Human service professionals and rehabilitation professionals often receive limited training on individuals with disabilities who have been incarcerated, despite the overrepresentation of disability in the criminal legal system. Targeted education that integrates knowledge regarding the criminal legal system and disability-related content may better prepare emerging professionals.
Objective
The purpose of this study was to examine whether participation in an interdisciplinary course on disability and the criminal legal system led to changes in university students’ knowledge, attitudes, and stigmatizing beliefs toward individuals with disabilities who have been previously incarcerated.
Method
A pre-post test design was used to assess 56 students across three consecutive semesters, with students completing designated measures at the beginning and end of the course. Paired sample t-tests were used to assess changes over time.
Results
Students demonstrated statistically significant increases across all six course outcomes with large effect sizes, as the designated findings indicate positive shifts in student attitudes following course participation.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that enrollment in a semester-long interdisciplinary course on disability and the criminal legal system effectively reduced stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs toward individuals who have been incarcerated, as well as improved students’ knowledge about culturally-specific issues for members of this population.
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