Criminal Justice (CRJ)

History, role, development, and philosophy of the criminal justice system in democratic society; introduction to agencies and their functions in the administration of criminal justice; and career orientation.

This course explores the attitudes and personal belief systems of social justice and civic engagement. Students will explore the ways, and will provide a forum for discussion, of the experiences in which activists have worked for the betterment of marginalized peoples. Students will be prepared for lives of responsible, thoughtful, and engaged democratic citizenship. This course assists students in acquiring background knowledge for developing a sense of responsibility for one’s social involvement in the world. Prerequisites: None

The purpose of criminal law, the characteristics of particular crimes, the general principles of liability to punishment, and the negation of punishability by reason of special defense. s

Criminal evidence and procedure and their application in trials. Topics: rules of evidence, rules of procedure, arrests, searches and seizures, use and suppression of evidence in trial, constitutional implications.

This course will examine operations, methods, and techniques of police patrol function, emphasizing the philosophy and theories of patrol, types of patrol, methodologies, tactical operations and their contribution towards crime prevention, crime repression, and community service.

This course will provide prospective law enforcement officers with basic marksmanship skills, including: introduction to firearms, shooting fundamentals, range behavior and safety, range work for basic firearms, classroom and range work for practical firearms, and handgun qualification. Pre-requisite: Consent of Instructor

This course is designed to explore crime and the criminal; social, cultural, biological, and psychological theories of crime causation; and control and treatment of the criminal. The student will be offered an overview of the field of criminology, which has been defined as a discipline that gathers and analyzes empirical data. The purpose of the activity is to attempt to determine the society’s response to these violations.

Etiology and extent of delinquency; personal, familial, and community factors; theories, punishment and treatment; preventive and institutional agencies; and research.

Examination of the various methods used to control and treat the youthful offender, including, but not limited to, diversion, detention, institutionalization, probation, parole, group homes, and foster homes.

This course will take a critical look at the criminal justice system in America. It will examine the history, philosophy, ethics, and legal issues related to the criminal justice system. The course explores issues unique to individuals of different classes, gender, and race, from a restorative justice perspective. This course will help the student define human rights, and reflect on violations of those rights, and ways to reform the criminal justice system will be discussed. Prerequisites: none

An examination of ethical behavior that will provide criminal justice students with the relevant decision-making skills that will enhance the practitioner’s duty performance as well as the public interest. The emphasis will be on making moral, rational and responsible decisions which will lead to ethical professional behavior. The course also further explores the mental pressures placed upon members of modern police forces and criminal justice related careers in American systems. The course is designed to help criminal justice professionals overcome the internal assaults, and ethical dilemmas which occur over the course of their careers. Prerequisite: CRJ 100, PSY 200, or SOC 110

This course will focus on innovative, proactive policing, while exploring the relationships and sometimes misunderstandings between police and the citizens that the police “Protect and Serve.”

This course is designed to explore the topic of corrections. This exploration will include the developmental history of the field, the issues facing the decision-makers, the social reactions to the control and treatment of offenders, the various components that make up the corrections system, and how social change has impacted the field. .

This course discusses how facts are gathered and analyzed. It will begin with the initial interview and cover such topics as taking statements from witnesses, victims and suspects to include detecting deception and the utilization of interrogation techniques.

Special topics in criminal justice.

Provides field experience in the available areas of human services. Designed to integrate theory with practice in order to develop appropriate skill, knowledge, attitudes, and professional identification. Students may enroll for two semesters. Pre-requisite: Consent of Instructor

An examination of the dynamics concerning youth at risk, which have affected stress, substance abuse, adolescent pregnancies, truancies, and developmental disabilities. It includes missing, abducted, runaway, and throwaway children, and those affected by the multiple-problem family and fetal alcohol syndrome. The further examination of the various methods used to control and treat the youthful offender, including, but not limited to, diversion, detention, institutionalism, probation, parole, group homes, and foster homes. Prerequisite: CRJ 100, CRJ 308, or PSY 200 or SOC 110

This advanced course covers the process by which society’s most heinous crimes of sexual assaults and homicides are solved. It will emphasize the investigative process and the importance of teamwork, not only among investigators, but with the numerous fo¬rensic disciplines. Specifically, it will address the roles of the various forensic disciplines and their relationships with sex crimes and the homicide investigator, to include the functions of the crime laboratory. This course will address in de¬tail the processing of the homicide crime scene and car¬ry the investigator through the medicolegal system. Ad¬ditionally, discussions of legal problems and methods of interpreting wounds/injuries will be presented that will assist the investigator in drawing logical conclusions. Prerequisite: CRJ 261

Course will examine the concept of community-based corrections, the role of the corrections worker, and specific programs including, but not limited to: community service, community residential centers, fines, and work release. The course will Introduce and survey probation and parole practices from a historical perspective. Assumptions and theories about human behavior underlying such practices; contemporary and future trends in the field. Prerequisite: CRJ 371

An examination of the relationship between the criminal and his or her victim, the victim's role in the criminal justice system, and the rights and needs of the victim as well as the crime impact on the victim.

Course will introduce management within law enforcement agencies. Operation, administration, leadership skills, and suggestions to create a better understanding of what is required to have an efficient, effective law enforcement agency.

This course will address an encompassing view of the discrete elements which comprise the criminal justice system and their interrelatedness. The subsystems of the criminal justice system (law enforcement, courts, and corrections), will be discussed to encapsulate the global community. More specifically, explorations will be made of identifying, comparing, and contrasting alternative methods of employing justice throughout the world. Instructor’s Elaboration This course will also encompass in-depth analysis of criminal justice systems worldwide. It incorporates an encompassing view of discrete elements which comprise criminal justice systems and their interrelatedness.

Pre-requisite: Consent of Instructor

The criminal justice capstone course is designed to assist students in the integration and synthesis of their undergraduate experiences from both a theoretical and practical framework. This capstone course also focuses on applying major criminal justice theories that have contributed to an understanding of deviant, delinquent, or abnormal behaviors and crime. An overview of the American criminal justice system will more specifically examine crime and victimization trends, crime prevention programs, law enforcement, prosecution, defense, adjudication, sentencing, corrections, and criminal justice policy making. E