ABSTRACT

This book is designed to maximize the internship experience for students enrolled in criminal justice degree programs. This chapter presents the background to criminal justice internship programs and the important reasons why a student should consider interning. Upon completing the chapter, the reader should be able to review the internship program options at his or her campus in terms of program requirements, the number of credits that might be earned, and a general range of the number and types of placement sites that are available. Additionally, the main learning goals that could be derived from undertaking an internship are introduced in the areas of knowledge acquisition, knowledge application, skills development, personal development, and professional development.