict criminology. This research seeks to address that issue and identify any differences in student
perception of professors with a past by gender or race. In addition, this research also examines the overall value
assigned to these experiences by students. Recommendations for future practice are discussed.

Author

• J. Renee Trombley, Lincoln University of Missouri