Criminal Justice

This course will provide students with an introduction and overview of the system of criminal justice operated in the United States today. Beginning with a survey of the sources, philosophies, and role of law in society, this course will provide a brief examination of those factors that distinguish civil, criminal and social justice from one another.

The course will provide an orientation to the issues, policies, and procedures that make up our system of justice for children. The function and legal responsibilities of the police, probation, juvenile court, and corrections system will be studied. Emphasis will be on societal forces that bring children into the justice system including child abuse and gang participation, as well as the legal response of mandated agencies.

This course is a study of probation, parole, diversion, pre-trial release, and intermediate sanctions. It is a critical analysis of the statutes and policies relating to the administration of community-based correctional programs. Specifically, this course will highlight critical issues and trends in community-based corrections as well as evaluate the practice of community corrections nationwide. Special emphasis will be placed on exploring the development of community corrections, including probation, parole, intermediate punishments, special offenders in the community, and juvenile offenders in the community.

Study of the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eight and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, as these govern police and court procedures and the rights of citizens. Writing assignments, as appropriate to the discipline, are part of the course.

This course is a study of the techniques, rules, and methods applied to the acquisition, admissibility and use of evidence within the criminal justice system.

This course examines the historical development, current changes, and future trends in correctional policies and strategies, including analysis and evaluation of concepts and theories of retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, incapacitation, and other purposes of correctional reform. Special emphasis will be placed on the underlying social, legal, and ethical issues that affect various correctional strategies.

This class will be conducted predominately by discussions, small group activities, and informative “how to” sessions. Students will be exposed to as much reading as possible that will provide insight, information, and knowledge that assist in their being successful in obtaining professional employment in the criminal justice field. Research and case studies will be employed to give students a wide-breath of exposure to useful information about the job market in the criminal justice field. Students will work on very practical assignments that will help in their overall development as they prepare to graduate from the college.

This course focuses on issues related to our system of punishment for criminal offenders, beginning with a historical review of the origins of prisons and then proceeding to an examination of the current thinking regarding modern forms of punishment. Additionally, current trends in prison programs will be discussed and issues relevant to prisons today will be examined.

This course introduces students to the history and background of American corrections and the fundamental theories of punishment and treatment. Emphasis will be placed on correctional law, policies, practices, issues, and controversies within the correctional system. The incarceration of various criminal populations in jails and prisons, alternatives to incarceration (e.g., probation and parole), capital punishment, and the public policy issues surrounding the expansion of community-based corrections will also be discussed.

This course covers the basic techniques and procedures used in the process of criminal justice research. Topics include: defining research problems, ethics in criminal justice research, selecting and measuring variables, stating hypotheses, sampling, and developing experimental research designs.