Beyond the classroom: criminal justice at LR

This spring, students taking Introduction to Criminal Justice at Lenoir-Rhyne University toured a juvenile detention facility and met law enforcement officers as part of a hands-on learning approach designed to connect classroom concepts with real-world practice.

Experiential learning opportunities play an essential role in the curriculum for Shahin Tasharrofi, Ph.D., assistant professor of criminal justice and assistant dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. According to Tasharrofi, the goal is to help students see how criminal justice systems function in practice and how those systems are experienced by the people who work within them.

“Course readings — books and articles — provide a foundation, but the information becomes truly meaningful when students can relate direct experiences and personal observations to what they read,” he said. 

For nursing major Karah Hurlbut ’28, the tour of Alexander County’s juvenile detention facility left a lasting impression.

“One thing that still sticks with me is a young boy who was hours away from being sent to an adult facility,” she said. “The moment juveniles turn 18, they’re transferred — on their birthday. That was surprising, and weeks later, I’m still thinking about him.”

The course also uses structured reflection to help students process what they observe. Those who attended the facility tour completed observational reports, while students who did not participate engaged with assigned readings about juvenile detention. In a later class discussion, students compared their expectations with the perspectives of classmates who had visited the facility.

Psychology major Riley Schutt ’28 said the detention center tour prompted her to reflect on the environment and structure of daily life within the facility.

“If we want juveniles to be rehabilitated, then we need to stop putting them in environments that may be making them worse, not better,” she said.

In addition to the detention center visit, students hear directly from professionals working in the field. Madison Marlowe ’27, a politics and law major, said a recent guest speaker session with Hickory Police Department officers stood out to her.

“One thing that stuck with me from the HPD officers’ class visit was how highly they spoke about the use of body cameras in policing, even going so far as to say that they wouldn’t do their jobs without them,” said Marlowe. “I was happy to hear that this relatively new technology benefits both citizens and police officers alike.”

These exchanges with guest speakers help students understand both the challenges and the evolving tools within the profession, while also exposing them to a range of career paths within criminal justice. Many students in the course are criminal justice majors or minors who plan to enter disciplines such as psychology, education and health sciences. The wide range of perspectives enables students to connect course content to a variety of professional contexts.

Deep reflection is part of the learning process Tasharrofi aims to foster.

“The criminal justice system, particularly law enforcement, draws a lot of public criticism, so I want my students to actually observe how the system operates in practice — and think about what they would do differently,” he said.

He also pointed to future opportunities for applied learning, including plans for a study abroad experience in Norway in 2027, where students will examine how different countries structure their criminal justice systems.