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Internships today have become an integral part of criminal justice higher education because of the nature of the discipline and the early availability of federal funding in 1968. From the disciplinary perspective, criminal justice is a general term that denotes interdisciplinary scholarly teaching and research in the behavioral and social science (including law and public administration) focusing on the social problems of crime (Myren 1982). Because of this, staffing for many programs continues to draw upon a variety of academic and professional talents from sociology, public administration, social work, education, history, and political science. It is hypothesized that during the early years of the discipline, the idea for a field experience component in many college programs may have already existed. The real boost for internships in criminal justice occurred in 1968 when the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) provided stipends of $65 per week for full-time students to serve in an agency for eight weeks or more. The goal of the program was to give students direct "hands-on" experience as part of their course of study. The agency, in return, would assist in the training future professionals and acquire additional personnel on a limited basis. This program, however was phased out by 1980 along with the entire LEAA apparatus.

Many people believe that learning occurs only in a formal classroom setting. However, learning must be viewed as a continuous process that occurs through formal and informal means. An internship program demonstrates how an individual can lean by many methods. Generally cited educational goals are knowledge acquisition, applying knowledge, skills development, personal development, and professional development.

The Justice Department offers junior and senior Justice Majors the opportunity to work in an agency as an intern. The Department has placed interns in various agency such as the Public Defenders, Institutional Corrections, Adult Probation and Parole, Juvenile Probation, Fish and Game Enforcement, City Attorney Office, North Slope Department of Public Safety, and others.

The intern typically works for an entire semester between 15 and 20 hours per week. The internship may or may not receive a compensation. For more information on the Internship Program choose from the following.

The purpose of the internship is to complement, reinforce and place in realistic perspective, the cognitive and effective objectives of classroom instruction. In addition to being an important phase of the educational process, the internship also serves as a test of the student's potential for responsible, conscious, disciplined use of self in a constructive relationship with others. In essence, the mode of learning shifts to one of self-direction.

Knowledge

1. Knowledge of the agency's structure, programs and function.
2. Knowledge of the agency's role in the community, including its relationship to other agencies, e.g., referral procedures.
3. Knowledge of the community the agency serves, including community services needed.
4. Knowledge of the agency's policies and procedures and rules governing professional staff behavior.
5. Knowledge of the identifiable social needs, problems, and dynamics of the client population served by the agency.
6. Knowledge of individual case situations, including the needs, problems and dynamics of the individual clients.
7. Knowledge of case processing and case management systems and procedures.

Internships are offered each semester in cooperation with various correctional, legal and social agencies in Alaska. Students selected for internship placements in approved agencies earn up to a maximum of 9 credit hours upon the successful completion of the internship course requirements.

 

Students selected for internships in approved correctional, law enforcement or social service agencies must be a justice major with junior or senior standing in the Justice Department as a prerequisite for selection. Applications for internships are accepted during the semester preceding the internship placement.

The director of the internship program takes into consideration a student's emotional readiness for a work-study experience-in addition to the more tangible requirements, such as completion of required courses and grade point average in deciding whether to approve enrollment in the internship program. Applicants are individually screened as part of the application process and final acceptance is the prerogative of the agency.

Students who have completed at least eighteen semester hours in Criminal Justice and who have maintained a 3.0 grade point average overall, are given primary consideration.

Students selected for summer internships (or the summer jobs program) pre-register at the end of the spring semester for six semester hours to be completed during the total Summer Sessions. Final grade for the entire course is submitted at the end of the final Summer Session. Students selected for fall or spring placements register on the dates designated by the university for that semester.

While in placement, the student is required to conform to normal agency working hours, with the understanding that the student usually maintain no less than 12 and no more that 20 hours per week work schedule. The exception to this is the Summer Session, when students are expected to work 40 hours weekly. Sick and compensatory leave earned and granted by and to the student during the summer weeks must be in accordance with the agency's leave policies.

While in placement, the student is expected to perform those duties and execute those tasks assigned to him by the agency and designed to meet the cognitive and effective objectives of the course. In addition, the student is expected to submit reports to his faculty internship advisor, who serves also as an internship consultant to the agency. The report schedule will be determined at the beginning of the internship. The agency is to submit periodic performance evaluations on the student to the faculty internship advisor.

Only those recognized agencies maintaining high standards of professional performance and delivery of services, and willing to participate actively with the Justice Department in the furtherance of the student's education will be approved for internship placement.

The Justice Department's responsibility to the student is to transmit specified bodies of knowledge espoused by the professions concerned with the social rehabilitation or the recipients of social services. The responsibility of the INTERNSHIP AGENCY is to provide a milieu that exposes the student to the various means of applying knowledge to the resolution of individual, group, and community problems. The Justice Department and the INTERNSHIP AGENCY share responsibility for transmitting to the student an applicable code of ethics as well as the AGENCY'S expectations in terms of professional role behavior. The STUDENT assumes responsibility for a full and committed application of self to the total learn experience including but not limited to the development of insight into his own motivations, prejudices, norms of behavior, values and attitudes.

The internhsip program requires close and compatible liaison among JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, AGENCY and INTERN, as well as a clear understanding by each of respective roles, responsibilities and expectations. Each has a major role in the educational venture. The roles and expectations of student, agency advisor, and faculty are more fully set forth below.

ROLES AND EXPECTATIONS

Intern - The intern is thought of as a worker-in-training because of role expectations. From the day the intern enters the agency they are expected to assume in some ways the role of a regular staff member, and as they acquire knowledge and skill to move closer to the role of a fully trained practitioner. The role includes:

1. Adhering to agency work hours, to agency policies and to rules governing professional staff behavior.
2. Adhering to agency policies governing the strict observance of confidentiality and the handling of confidential information.
3. Assuming responsibility for his actions and activities.
4. Maintaining strictly professional and not personal relationships with any and all clients served.
5. Being a learner by using courteous, enthusiastic, open minded, critical approach to facts, fallacies, or fantasies.
6. Relating and using knowledge acquired in the classroom to practice in the agency.
7. Assuming a positive attitude, a proper maturity and an eagerness to help people.
8. Developing self-awareness in regard to attitudes, values and behavior patterns that influence his practice.
9. Preparing for and utilizing conferences and other opportunities for learning afforded him in the agency.

Agency Supervisor - It is the responsibility, in the majority of internship placements, for the agency to provide direct, on-the-job supervision to the student. The agency administrator is responsible for the selection and assignment of a qualified staff member to provide consistent and close supervision to the student during the internship placement. The role of the agency supervisor (i.e., the agency) includes:

1. Introducing and orienting the student to the agency's policies pertaining to office hours, applicable leave policies, schedule meetings and conferences, travel requirements, etc. The supervisor should introduce the student to the professional and clerical staff, and provide work space and supplies.
2. Introducing and orienting the student to the agency structures, programs and functions.
3. Introducing and orienting the student to the agency expectations regarding appropriate dress, policies governing confidentiality and other related modes of professional role behavior.
4. Teaching the student the agency's role in the community and working relationships with other agencies including referral procedures.
5. Familiarizing the student with policies and procedures regarding case management, record keeping, intake, and termination.
6. Orienting the student to commonalties of client population, including social needs, problems, and dynamics of such.
7. Introducing the student to available community resources as well as gaps in service.
8. Alerting the student to the conflicts affecting the agency due to the political realities of the community. In a sense this means protecting the student against unneeded exposure to struggles that do not enhance the learning situation.
9. Explaining the types and timing of communications-meetings, conferences, written reports, etc.
10. Assigning and supervising in the completion of, client-related tasks and responsibilities that are in keeping with the student's readiness to complete adequately.
11. Allowing the student to accompany the supervisor to home visits, office interviews, meetings, conferences, etc., where the student has the opportunity to identify with the supervisor as a professional practitioner.
12. Informing the faculty advisor/consultant whenever the supervisor becomes aware of personal or communication problems that are disrupting the student's learning or performance.
13. Providing regularly scheduled supervisory conferences designed to enhance the student's learning and performance.
14. Participating in joint and individual conferences with student and the faculty advisor/consultant regarding the student's performance.
15. Submitting a final evaluation.

Faculty Advisor - The internship program is considered a course complete with teaching objectives, content and teaching methodology. The internship faculty advisor/consultant thus assumes overall responsibility for consultation with the agency in terms of objectives, content and methodology, and is available to the student in an advisory capacity with respect to assisting the student to achieve the course objectives. The role of the faculty advisor includes:

1. Individual and group placement orientation and introduction of the student to the nature and purpose of the internship course.
2. Clear interpretation to the student of the course requirement, student role expectations, nature of written assignments, and means of grading.
3. Assisting the student in the exploration of stipend resources and/or agency compensation for the semester work-study course.
4. Orienting and introducing the agency supervisor (i.e., agency) to the nature and purpose of the internship course and the agency's role and responsibility in the learning process.
5. Consulting with the agency supervisor on a regular basis and as otherwise indicated regarding the student's performance, including any problems that re disrupting the student's learning and functioning.
6. Evaluating the student's written reports (see Appendix A) in terms of content and helping the student integrate classroom and internship learning.
7. Utilizing the performance evaluations submitted by the agency supervisor for purposes of on-site consultation and s part of the final grading of the student.
8. Assuming responsibility for the suspension of complete removal of a student from the course (i.e., the agency) whenever indicated due to grossly inappropriate performance or behavior.
9. Overall evaluation of performance and integration of knowledge for purposes of assigning a course grade.

There are two areas of requirements.

1. Each Friday you are to submit to me over e-mail, ffmjd@uaf.edu, a weekly summary of what you did. This summary may include a number of things like activities undertaken, observations made, or opinions of what you observe. The report should be brief but yet thorough enough to give me a good idea of what you did during the week. It is expected you will show how you are using information from your Justice Studies as you make your observations. For example, references to topics from Criminology, Procedural Law, or Justice Ethics could be used to demonstrate you are capable of analyzing your work environment regarding concepts you have learned in your Justice education.
2. At the end of the semester you are to write a short paper on your internship. You are to address the following areas:

   a. What do you see as the formal, stated goals of the agency or department?

   b. What informal goals did you observe others may have had? Did these informal goals support or contradict the formal goals?

   c. Describe what relationship your agency/department has to other agencies/departments. How do these relationships assist the agency/department in accomplishing the formal goals? Are there other relationships you see to be needed?

   d. Describe how your agency/department fits into a larger organizational structure. For example, if you are interning at Adult Probation and Parole, where in the government structure does Probation and Parole fit? (The Department of Corrections which is under the executive branch of government.)