Criminal Justice

Degrees and Certificates

Criminal Justice is an interdisciplinary major within the Social Sciences. Department course offerings stress the concepts of restorative justice and social responsibility while at the same time exploring community alternatives to the traditional models of incarceration and punishment.

The major provides students with a comprehensive academic foundation in preparation for law school, graduate school, or a career in the administration of criminal justice.

With the creation of a Federal Department of Homeland Security and the ongoing integration of community, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in the service of counter-terrorism, career opportunities in the field of criminal justice will continue to increase. Overall employment of police and detectives as well as the emergency management field, is projected to grow 3 percent from 2021 to 2031, About 68,500 openings for police and detectives are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

With a new ‘Criminal Profiling’ Track, students enrolling in the Criminal Justice Major will have a third Track option, beyond ‘Police Studies’ and ‘Crime and Society’. The ‘Criminal Profiling’ Track, like the other two, consists of five 3-credit courses (15 credits). The Track also includes the incorporation of one course (CRIM-390) as part of the Major Core requirements, by way of a choice between it and the currently required SOC-315: Terrorism and Political Violence.

Department of Criminal Justice Learning Outcomes

Students majoring in Criminal Justice take a series of courses that are designed to acquaint them with the theory and practice of criminal justice administration, investigation, and policing. As a result of this, upon graduation, students will:

  1. Demonstrate an awareness of the primary components of the criminal justice system,including police, courts, and corrections, as well as a thorough understanding of the concept of Restorative Justice and the Rehabilitation of Offenders.
  2. Evaluate the basis of law, constitutional issues, the decision-making process within the legal system, as well as decision-making in the criminal justice process; contrast criminal law with other forms of law in society.
  3. Analyze various methods of social science research including survey research, field research, and experimental research, in order to understand the correlation between theory and research.
  4. Understand the necessity of statistical procedures commonly used in the social sciences, in particular, those applied to descriptive research and hypothesis testing.
  5. Apply program content to the development of a capstone research project from beginning to end.

Classes

CRIM/PHIL 380: Philosophical Issues in Criminal Justice

Credits 3

This course explores issues in the theory and practice of the criminal law. The class aims to raise and answer the questions about the relationship between such abstract concepts as liberty, rights and moral desert on the one hand, and the practice of judicial decisionmaking and criminal punishment on the other. Readings are drawn from journalism, philosophy, judicial decisions, and government reports. (as needed)

CRIM/SOC 250: Writing and Reading in Criminal Justice and Social Sciences

Credits 3

This course is designed to help students become familiar with searching criminological and sociological literature, read journal articles in the social sciences and present ideas effectively in written form within the discipline. Students will also learn to make oral presentations of written work. By the end of this course, students will be able to demonstrate their ability to read journal articles in criminal justice, present ideas effectively in writing, use APA style, and do effective presentations. Inclass writing exercises, a critique of a research paper, a term paper, a presentation, and class participation will be used to assess achievement of these objectives.

CRIM/SOC 251: Family Violence /Domestic Abuse

Credits 3

This course is an introductory survey into the topic of abuse in families. It will include a synthesis and an assessment of the major theories regarding the different types of family/domestic abuse as well as an analysis of the causes, nature and types of abuse occurring in families. (every spring, or as needed)

CRIM/SOC 312: Criminology

Credits 3

An examination of the study of society’s reaction to law-breaking behaviors, including the theories that explain the causes and outcomes of criminality, law making and crime prevention strategies. (every fall and spring as needed)

CRIM/SOC 400: Senior Research I/Research Methods for the Social Sciences

Credits 3

This course will provide students with a broad understanding of discipline inquiry and analysis of methods and will focus on issues in social science research with an emphasis on sociology or history and the methodology of social science; logic and its application to specific methods; contemporary issues in social science research; and on the legal implications of social scientific research for the student. (every fall)

CRIM 110: Criminal Justice I

Credits 3
This course introduces students to the field of Criminal Justice through an interdisciplinary treatment of criminal justice agencies and their roles, the history of the criminal justice system, and differing theoretical, legal and philosophical understandings of the concept of criminal justice from the rehabilitative and punitive, through discussions of more recent work on restorative justice. (fall, spring, and summer)

CRIM 111: Criminal Justice II

Credits 3
This course is designed to provide an overview of the issues and topic relevant to the study of crime, criminals, and the criminal justice system as a continuation of CRIM 110. The course will be broken into the numerous “subsections” of the CJS, including police, courts, and corrections, in more detail. In addition, students will learn about rights of the accused, problems of the court system, positive and negative aspects of alternatives to incarceration as well as the effects of incarceration and expectations for the future of the Criminal Justice System. (fall, spring)

CRIM 112: Police in America

Credits 3
This course is designed to introduce students to the relationship between policing, understood as the most visible component of American society’s control apparatus, and criminal justice through a survey of the historical, sociological, psychological and philosophical and practical dimensions of policing and law enforcement, generally. (every spring, or as needed)

CRIM 210: Fundamentals of Criminal Investigation

Credits 3
This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the fundamentals of criminal investigation and to introduce a variety of investigative techniques and procedures. Students will also learn about the nature of evidence; the collection of evidence; the handling and preservation of evidence and trace materials, and; the basic steps involved in a criminal investigation: information, interrogation, and instrumentation. (every fall, or as needed)

CRIM 220: Criminal Law

Credits 3
An introduction to criminal law and the theories, principles and practical applications of the body of substantive criminal law. Students will be introduced to key concepts in United States criminal law, such as social harm. (every spring, or as needed)

CRIM 230: Victimology

Credits 3
This course is designed to provide an overview of the issues and topic relevant to the study of victims. It will include theoretical, empirical, and legal information on the relationship between victims, offenders and the criminal justice system. The emotional effects of crime will also be examined in detail as well as specific types of victimization including: Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Stalking, Child Abuse and School Violence. (every spring, or as needed)

CRIM 235: Juvenile Delinquency

Credits 3
This course will introduce the student to the major components of the Juvenile Justice System and how they interrelate. Patterns of delinquent behavior among youth are examined as well as the definition and measurement of delinquency. Family, educational institutions, peers, and drugs are some of the major influences examined and processing of juveniles through the “informal” and “formal” systems is explained. (every fall, or as needed)

CRIM 240: Community Supervision

Credits 3
This course will examine the possible use and expansion of community supervision and alternatives to incarceration techniques in order to alleviate jail/prison overcrowding. It will examine the history, background, logic, and criticisms which have been leveled at the use of community correctional alternatives from both a pre-and post-trial perspective. (every spring, or as needed)

CRIM 260: Introduction to Homeland Security

Credits 3
Homeland Security occupies a unique place at the interface of national and international security as well as domestic and foreign policy decision making. It has many dimensions, ranging in diversity from vaccine development, to border fence building, and efforts to secure air travel, sea containers and critical infrastructures. Homeland security responsibilities and jurisdictions are divided among federal, state and local governments, in addition to the private sector. The purpose of this course is to help students develop a better understanding of the complex set of actors, institutions, processes and issues that constitutes the realm of homeland security. The course relies upon theories, concepts and case studies to explore the challenges facing organizations which are part of protecting our homeland security.

CRIM 290: Correctional Institutions

Credits 3
This course provides an organizational view of the criminal justice system, taking a sociological and historical approach to corrections. The course looks at the system from the perspectives of the corrections workers as well as the offenders, incorporating recent cases with real-world relevance. Theories, concepts, and policies will be presented, as well as coverage of career options in the field. (every spring, or as needed)

CRIM 300: Police Administration

Credits 3
The Police Administration course examines Criminal Justice Agencies within the context of current management principles, organizational theory, and administrative practices. It incorporates leadership, planning, decision making, and organizational communications in policing, as well as politics, labor relations and financial management. In addition, stress of police personnel and legal aspects of police administration will be covered in depth. (every fall, or as needed)

CRIM 310: Correctional Administration

Credits 3
The Correctional Administration course examines the development and practices of the American Correctional System. An historical perspective of the correctional system will be discussed, as well as administration, organization, and management theory in correctional institutions and agencies. It reviews the impact of legal and social change on correctional policy development and discusses current problems, issues, and trends. A comparison of the relative impact and cost/benefit ratios of institutional and community-based corrections programs will be addressed, as well as standards for accreditation of adult correctional institutions and jails. (as needed)

CRIM 313: White Collar Crime

Credits 3
This course exhibits an in-depth look at the most committed occupational crime in the United States, as well as represents the second most current crime (origin of 1940, Cybercrime 1970s, respectively) in existence, whereas the current literature and criminality derived from modern White Collar Crime essentially should be in its own category of curriculum.

CRIM 315: Terrorism and Political Violence

Credits 3

This course raises essential historical, philosophical, sociological and legal question about the nature of political terrorism and political violence enacted against civilian populations by state and non-state agents. Students will study essential readings in the history of terrorism and consider media accounts of terrorism from multiple perspectives.

CRIM 330: Criminal Justice as a Profession

Credits 3
This course will provide students with insight into the changing professional philosophy of criminal justice. It is specifically designed to acquaint them with a diverse number of careers and positions within the field. The areas of law enforcement, courts, and corrections will be discussed in terms of career selection and philosophy of work. Requirements for admission into various careers will be presented. Criminal justice placement information and specific job preparation tips will be presented with career development principles. The students will also be exposed to a diverse cross-section of accomplished criminal justice professionals representing different careers in the system. (as needed)

CRIM 340: Cyber Crime

Credits 3
Cyber Crime refers to a wide variety of crimes committed with computer technology. This course provides an introduction to the nature of computer data and how it relates to a computer’s hardware and software components. It discusses the Internet, which is one of the most common uses for computers today, as well as specific crimes that can be committed online. Those crimes include: online auction fraud, online retail fraud, cyber theft, cyber stalking, hackers, and pirating property. Finally, there is a discussion of ways to fight cybercrime, jurisdictional challenges, federal law enforcement efforts and private efforts to combat cybercrime. (every fall, or as needed)

CRIM 350: Organized Crime

Credits 3
This course is a topical introduction to issues surrounding organized crime and international terrorism. It will examine the history and development of organized crime; the structure and organization of domestic and transnational (international) organized crime groups, the illicit “business” in which organized crime is engaged, definitions and theoretical models for understanding organized crime, and the relationship between organized crime and the American social, political and legal institutions. Similarities and differences between organized crime and terrorism will be considered in terms of definitional and structural understandings. (spring)

CRIM 390: Profiling in Criminal Psychology

Credits 3
The objective of this course is to introduce students to criminal profiling as a branch of forensic psychology. Profiling, as it relates to criminal psychology is the application of the principles of typical and atypical behavior to the understanding, prediction and analysis of criminal behavior. The course will examine the basic elements of criminal and forensic psychology and how these elements relate to the criminal justice system and profiling of offenders. Students will gain an understanding of the tools used to determine deviant behavior and some of its basic causes. The course will explore the different competencies to include diminished capacity as well as the insanity defense. Students will learn the basic skills required to read a crime scene and design an offender profile based on this information. Finally, the course will examine multiple real-life cases that will demonstrate how all of these objectives become relevant in actual case studies.

CRIM 401: Criminal Justice Management

Credits 3
This course explores the role of contemporary criminal justice administration with an emphasis on leadership and management perspectives and skills, as well as organization theory. The course will assist students in more effectively assessing their own as well as line and staff management styles. In addition, they will be better prepared to recommend positive change for more effective management of a criminal justice organization and will take a series of self-evaluation management and leadership tests to assess their respective styles of management. (as needed)

CRIM 405: Restorative Justice: Crime, Ethics, and Morality

Credits 3
This course introduces the philosophies and principles of restorative justice, including its historical and theological roots. Beliefs and ideas surrounding crime and social justice will be analyzed by comparing and contrasting retributive and restorative paradigms. In addition to identifying the fundamental principles and practices of restorative justice, the course will further explore the needs and roles of key stakeholders (e.g., victims, offenders, communities, justice systems).

CRIM 410: Emergency Preparedness Planning and Management

Credits 3
This course will address the full spectrum of emergency planning: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. It profiles infrastructure preparedness and explores techniques and tools used to develop strategic plans. Students will engage in the examination of the peripheral actions of emergency planning, including media and consequence management, and the exploration of the psychology of disasters. (every fall)

CRIM 445: Research Practicum in Criminal Justice

Credits 1 3
This course will allow the student to work closely with a faculty member in designing and carrying out a research project of shared interest. This course is intended for students contemplating further study in academic criminal justice. Activities may include one or more of the following: literature searching, data input, and quantitative and/or qualitative data analysis.

CRIM 452: Internship in Criminal Justice

Credits 3
This course offers criminal justice majors the opportunity to work in the field of criminal justice for a minimum of 120 hours during the semester. Students must complete all paperwork to register for the Internship at least one semester before; students will meet with the Career Center and complete the application that will be sent to their advisor and site supervisor. This application will then be filed in the Career Center. Students must register for the class with the Registrar as well. They will be required to write a paper that is relevant to the Internship and maintain a journal that reflects their experience; the site supervisor will complete an evaluation form on their performance. This is a Pass/Fail course. (as needed)