During my final year at the University of Missouri, I had the amazing opportunity to further my understanding of the criminal justice system through a comparative study abroad program that focused on the differences between the U.S. and Costa Rica. A group of like-minded individuals, committed to pursuing careers for the betterment of society, were selected from different backgrounds and stages of life, which I later learned was a huge advantage as we were able to share our individual perspectives through discussions held during the trip.

Shortly after finishing the spring semester of 2023, a small group of us flew to San Jose to begin our journey. Months in advance, I had researched the Costa Rican criminal justice system to have a basic understanding of what I would be learning in the near future. From what I read, the government in Costa Rica chooses to place focus on providing peace in their communities and aren’t as strict or harsh with their punishments. I assumed that their justice system must be better than ours because of how much room for corruption there is in our justice system, seeing that the Costa Rican government seems to be more transparent when it comes to their decision making. Through in-seat lectures and on site visits, to places like the prison and drug rehabilitation center, we were able to see just how similar our issues are in comparison to the place we call home. While the U.S. is often criticized for punitive practices and being prone to disparities in sentencing, it was made very known to us that Costa Rica has had issues with its amount of resources, as well as the average person’s access to the resources that the government provides.

My main take away from this trip is that there’s so many complexities and nuances that I have yet to discover in my career to come. I believe that through exploring different cultures and backgrounds, it’ll allow me to pursue my goal of creating a better world than I was originally born into.

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: Comparative Criminal and Juvenile Justice