Domestic Violence Community Service and Field Research: Marrying Practice and Academic Learning for Criminal Justice Students

• In Event: Bridging Work in the Community with Work in Academia

Abstract

This paper describes outcomes from a service learning-based research course in domestic violence. Students do hands-on work in a domestic violence restraining order clinic helping litigants with paperwork and writing declarations. Students are provided opportunities to develop invaluable skills including working with diverse populations, helping individuals in crisis, and writing legal declarations. The opportunity to demonstrate these competencies helps them in the criminal justice job field. The career applicability of these skills and the language to describe them is an important part of class instruction. Those students who are already active law enforcement officers report more confidence and knowledge in this type of restraining order and report not receiving academy training in this area. These students’ experiences have resulted in efforts to explore enhanced law enforcement training in this type of restraining order. Being able to directly observe students’ skill development provides the ability to serve as a better reference for students’ job searches. Student experience doing empirical research has both academic and applied application. Finally, students who have taken both seminar and field research courses in domestic violence report that the hands on experience makes the material more real, meaningful, and relevant to their future careers.

Author

• Vickie Jensen, California State University, Northridge