Sharing References and Adaptation Statement

CCRJ 1013 Intro to Criminal Justice is an Open Educational Resource (OER). OER “are learning, teaching and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under copyright that have been released under an open license, that permit no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others” (UNESCO, 2023). This text is licensed under the Creative Commons (CC 4.0) format (creativecommons.org) with support to complete this project from the Rebus Foundation and LOUIS|The Louisiana Library Network. This OER is meant for upper level college students in the Louisiana System of Education.

This textbook is particularly unique in that it has been adapted to suit the needs for students in the state of Louisiana using a previous OER submission. The original textbook was collaboratively written by Criminology professionals at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, with support from KPU Open Educational Resources. That course text is titled Introduction to Criminology. This OER was engineered to be specific to the needs of students for the region in which they were studying, the country of Canada. Likewise, this new OER adaptation is also tailored to the needs of the students within the state of Louisiana while meeting the learning objectives outlined within, as well as covering the relevant subject matter required for a course in Criminology.

This course can be adapted to be used in both the quarter, and semester format as the instructor of record sees the need. There has been considerable focus on core topics that are relevant to current issues including the Criminological Theory, terminology, and notable historical figures. Newly added material has been included that discusses Green Criminology, Intersectional Theory, and Critical Race Theory. The Louisiana adaptation has also been mindful of the uniqueness of the Louisiana Judicial System and has incorporated as much of its distinctiveness as possible into this OER for the benefit of the students’ learning needs. This adaptation has relatable examples that will test critical thinking skills as well as assessments, exercises, and audio/visual multimedia for enhanced student engagement.

If there are any questions about the Louisiana adaptation, please feel free to contact Douglas Marshall at djmarshall12@gmail.com.