Criminology students traveled to Santiago to study Chile’s criminal justice system
University of Idaho CLASS students learned more about the criminal justice system in the U.S. — by studying abroad in Chile.
International research will help students understand U.S. system more completely
In a divided but interconnected world, an international perspective not only provides a wider and deeper understanding of one’s own cultural context but also has become a necessary tool for conscientious criminal justice or social science professionals. Along with the process of globalization, crime increasingly becomes a transnational matter for which knowledge of criminal justice beyond U.S. borders is necessary.
With that goal in mind, 17 University of Idaho criminology students had the opportunity to explore the many facets of the criminal justice system in Santiago, Chile, last summer. The study abroad course was designed for students to understand the differences between what they have seen and experienced in the U.S. versus how similar situations and problems are handled in a foreign country by visiting Chile’s criminal justice agencies, political institutions and cultural centers.
Over the course of 16 days, and accompanied by two U of I faculty members, the students compared and contrasted Chile’s criminal justice system against the system in the U.S. by visiting the institutions such as the PDI (Chilean FBI), Chile’s congress, the Corte Suprema (Chile’s supreme court), the Carabineros Police station, cultural centers and museums dedicated to human rights.
The students also experienced how many social science issues found in the U.S. are handled in a foreign country, such as violence against Indigenous people, women, members of the LBGTQ community, gun control, due process, juvenile justice, healthcare and the death penalty.
Article by David Jackson, University Communications and Marketing.
Courtesy photos from Kristine Levan.
Video by Melissa Hartley, University of Idaho Visual Productions.
Published in January 2025.