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Site Visits Provide Valuable Learning Opportunities

Law and Public Safety is a course offered in the CAPS Human Services Strand. The course includes the basics of legal topics of constitutional issues, criminal law, ethics, torts, contracts, family and juvenile law. Students are exposed to broad concepts of the justice system through in depth case studies of past and historical cases plus current, live trials as well as legal research and writing. Students also learn from experts while participating in numerous field visits to municipal, state and federal courthouses, juvenile detention center and prisons,  crime scene labs,  local and federal law enforcement agencies,  fire departments,  state and federal prosecutors’ offices,  law firms, and social service agencies.

One highlight site visit is always the trip to the Lansing Correctional Facility, a state prison operated by the Kansas Department of Corrections. Here are some reflections from the recent visit:

“Today we had the privilege to tour Lansing Correctional Facility and talk with some very empowering people. It was such an amazing opportunity to be with, walk around with, and talk with these prisoners. We experienced prison life for ourselves and formed our own opinions based on what we saw. It was an honor to hear about the changes that the men have gone through. So many people have ideas of what prison life is like, but they are mostly all wrong. Today was about showing us the truth to life in prison and showing us the opportunities that these young men have while in the facility.” ~ Charmaine Ejelonu

“This whole experience relates to CAPS because we learned about how the prison system works and what programs are available to help those who are incarcerated. I enjoyed the site visit and think it gave the whole class an understanding about prisons that we otherwise would not have.” ~ Caitlyn Dusthimer