Criminal Justice (CRJ)

Provides an introduction to the philosophical and historical background of agencies of the criminal justice systems, processes, purposes and functions. Includes an evaluation of the criminal justice system today, including trends and career orientation. Lecture: 3 credit hours (45 contact hours).

Provides an introduction to the development of correctional systems, and the processes, procedures, and issues of current correctional systems, both juvenile and adult. Lecture: 3.0 credit hours (45 contact hours).

Provides a working knowledge of the use, care, and safety of firearms. The course is of nomenclature design and it will be at the discretion of each individual college whether live ammunition will be utilized by the students and faculty to demonstrate the firing of weapons and marksmanship practice. Lecture: 1.0 credit (15 contact hours).

Provides an advanced working knowledge of the use, care, safety, and legal application of firearms and less than lethal weapons. Includes live fire with the use of pistol, shotgun/rifle, and less than lethal weapons. Lecture: 2.0 credits (30 contact hours). Lab: 2.0 credits (69 contact hours).

Provides an introductory understanding of private security procedures. Lecture: 3.0 credits (45 contact hours).

Provides a basic knowledge of crime scene protection, collection, preservation, and identification of evidence, including proper search, dusting latent prints, casting fingerprint classification, and use of crime laboratory in crime detection and prosecution. Lecture: 3 credits (45 contact hours).

Provides an understanding of the issues and ethical dilemmas confronting practitioners within the criminal justice system. Lecture: 3 credits (45 contact hours).

Provides an in-depth study of the history and current processes and procedures of probation, parole, and intermediate sanctions that makes up community corrections. Lecture: 3.0 credits (45 contact hours).

Provides the fundamentals of crime scene investigations, which includes searching and recording of the scene, collection and preservation of physical evidence, interviews and interrogation of victims, witnesses, and suspects, report writing and case preparation. Lecture: 3 credits (45 contact hours).

Provides an introduction of the origins and theories associated with juvenile delinquency, and a comprehensive analysis of environmental issues that influence delinquency, plus a thorough overview of the juvenile justice system processes. Lecture: 3.0 credits (45 contact hours).

Introduces facility security with the use of environmental design and integrated electronic technology (cameras, monitors, and alarms). Lecture: 3.0 credits (45 contact hours).

Provides an overview of legal aspects of security, which includes but is not limited to civil and criminal law, liability of asset protection, use of force, false imprisonment, negligent security, and invasion of privacy. Lecture: 3.0 credits (45 contact hours).

Provides an introduction to the study of law enforcement. Introduces the historical developments of law enforcement, police operations and programs. Lecture: 3 credits (45 contact hours).

Provides an overview of the definitions and functional components of criminal law in the field of criminal justice. Lecture: 3 credits (45 contact hours).

Provides an overview of the different criminal procedural laws by examining the specific Amendments that outline the guidelines of the administration of substantive laws. Lecture: 3 credits (45 contact hours).

Provides an overview of the administrative, supervisory, and leadership roles that are required within a law enforcement agency. Lecture: 3.0 credits (45 contact hours).

Provides the proper methods of police defensive tactics, emphasizes necessary skills, and establishes an understanding of use of force policies and legal implications. Lecture: 1.0 credit (15 contact hours). Lab: 3.0 credits (91.5 contact hours).

Introduces the study of cybercrime with an emphasis on planning, detection, and response with the goals of counteracting and overcoming hacker attacks and computer-related offenses. Malicious activities will be logged and forensic tools will be used to gather court-admissible evidence. Lecture: 3.0 credits (45 contact hours).

Introduces the correctional procedures and administration of jails and prisons by focusing on historical and current perspectives of penology, administrative responsibilities of correctional leaders, and correctional staff responsibilities. Lecture: 3.0 credits (45 contact hours).

Introduces basic vehicle collision investigation, from a law enforcement perspective, and entails evidence and investigation techniques and mathematical calculations. Lecture: 2.0 credits (30 contact hours). Lab: 2.0 credits (60 contact hours).

Provides an understanding of vehicle offenses, tactical police driving, and traffic stops, in a scenario- based environment that demonstrates applied skills. Lecture: 3.0 credits (45 contacts). Lab: 1.0 credit (30 contact hours).

Examine the use of advanced technologies used in the field of criminal justice. Discuss constitutional considerations and ethical issues related to the use of advanced technologies. Explore use of new technologies in the areas of crime scene reconstruction, use of force, criminal investigation, tactical responses, surveillance, search and rescue, and security. Discuss the use of drones, robotics, and video equipment as key technologies that are changing criminal justice practice. Lecture: 3 credits (45 contact hours).

Covers research, study, and discussion of current and emerging topics, issues, and trends in courtroom procedures. Includes basic courtroom procedures and the roles of the key personnel within the courtroom setting. Includes practical preparation procedures for witness presentation of testimony. Lecture: 3.0 credits (45 contact hours).

Covers research, study, and discussion of current and emerging topics, issues, and trends in corrections. Introduces legal aspects of corrections. Includes a historical perspective, as well as applicable case law, in the areas of corrections operations, practices, and procedures. Lecture: 3.0 credits (45 contact hours).

Examine serial, mass, and spree killing. Explore the process of investigating serial killing. Discuss the elements of serial killing and the individual characteristics of serial killers. Examine case studies to illustrate the components of serial killing characteristics and the psychological and sociological foundations of serial killing. Lecture: 3 credits (45 contact hours).

Includes research, study, and discussion of current and emerging topics, issues, and trends in corporate and industrial security. Covers basic corporate and industrial security procedures and the roles of the key personnel within the private security arena. Lecture: 3.0 credits (45 contact hours).

Includes research, study, and discussion of current and emerging topics, issues and trends in business and industrial fraud. Covers basic concepts of occupational fraud and abuse and the roles of the key personnel within the criminal justice system. Includes practical procedures for defining, identifying, and investigating business and industrial fraud. Lecture: 3.0 credits (45 contact hours).

Examine current correctional intervention strategies. Discuss the development of evidence-based programs based on decades of correctional research. Explore mental health disorders, substance abuse, and personality disorders, and also the best strategies for working with individuals with these issues. Discuss the principles of effective intervention, as well as foundational theoretical ideas in the context of creating successful correctional programming. Explore the elements of classification and treatment modalities as they relate to risk, need, and responsivity. Lecture: 3 credits (45 contact hours).

Provides an introduction to the understanding of criminal behavior by focusing on crime trends and patterns, the amount of crime, and the theories of crime. Theories of crime will include the biological, psychological, sociological, and integrated explanations of behavior. Theories of crime will be utilized to address the procedures and administration of criminal justice in society. Lecture: 3.0 credits (45 contact hours).

Examine characteristics of crime victims, different perspectives of victimology, and theories of victimization. Discuss the historical development of victimization and victims rights movement and also the societal impacts of victim concern on social policy and practice in the criminal justice system. Lecture: 3 credits (45 contact hours).

Provides an introduction to the study of terrorism and terrorist organizations. Introduces the student to the diverse definitions of terrorism and the social and political consequences of varying definitions, behavioral aspects of terrorist and the various justifications for terrorist activities. Lecture: 3.0 credits (45 contact hours).

Examine drug use, addiction, treatment, and trafficking. Explore the connection between drug use and other types of crime. Review drug control policies, including the impact of the media and politics. Lecture: 3 credits (45 contact hours).

Allows the criminal justice student the opportunity to broaden their educational experience through observation and work assignments at a recognized criminal justice agency. Lecture: 3.0 credits (45 contact hours).

Serves as the capstone course for the Criminal Justice degree program. Integrates prior learning outcomes into a single integrated learning experience. Includes preparation for and completion of the post exit exam that all program graduates must complete. Lecture: 1 credit (15 contact hours).

Provides a basic understanding of the psychological theories explaining criminal behavior. Includes topics regarding the effects of the brain's structural and functional processes on behavior, evidence based psychological techniques for treating criminal behavior, behavioral profiling, basic overview of common mental health problems, ways of recognizing mental health issues when dealing with offenders, and proven psychological techniques for calming problem situations thereby creating a safer and more efficient solution. Lecture: 3 credits (45 contact hours).

Introduces specialized topics in the field of criminal justice to meet current trends and investigations of contemporary topics in the discipline. The topics of the course and the number of credit hours determined are at the discretion of the instructor and college providing the course. This course may be repeated to a maximum of 6 credit hours. Lecture: 1.0 - 3.0 credits (15 - 45 contact hours).