Promoting Experiential Learning by Studying Post-Authoritarian Criminal Justice in Chile

Abstract

Many criminology abroad programs in the United States focus on European experiences, leaving justice systems in South America uninterrogated from a comparative perspective. Criminology students also rarely get to study in post-authoritarian countries that have sought to reform their criminal justice processes. Herein, we report on a pilot program where a small group of U.S. university students traveled to South America for 16 days to study the organization and operation of the criminal justice system in Chile. By collecting a series of both prompted and unprompted journal entries from students, as well as excerpts from student papers, we examine how students perceived the differences in crime and criminal justice between the U.S. and Chile and explore how this experience impacted their views of criminal justice. We conclude by discussing the benefits and obstacles that can emerge from faculty-led criminology abroad courses designed to study crime and justice in South America.