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Team-based learning (TBL) is a non-traditional method of instruction that utilizes permanent teams working together to solve problems and make decisions. The authors extend the prior TBL criminal justice literature through a detailed explanation of the use of application-focused activities in the classroom. Specifically, application-focused activity examples demonstrate the versatility and practicality of TBL in the criminal justice classroom, highlighting their ability to foster critical thinking and communication skills among students. The authors conclude with a discussion of future directions for TBL in research and pedagogy in criminal justice and related disciplines.

Local elected sheriffs increasingly have responsibility to implement immigration policies, yet sheriffs are rarely studied in criminal justice. By measuring the attitudes of Texas sheriffs, we seek to understand their important views on immigration in the United States. A census was completed with Texas sheriffs in late 2019 and early 2020. Views were sought on (1) controlling unauthorized immigration, (2) pathways to citizenship, and (3) unauthorized immigration and crime. A strong return rate captured the views of 142 (56%) respondent sheriffs from both rural and urban counties. Findings indicate that a majority of Texas sheriffs see a link between authorized immigrants and crime, see a limited path to citizenship and view the primary enforcement of immigration to be a federal prerogative. Practical implications and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the nature of unsolved homicide, a complicated dynamic exists between survivors of cold case homicides and law enforcement personnel. The current study utilizes interviews with 24 survivors to explore the perceptions associated with this relationship. Employing a grounded theory framework, we find several themes depicted within these narratives that guide survivors' overall perceptions of their relationship with law enforcement, including investigative and communication efforts. Results indicate that the survivors universally perceive original detectives were incompetent or ineffective in their original investigation, thus leading to the unsolved status of their case. Over time, secondary and current investigators were also perceived as unable to properly investigate, due to challenges such as insufficient evidence or simply not conducting a comprehensive examination of the case. Regardless of this negative view of police activity on the case, relationships were defined by the level and nature of communication survivors had with their detective. Families who felt listened to, included, and/or valued reported a positive relationship with police that allowed them to trust their case was in good hands. Participants who perceived communication to be secretive, misleading, or completely absent noted strained relationships and further disappointment. Survivors may adopt roles, such as investigator, spokesperson, or advocate, to help compensate for their perception that the case is not properly cared for by police. With regard to grief progress and health of cold case homicide survivors, it is possible treatment by law enforcement outweighs the significant of case resolution years after the homicide. Recommendations for more productive survivor/police interactions are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five in six (83 percent) individuals whospend time in prison are arrested for anew crime at some point following theirrelease from incarceration (Alper, Duruse, &Markman, 2018). A lack of educationmay limit job opportunities (Williams,2007), and studies suggest that 95 percent ofreentrants report needing additional educationupon release from prison (Visher &Travis, 2011), although life skills educationalone is not shown to help reduce recidivism(MacKenzie, 2006). Of those whoserved no time in prison, 8 percent (132/1618)said that drug addiction was their biggest barriercompared to 10 percent (161/1556) whoserved some but less than 5 years in prison. A total of 1,618 (40.4 percent)participants reported having spent no timein prison; 1,556 (38.8 percent) reported havingspent less than 5 years; 513 (12.8 percent)reported having spent between 5-10 yearsin prison; and 317 (7.9 percent) reportedhaving spent more than 10 years in prison. [Extracted from the article]

Juries represent a critical part of the criminal justice process, often entrusted to reach guilt/innocence verdicts and also asked to decide between punishment options. Unfortunately, there has been little empirical criminological research examining the variation in the length of jury deliberations and the factors that may be related to this length. This exploratory study uses data from 144 federal criminal trials in the Eastern District of Texas over a six-year period in order to examine the length of these deliberations as well as some of the legal characteristics that may be associated with deliberation length, including the number and complexity of the charges, trial length, the time between offense and indictment, and whether defense counsel was retained or appointed. Results indicate that lengthy trials, those involving a higher number of counts, and cases where there is a long length of time between offense and indictment are related to longer deliberation times while economic crimes are related to shorter deliberation times. Additionally, the results suggest that privately retained counsel is related to longer deliberation times in non-economic compared to economic crimes. Future research directions are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]