Disciplines
Criminal Law | Law
Abstract
Over the course of fifteen weeks, fourteen students and two professors explored the Criminal Justice System and the immense challenges faced by citizens as they attempt to reintegrate into their communities after being incarcerated. Through the lens of Systems Thinking, a system pioneered and described by Peter Senge, we dissected seemingly unrelated experiences to identify behaviors and patterns that have been intrinsic in the Criminal Justice System since “tough on crime” policies emerged into the early 1970’s. During this time, criminal justice and public opinion moved from a more rehabilitative stance to one of punishment and punitive vengeance on those that have wronged society, particularly those who committed drug offenses.. Along with extended sentences came a slew of collateral consequences that kept people impoverished and oppressed even after leaving prison. This specific aspect was the focus of our class’ research and discussion. By breaking this down into subsystems, the class characterized the challenges faced by citizens trying to return to their communities and normal life, and provided areas and suggestions for improving the system and in turn, the lives of these people. This book is the culmination of that research.
Course Code
HRN 311 - Problem Solving Sustainable Solutions through Systems Analysis
ScholarWorks Citation
Bernas, Alex; Bottenberg, Kim; Carroll, Christian; Clark, Brett; Eggert, Reagan; Feeley, Mackenzie; Gutierrez, Alexa; Hopkins, Beth; Kenney, Kimberly; McCroskey, Jordan; Murphy, Michelle; Weiss, Sheldon; Willman, Brent; and York, Kelsey, "Collateral Consequences: Living in the Shadow of a Conviction" (2017). Honors Undergraduate Research. 1.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/hnr_undergrad/1
