Criminal Justice (CRJU)

This course is an overview of the criminal justice system in the United States. The three principal components of the criminal justice system (courts, corrections and law enforcement) will be examined, along with the social and political considerations of the criminal justice system.

A comprehensive survey of organizational problems in American law enforcement agencies. Special emphasis is placed on police administration.

This course provides students with a broad theoretical and empirical overview of the American crime problem. The course is designed to explore the problem of crime in the United States from a social science perspective to develop a survey understanding of how the patterned influence of social institutions (family, government, schools), subcultures and the social psychology of everyday life come together to shape how society defines, organizes and responds to crime.

An introduction to corrections, including its philosophy, procedures and institutions.

A survey of criminology theory and practice, the nature and causation of crime and the etiology and nature of criminal offenses and offenders.

This course will introduce the courts systems’ legal bases, structure, jurisdiction, operation and its interaction with other government agencies. It will also create a basic understanding of each stage of criminal procedures as viewed from the legal perspective, including special emphasis on fundamental constitutional limitations.

Offers an overview of both substantive and procedural law related to the definitions, investigations, processing, and punishment of crimes. The course will introduce students to the legal idea of criminal responsibility, the concept and elements of criminal responsibility, required state of mind (mens rea), and prohibited conduct (actus reus). The course discusses the substantive content, structure, and sources of major crimes against persons and property and provides a comprehensive evaluation of various legal defenses to criminal liability under both common law (case law) and statutory law (legislative law) approaches.

A study of the nature and function of the law regulating the criminal processes, policies, and procedures in the administration of criminal justice. Special attention will be given to United States Supreme decisions.

A study of the nature and scope of crime in society with an emphasis on criminological theories.

Analyzes the role the mass media has on human behavior, subsequently affecting human judgement, attitudes, perceptions of crime, and societal reactions to crime in general. This course analyzes how the general public processes the "criminal event" and other pertinent information regarding crime and how this process is fundamentally derived from the media and is an instrumental element in the creation of fear of crime.

A study of the history, structure, and functions of corrections as well as the legal and philosophical basis for the punishment of criminal offenders.

Explores and analyzes the complex experience of illicit drug use in America from multiple angles with specific attention to the ways that our culture understands drugs, drug use, and drug policy as a social/criminal justice problem. Topics include punishment, interdiction, prevention, and or rehabilitation.

Reviews the juvenile justice system, including the impact of Supreme Court decisions, and examines the theories of juvenile delinquency and the implication of those theories for preventing and controlling juvenile deviance.

An overview of principles, techniques, law and procedure involved in the criminal investigative process from its inception to culmination.

Continues information introduced in CRJU 3500, with special focus on the investigation of the crimes of burglary, robbery, forgery, homicide, assault, and bombings. Providing testimony in court, assessing modus operandi, and developing personality profiles will also be examined, as well as obtaining fingerprints and other types of latent evidence.

Introduction to criminal justice management theory, practice, and policy. This course includes a review of traditional schools or organizational theory, including bureaucracy, scientific management, human relations, and the behavioral approach, with particular emphasis on how each applies to criminal justice agencies.

An introduction to criminal justice research methodologies, with a focus on research design, ethical concerns, conceptualization, sampling, data analysis, interpretation of research results, report writing, and application of research findings.

An intensive study of a specific topic relevant to criminal justice, including sex crimes, terrorism, drug law, or capital punishment. This course may be taken three times for a total of nine credit hours when topics vary.

Addresses the racial impact of criminal laws enacted by the people's elected representatives, the actions and policies of law enforcement agencies, the courts, correctional institutions, the juvenile justice system, and the death penalty. Raises awareness and promotes critical thinking about the problems that exist in our system, how those problems originated and evolved, and possible solutions for these problems.

Addresses the physical, emotional, and financial impact of crime victimization; the relationship between victims and offenders; how the criminal justice systems interacts with crime victims; and the policies designed by the government to offer assistance to individuals who are victimized by crime. Raises awareness and promotes critical thinking and problem solving about the most effective strategies for interaction with crime victims, the measurement of crime victimization, and victim trends.

Supervised, practical experience in an appropriate criminal justice agency. This course allows students the opportunity to discover the integration between theory and practice. This course may be taken three times for a total of nine hours of credit.

An examination of the rules of evidence used in criminal prosecutions, including burden of proof, presumptions, inferences and stipulations, relevancy of evidence and competency of witnesses, expert testimony, hearsay, and constitutional limitations.

An examination of the type and patterns of crimes committed by serial offenders and the process by which profiles are developed to solve these crimes.

An examination of the motives and actions of terrorists, the governmental response to terrorism, especially in the wake of 9/11, and the legal and constitutional restraints on the government. Included will be issues such as surveillance of American citizens, detention of suspected terrorists, enemy combatants, limits on the methods of interrogation, and use of military tribunals.

An examination of alternatives to incarceration. Special emphasis will be given to the issues of probation and parole, as well as diversion, community service, electronic monitoring, and various treatment programs.

Explores a range of crimes that occur in the family setting, including violence between intimate partners, child abuse, and neglect. Theoretical factors, as well as how the criminal justice system responds to both victims and perpetrators of family violence, will be examined.

The scientific investigation of crime with emphasis on the collection, analysis, comparison, and identification of physical evidence.

An advanced examination of policing, exploring topics including the police subculture, the police use of discretion, the broken-windows approach, community policing, and problem-solving approaches.

An examination of the philosophical theories underlying ethics and how they relate to issues involving the police, courts, corrections, law, and principles of justice.

Serves as the comprehensive experience in criminal justice utilizing the students knowledge and academic skills, including pursuing archival research, journal keeping, note taking and report writing to address a topic or issue of contemporary interest in criminal justice or one of its subfields. The course will be taught at the senior level and will focus on criminal justice issues at the national and international levels. In addition to the course requirements, students will complete a major research paper that results in an end-of-semester presentation to the class. This course serves as a capstone course for criminal justice majors.