True crime meets real careers at Science Hill criminal justice program

Science Hill High School's criminal justice program continues to draw far more student interest than it can enroll after receiving about 680 requests last year for roughly 300 spots. Chad Robinson, a criminal justice instructor who previously worked in law enforcement, said student demand has remained consistently high after recent expansion efforts. He said Science Hill hired a new criminal justice instructor about three years ago to accommodate larger classes. The school now offers three course levels, including a dual enrollment option that allows students to earn three college credit hours through the Tennessee College of Applied Technology. Like other career and technical education (CTE) offerings, Robinson said Science Hill's criminal justice courses allow students to explore potential careers while developing practical skills. They cover law enforcement procedures and court systems, crime scene analysis and forensics. "It allows the kids to truly identify if this is something they could be really interested in, or they realize, 'Hey, I like this and 'true crime,' but this is not really for me,'" Robinson said. According to the district's website, Science Hill's criminal justice program begins by teaching students how law enforcement, legal and correctional systems interact with each other. Proficient students learn the context of local, state and federal laws, crime control, the judicial process and the importance of professionalism in law enforcement before delving into more complex subjects like forensic technology and criminology. The program also features lessons and lab activities focusing on fingerprinting, where students learn about the identifiers needed to make a match, as well as the Automated Fingerprint Identification System used by law enforcement. "We'll talk about the different types of formations … and we'll look at different cases where fingerprints were prevalent in solving it," he said, adding that students also learn about ballistics forensics. "We try to have a lot of fun. It's pretty interesting." Crime scene processing exercises require students to work in teams, with members responsible for photographing scenes, sketching layouts, measuring evidence locations and properly collecting evidence such as clothing or blood. Robinson said course lessons also aim to strengthen students' ability to think scientifically and objectively. He said students learn the importance of objective observation and writing, particularly when it comes to crafting legal documents and police reports. "If you have a body lying in blood, you just can't put that in an [official] statement," Robinson said, noting that subjective language can sometimes undermine court cases and investigations. Robinson said the program has led several students to pursue diverse career paths relating to law and criminal justice, with many attending police academies and studying law at schools like Vanderbilt and University of Florida. One former student now works at the Body Farm research facility at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He said one major goal of the program is to teach students how criminal justice works behind the scenes without sensationalism. "A lot of times you got to explain to the kids, 'Hey, that's not really realistic. You're seeing that on TV. That's not how this goes down,'" Robinson said. "It's just so important for kids to be exposed to different careers, and we're here to help them find out what their passion is," he added. "That's my main objective, to help these kids get to where they want to be."