Experiential Education and Training for Employment in Justice Occupations

This brief discusses the benefits and various considerations for participants and justice agencies involved in experiential programs for students. Using case studies and interviews with justice agency administrators, it assesses programs in law enforcement, courts, corrections, and public and private human services agencies.  Each chapter discusses how to prepare for the internship, the expectations of the field work, and practical concerns.  This brief is appropriate for students in justice studies, criminology and related programs, and for professionals coordinating experiential education.

Peter Charles Kratcoski earned a  Ph.D in sociology from Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, an MA in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana; and a BA in sociology from King's College, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was selected for several postdoctoral grants by the National Sciene Foundation. He taught at the College of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota, and at the Pennsylvania State University before assuming the position of assistant professor of sociology at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio in 1969. He retired as professor of criminal justice studies and chair of the Department of Criminal Justice Studies at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, where he is currently a professor emeritus and adjunct professor. He has published many books, chapters in books, and journal articles in the areas of juvenile delinquency, juvenile justice, international policing, crime prevention, corrections, and victimology. His most recent writing and research have centered on juvenile delinquency, juvenile justice, collaborative policing, correctional counseling, financial crimes, corruption and fraud, and victimization of the elderly. His most recent book publication is Juvenile Delinquency: Theory, Research, and the Juvenile Justice Process, 6^th edition ( Co- authored with Lucille Dunn  Kratcoski, and Peter Christopher Kratcoski), published by Springer in 2020.
Peter Christopher Kratcoski was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the Ohio State University and a Juris Doctorate from the Ohio State University College of Law. He is the managing partner at the law firm Williams, Kratcoski  & Can where he has been practicing law since 1988. In addition to his law practice, he has taught as an adjunct professor at several colleges and universities for more than 30 years. He currently teaches as an adjunct professor in the paralegal program at Kent State University,   teaching  law-related courses. He has co-authored three books, the most recent being Juvenile Delinquency: Theory, Research, and the Juvenile Justice Process, 6^th edition, (Peter Charles Kratcoski, and Lucille Dunn Kratcoski, Co-authors). published by Springer in 2020.