Criminal Justice Professor Uses Art to Encourage Empathy in Police Cadets
July 14, 2015
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Heather Pfeifer, associate professor in the University of Baltimore's School of Criminal Justice, recently conducted a training course for the Milwaukee Police Academy in which artworks are used to encourage empathy between officers and victims of crimes.
In an article in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Pfeifer is depicted in her delivery of a day-long presentation in which art made by crime victims is shown to trainees, instructors and victim advocates at the academy. The goal, she says, is to bring future officers closer to the true impact of crime.
"If you can understand truly what somebody else is feeling without judgment, you are more likely to be able to respond in the way that they need and in the end, for the criminal justice system, you're less likely to revictimize them," Pfeifer told the audience.
"If the individual feels like you are genuinely empathic with them, they're more likely to cooperate, and you need that from an investigative standpoint," she continued.
Read the article.
Learn more about Prof. Pfeifer and the School of Criminal Justice, part of UB's College of Public Affairs.