Engaged Pedagogy in the Criminology Classroom: A Visual Essay
By Rachel Ellis, with Taylor Kramer, Megan Arslanian, Jacob Abuelhawa, Anna Rose Barrack, Julia Caspero, Thomas Brittan-Powell, Sarah Justice, Isabel Sanfuentes, Gabrielle Vogel, Emily Mimi Yang, and Jessica Hom (University of Maryland–College Park)
What can critical pedagogy on the criminal justice system look like? US punishment is contested terrain, and long-standing calls for reform and abolition emerged as increasingly salient during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health concerns led to closer scrutiny of jails and prisons as trials were delayed and correctional facilities became hotbeds of the novel coronavirus. A spate of federal executions in winter 2020 sparked further dialogue over the morality of the death penalty. Juvenile life sentences emerged as subject of public debate following a spring 2021 Supreme Court ruling. Now, more than ever, students are engaging with contemporary issues around punishment both in the classroom and as concerned citizens.
This visual essay shares the results from an infographic assignment in my undergraduate Corrections class, a criminology course dedicated to the study of contemporary US punishment. Students were tasked with creating an infographic on a correctional topic of their choosing, drawing on at least three facts or statistics represented through an image, symbol, or other visual to build a clear, digestible argument. Through backward design, the assignment was intended to assess students’ ability to identify collateral consequences and evaluate correctional goals of a given form of punishment. It was envisioned as an inclusive assessment in which students could leverage their strengths: evaluating the reliability of evidence located online, crafting an argument with facts and statistics, and/or showcasing their learning through visual representations. Students cultivated reflective skills by taking ownership of their correctional topic and independently seeking out evidence on collateral consequences. Students also cultivated responsive skills by generating their own virtual content to contribute to ongoing dialogue on the US criminal justice system—a learning outcome perhaps best summarized by one student’s observation that the assignment “left me wanting to do more.”
Parents in Prison
Taylor Kramer
When I saw the instructions for our infographic assignment, I instantly got excited. Infographics gained some popularity in the last year due to the pandemic, since many people chose to make and repost infographics on their social media accounts. I find them to be not only fun to make but also helpful to make important information easy to digest, and the idea of having fewer words and more graphics makes it more likely that a person will take the time to read and learn the material. I thought this assignment was perfectly geared to the time we were in, while also changing up the tedious repeated assignments we were getting through virtual classes.
I chose the topic of parents in prison for my infographic because while I never had a parent go to prison, my mother did pass away when I was young, so I know firsthand how traumatic experiences when one is in their adolescent years can affect their lives in the future. I was curious to learn and share just how many children are affected by their parents being in the prison system, some of the details surrounding individual experiences, and the effects such a thing can have on a child. Since completing my infographic, it has caused me to change my perspective on the criminal justice system by forcing me to realize that the system does not just have a long-term impact on the people that are directly involved with it. Children, spouses, parents, siblings, cousins: they all have their own experiences when a loved one is given a prison sentence.
COVID-19 in Prisons
Megan Arslanian
Immediately after I was assigned this project for my Corrections class, I knew what I wanted to focus on for the topic. Given that COVID-19 was affecting everyone’s life around me, I was interested to see how it affected those in prison. After researching various statistics on COVID-19 in prisons, I was shocked to learn about the extremely high infection rate and the risks prisoners and guards were facing. Once I completed my infographic, it only furthered my perspective (which had changed since taking this class)—that there needs to be immediate action taken to reform the correctional system.
Probation Violations
Jacob Abuelhawa
Focusing on the topic of probation violations was important to me because I do not think that the general public realizes how easy it is to violate the rules and regulations of probation. This is crucial for people to understand because it communicates that even if someone is trying to be a better person, the system will punish them for any mistake. Learning more information about this topic has helped me to realize how unforgiving the criminal justice system can be and see the areas that could and need to be reformed.
The Death Penalty in the United States
Anna Rose Barrack
When I was given this assignment by Dr. Ellis, I knew that I wanted to pick a topic that everyone loves to talk about but rarely actually knows little or anything about: the death penalty. While I’ve never been personally affected by the death penalty, it is still something I’m passionate about because it straddles the line between justice and cruelty. There were statistics that I had always heard about but never knew if they were true, such as that the South utilizes it more than the rest of the country. As a native Atlantean, this was not a fact that I wanted to believe. The information that I learned from my research drastically changed my opinion on the criminal justice system because I had no idea how racially adverse it was until I saw the numbers. Unfortunately, the death penalty disproportionately affects anyone who is not white, as is depicted in my project.
One of the more disturbing findings of my research was on the topic of wrongful convictions. These findings made me realize that the criminal justice system is often treated as a well-oiled machine with zero chance of error, rather than an institution run by human beings. That is why there never has to be 100 percent certainty that an offender is guilty, only beyond a reasonable doubt that they are not innocent. This struck me as an extremely low threshold for guilt regarding a life-or-death situation. This project has spurred me to begin my own research on how the justice system can be reformed to lower the chances of wrongful conviction. If human can go to the moon, then it’s time they can be proved innocent as well.
Juvenile Life without Parole Sentencing
Julia Caspero
Since becoming a criminology and criminal justice major, I’ve developed a deep compassion for juvenile delinquents and their treatment in the justice system. I plan on going to law school after graduating and want to work in the juvenile courts.
It is surprising to me that Roper v. Simmons, which abolished the death penalty for minors, was decided in 2005—sixteen short years ago. There is a lot of unfairness in the way juveniles are treated in the justice system, from interrogations without parents or legal counsel present to cases being waived to criminal court under the discretion of a judge. I think minors being sentenced to life without parole is the most unjust form of punishment within the juvenile justice system. For a child to have their life thrown away before they are even given the chance to fully mature and prove they can reintegrate in society is far too cruel. The law “Once an Adult, Always an Adult” that’s currently imposed in thirty-four states perfectly characterizes the double standards our justice system has for children. Juveniles in most states are not allowed to vote until age eighteen or drink alcohol until age twenty-one, but they can be charged for a crime, tried, and sentenced to prison before even starting high school.
Demographics of Solitary Confinement
Thomas Brittan-Powell
I am very passionate about criminal justice reform, specifically prison reform. One of the many issues with our current correctional system is the overuse of solitary confinement despite the negative psychological and physiological effects it can have on an individual. While researching this topic, I was upset but not surprised by many of the statistics that I found. One of the statistics I was surprised by was the relationship between gang affiliation and representation in solitary confinement, as this is something we do not often consider. This assignment made me realize just how prevalent solitary confinement is in America ,which has fueled a desire to work toward making solitary confinement of more than fifteen days illegal. Solitary confinement is a cruel and unusual punishment that we as a country must do away with.
Impacts of Parental Incarceration on Kids
Sarah Justice
When given this assignment, I had a lot of ideas quickly storm my head as to the topic of my infographic. After thinking and reading over some past work from other students, I found myself very intrigued and interested to learn more about the impacts of parental incarceration on children. I opened up my computer and started researching. I quickly found myself with over ten tabs open with websites, charts, other infographics, and videos, all of which possessed vast amounts of data, statistics, and personal stories. As my research went on, I realized there were tons of impacts on kids from parents being incarcerated, and it became hard to narrow down which impacts I thought were most important to highlight. I ended up picking about four or five facts that I thought were most compelling and that I thought everyone should know. Once I started researching this topic, I did not want to take my eyes off of the computer. There were so many fascinating and heart-wrenching facts and statistics that left me wanting to do more than just create an infographic. Though my infographic is small, it possesses a great amount of information that I hope will leave the reader wanting to learn and educate themselves more on this topic, just like it did for me.
Women Incarcerated, Troubles with Receiving Feminine Care
Isabel Sanfuentes
Gender discrimination has long been a topic that fascinates me. I have written papers on the gender wage gap and learned about sexism in sports. But I wanted to discover how women are treated within the criminal justice system. Dr. Ellis, in her Corrections course, opened my eyes to the scrutiny incarcerated individuals experience. It was interesting to research the discrepancies between the care men and women receive while imprisoned. Overall, there is a lot more that needs to be done regarding women’s health within correctional institutions. Women deserve to have free access to menstrual products. They should not have to worry about taking drastic measures such as using notebook paper or toilet paper to substitute common products like pads and tampons. They deserve the same reproductive rights as any other woman.
Probation Violations
Gabrielle Vogel
Prior to beginning my studies, I anticipated enrolling in the pre-med track as a biology major. Upon selecting my classes for my first semester as a student, I was intrigued by a class titled “The New Jim Crow: African-Americans, Mass Incarceration and the Prison Industrial Complex.” Seeing that the class would satisfy multiple general education requirements, I immediately decided to register for the course. Little did I know at the time that this class would ultimately change my educational future and career path. I was so profoundly impacted upon learning about the gross injustices that are occurring in our criminal justice system. I decided to switch my major to criminal justice and criminology and dedicate my time and energy to pursuing the necessary reforms to our justice system.
Thanks to Dr. Ellis, I was able to increase my depth of knowledge and understanding of our country’s correctional policies. There were many facets of this class that stood out to me. Learning about the extremely high recidivism rates for incarceration in the United States was particularly alarming to me. I created my infographic to better inform the public of how damaging our protocols for probation violations are to an astounding proportion of society. Public awareness of this problem is an extremely important step towards rectifying the injustices that have been occurring for far too long. I hope this information will motivate others to fight for change.
Disability in the US Prison System
Emily Mimi Yang
As my Corrections class began this infographic project, we were individually tasked with making an infographic on a previously discussed topic relating to US correctional departments. Through this project, we had a chance to take a deep dive into a topic we believed needed to be further advocated for. For me, the topic was disability.
As someone who identifies as disabled, I drew many parallels from my personal life and the material I was learning in class. For instance, I thought about my prosthetic leg: how it needed to be adjusted every time my figure fluctuated, how I despised walking up steep hills and stairs across campus, how I needed a handle in the shower to help me balance on a slippery surface on one leg. These were only some of the challenges I encountered every day that were made easier with the simplest of accommodations for which I was provided. At the same time, I was learning about how incarcerated people are often deprived of their rights, shoved in small cells, forced to follow a strict schedule, and confronted with a plethora of other restrictions. Such challenges only served to compound with difficulties introduced by having a disability. As a result, I began my exploration into research regarding disabilities in prisons, and dishearteningly my initial search revealed minimal results on research conducted on disabled inmates. Instead, I found articles of legislation protecting disabled rights, newsletters demanding change, and lawsuits for the mistreatment of countless disabled inmates; however, the pieces of information I truly wanted to report (the voices of the incarcerated, the number of medical records identifying disabled men and women in prison, the programs offered, and more) were difficult to obtain. For this reason, I designed this infographic to serve as an introduction to the conditions disabled people face in correctional facilities and a call for more research to account for the needs of the disabled population in areas that are often overlooked.
Death Penalty
Jessica Hom
The death penalty has always been a compelling topic to me and an important issue to our country at large. No matter how many times I research it, I always seem to come across something new and surprising. This assignment was no different, and the knowledge I gained afforded me a broader perspective on the death penalty and how it negatively affects our country in multiple ways.