Criminal Justice

A basic overview of crime and justice in America. Includes the criminal process, problems and prospects of policing, the courtroom workgroup, prisons, and correctional policy.

This course will examine crime and criminal justice from a global perspective. Issues surrounding the definition, incidence, trends, control, treatment, and prevention of crime will be explored using theoretical and empirical resources from mainstream and international criminology.

A study of the history, structure, and function of police in America. Includes police management and supervision; constitutional limitations on police; law enforcement and community relations; and the sociological implications of contemporary policing.

This course is designed to provide an exploration of various forms of crime prevention.  Relevant theory and research related to environmental design, neighborhood watch, community policing, school crime prevention, and other situational prevention measures will be explored.  The course aims to provide a foundation for understanding the theoretical objectives of various crime prevention efforts and emerging crime prevention strategies, as well as the effectiveness of these strategies.  

This course addresses the victim’s experience in the justice system. Using case studies of individual and organizational victims, examines the costs of crime, prevention services, intervention, and public compensation. Students will also explore the concepts of vulnerability, culpability, and intra-family crime.

This course provides a general overview of classification and analysis of selected areas of the substantive law of crimes, including basic principles of criminal law, general assumptions, and elements of crime, against persons and property, and defenses. The particular emphasis of this course is the intersection of the common law and statutory law (drawn from various states and the federal system). Topics addressed include criminal liability, actus reus, mens rea, defenses, inchoate crimes, crimes against persons, crimes against property, crimes against public order, and crimes against the state. 

Examines the general principles, theories, and laws of criminal procedure, including concepts of due process, arrest, search and seizure, wiretapping, lineups, and other recent developments. This course will focus on federal constitutional criminal procedure with some time dedicated to exploring differences in procedure among the states. 

This course provides a general overview of the United States judicial system, including recent innovations and future trends. The particular emphasis of this course is the process of criminal adjudication from arrest through final appeal. Topics addressed include: the organization of federal and state courts, the courtroom work group, the trial-level adjunction process, sentencing, appeals, and the juvenile court system. 

This course is designed to provide students with a systematic introduction to the study of gender in criminal justice as well as the nature and extent of female criminality and victimization.  Theories of offending and victimization will be covered, as well as the needs of female victims and offenders.  Experiences of women working in the criminal justice system will also be discussed in the course.  

This course will explore the relationship between the American Criminal Justice System and racial minorities. This course will study the dynamics and intersection of racial discrimination and disparities in the U.S. and how it affects the criminal justice system. research has consistently found disparities across the phases of the criminal justice system, including arrest, prosecution, sentencing, wrongful convictions, incarceration of racial minorities, and capital punishment. 

This course is designed to provide an exploration of the relationship between drugs and crime, including historical trends, issues pertinent to specific types of substance abuse, social and economic costs, and policy responses. Additionally, the course will cover the criminal justice system's efforts to respond to drug-related issues. 

Exploration of areas of special interest in criminal justice. Potential topics include organized crime, computer crime, criminal evidence, legal issues in corrections, death penalty, and women in the criminal justice system and others.

This course will provide a contemporary analysis of applied issues in criminal justice.  The course is designed to provide criminal justice majors with a capstone experience emphasizing integration of knowledge and skills acquired in previous courses, particularly focusing on ethics, institutions, policies, and practices of the criminal justice system.  Students will reflect on how criminal justice course work, experiences, and research will influence their professional activities and how they will serve their communities.  Topics related to professional development will also be covered in this course.  Prerequisites: Junior or Senior standing or permission of instructor.