Abstract
Who is going to do the work of criminal justice reform? Recognizing the capacity limits of even the most reform-minded academic criminologists, this article argues that widespread research training is crucial to the future of criminal justice reform efforts. To influence criminal justice reform in the short-term, and to bring about the systemic change in criminal justice in the long-term, we should be training all of our students, not just doctoral students, in the art and science of research. The multi-generational research team and social science lab model, is offered as a particularly promising model for mentoring the next generation of reform-minded undergraduate and graduate students. The role of mentoring, the value of original data collection, and the importance of developing a capacity to write for broad audiences in students at all levels are emphasized as crucial to effective research training for criminal justice reform.
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Acknowledgements
With special thanks to Special Issue Editor Dan Mears for conversations that led to this article (and then to its refinement). To Todd Clear for his mentorship and friendship over these many years. To Kayla Bates and Carlos Monteiro for offering comments and suggestions on earlier drafts. And to all of my current and former students who inspire me to continue doing this work.
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Frost, N.A. Research Training for Criminal Justice Reform. Am J Crim Just 47, 1204–1224 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-022-09720-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-022-09720-6