Criminal Justice Program. CRJ 2901 Practicum/Seminar. Student Packet

Transcription

1 Criminal Justice Program CRJ 2901 Practicum/Seminar Student Packet

2 COLUMBUS STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEPARTMENT STUDENT PRACTICUM GUIDE Criminal justice practicums are placements of individual students in criminal justice agencies. Students are assigned to an agency with the goal of attaining new or different experience that enhances the student s education. While a practicum is requited in each major, an alternative experience may be provided for students with valid reasoning why a practicum placement is not appropriate (i.e. felony conviction). Failing to identify a locale for placement in a timely manner is not an acceptable reason for completing the course. Application: In order to participate in a practicum the student must have attained second year status and completed a practicum application which will be reviewed by a designated faculty member or the department chairperson. The APPLICATION FOR ENROLLMENT must be completed and submitted with an ADD/DROP FORM for CRJ 2901 to a practicum advisor. Practicum Location: Students are required to locate their own practicum placement. Developing your own placement provides many benefits: networking opportunities, determining what type of placement you desire, and a convenient location. If after due diligence the student cannot locate a practicum placement the department will provide assistance or an alternative experience. Expectations: Students in practicums are placed in professional criminal justice agencies and therefore are expected to demonstrate high standards. The following are minimum expectations: a. Work performance: You will be assigned a variety of tasks in the course of your practicum and you are expected to perform each in a professional manner and to the best of your ability. The practicum provides you with an opportunity to demonstrate your talents, develop experience and possibly enhance your references. b. Appearance: Students are expected to maintain a professional appearance and demeanor at all times during the placement. Standards may vary from agency to agency but the student is always a representative of Columbus State and the Criminal Justice Department and is therefore expected to exhibit high standards in grooming and appearance.

3 Clothing- While participating in a Practicum the student will wear clothing appropriate for the particular assignment. The Practicum Supervisor may designate specific appropriate attire. If you are unwilling or unable to wear the requested attire you must see you Practicum Supervisor immediately. c. Attendance: Students are expected to be prompt and to attend the practicum Placement for all designated hours. It is the student s responsibility to notify their Practicum Supervisor and their Seminar Instructor if an absence is absolutely necessary. Make up hours must be arranged with the Practicum Supervisor. Excessive absences may result in removal from the Practicum and an unsatisfactory evaluation and grade. d. See the attached Grandview Heights Intern Expectations. Use this as a standard, particularly the paragraphs addressing Business Casual Dress and be on time. Professional Behavior: While students are expected to maintain high moral, ethical and professional standards, the same expectations apply to persons at the Practicum site. If you are uncomfortable about any aspect of the Practicum, contact your advisor immediately. While working in a Practicum you are still considered a student at Columbus State Community College and unless you have entered into a formal paid employment relationship with that agency you would not represent yourself in a professional capacity. For example, if your Practicum is in a police department it would be unprofessional, and even illegal, to represent yourself as a police officer unless you have been granted that legal authority. Confidentiality: You may be placed in a position where confidential material is made available to you. Breaching confidentiality may have serious consequences for you and the agency in which you work. Safety: Every effort has been made to insure that students are placed into a safe working environment. However, because of the nature of the criminal justice field not every contingency can be anticipated. If a dangerous situation arises, your first thought should be you personal safety. Because of a lack of training and equipment you are not expected to intervene in such circumstances. Obtaining help is most often the best response. Grading: Practicums are graded on a Pass/Fail basis. The grade will be based upon an evaluation by the site supervisor, and the instructor s evaluation of the student s daily log and portfolio.

4 Portfolio: The portfolio is to be developed in a professional manner and is to document all of the student s internship experiences. A well developed portfolio can be a valuable tool in the employment process to demonstrate the students experience and the quality of his/her work. Portfolios will contain the following. 1. Overview: Provide a complete description of the agency in which you worked: what is its purpose, how large is it, how is it, how is it organized and how well is it doing its job? Does the organization function smoothly, what are its noticeable strengths and weakness? 2. Summary of Practicum Experience: Provide an overall summary of your experience in the practicum. This summary should include at a minimum: a. A description of the duties you performed, include a detailed description of any special projects or assignments you completed. b. An honest self evaluation of your performance in handling duties assigned should be included. What problems, if any, arose in your ability to perform assignments? c. Describe any major cases or incidents in which you were involved or witnessed. d. What did you learn that you did not know before? e. Were you provided with effective learning experiences? Was supervision adequate? f. Any other facts, issues or information that can be helpful in evaluating your experience. Closure: When the internship is completed, a thank you letter in business letter format will be mailed to the top administrator of the organization. A sample format is attached to this packet. Note the spacing, no indentations, colon (:) after the salutation. The salutation should be professional, even if you have established friendly first name relationships. For example; If you know the person's name: Dear Ms / Miss / Mrs. / Mr. / Dr. + surname: Dear Mr. Miller:

5 You can also write the person's full name. In this case, leave out the title (Mr./Mrs.). This way of writing the salutation is very handy if you don't know the gender of the person. Dear Chris Miller: This letter should be brief (one or two paragraphs) and should thank the organization for allowing the internship. If there was a special person, who went out of their way to assist you, you should mention them by name in the letter. This letter is to be sent (hard copy or ed) to your CSCC internship advisor prior to it being mailed to the administrator. See the SAMPLE FORMAT FOR BUSINESS/THANK YOU LETTER as the last page attached to this packet. Appendix A: Daily logs: A short listing of hours and events for each day of the practicum. These logs may be brief, but should include important events and activities. The Logs must be typewritten before submission of final portfolio. Appendix B: Copies of all reports, projects or assignments you completed. You can include blank copies of forms to demonstrate the types of forms used. While much information in criminal justice is public record, some information may need to remain confidential and could be deleted from reports before turning in the portfolio (for example names of juveniles or victims of sexual assault)

6 SAMPLE FORMAT FOR BUSINESS/THANK YOU LETTER Return Address Line 1 Return Address Line 2 Date (Month Day, Year) Mr./Mrs./Ms./Dr. Full name of recipient. Title/Position of Recipient. Company Name Address Line 1 Address Line 2 Dear Ms./Mrs./Mr. Last Name: Body Paragraph Body Paragraph Closing (Sincerely...), Your signature Your Name (Typed)