A Justice Experience at the University of Regina: A History of an Interdisciplinary, Academic, Liberal Arts Program1

Abstract

There are diverse criminal justice realties. These realities cluster around politics, the news media, entertainment, advocacy groups, and among others, post-secondary education institutions. Seldom is the public informed of the available evidence on crime and justice research and practices. Rather, the media market place and political agendas are a leading edge of misinformation, rhetoric, half-truths, and bumper-sticker slogans explaining crime and justice. Post secondary institutions are not now, nor have they been in the past, immune from such influences. How independent is justice research at Canadian universities? How do academics formulate independent research proposals while meeting external funding criteria? What is it that attracts students to criminal justice degree programs? Is it the pursuit of a better society, a more just society? Or, are students influenced by cop shows, tough-on-crime politics, and editorials without an evidentiary foundation? Maybe, students have aspirations of joining the league of justice professionals fighting crime to make our communities safer. As fiscal constraints disproportionately dictate university priorities, the public interest in crime and justice has not gone unnoticed by colleges and universities. In attempts to attract students, justice programs have become a well from which to draw financial resources. This is not an exclusive club for only post-secondary justice programs. Nevertheless, justice programs seem to attract the criticism that they are not “true” to an academic tradition of liberal arts. Whether the motivation behind such criticism is a legitimate concern for academic accountability or simply envy of the flow of students to justice programs is difficult to say. A brief journey through the justice program at the University of Regina reflects upon its liberal arts foundation and its integration of practices for improving human services to those most affected by crime: victims, offenders, families, and communities. The challenges of financial exigencies are briefly considered.