Criminal Justice Degrees

Curriculum

Required Criminal Justice Core (33 credits)

CJ 510 Criminology

This course examines the development and application of theories of crime causation and social deviance. The course includes an assessment of the issues and problems involved in controlling crime and deviance in society. Students learn about the reason why some behavior is considered deviant and criminalized while other behaviors are not nature. 3 credits

CJ 512 Contemporary Issues in the Criminal Justice System

This course examines current issues facing the American criminal justice system. The course explores controversial topics such as the police use of force and discretion, as well as access to the justice system, organizational and legal issues related to decision-making within the criminal justice system, the role of the courts and the correctional system. 3 credits

CJ 514 Research Methods and Statistics

This course examines the research process and is designed to provide students with an understanding of the principles and practices of criminal justice empirical research. More specifically, methods of research and data analysis, as applied to the field of criminal justice, are presented. The application of these methods to criminal justice practice is demonstrated through various exercises. To better prepare capable professionals, students are taught both the language of scientific discourse and the ability to critically appraise empirical studies. To better prepare practitioners who are fair and respectful toward individuals from diverse backgrounds, research ethics, and sensitivity to populations-at-risk are promoted. 3 credits

CJ 516 Criminal Justice Ethics

This is the program's capstone course. Student works with a faculty mentor to develop a research project that culminates in a thesis, which includes the following: 1) original research on a specific topic, 2) a critical review of relevant literature, 3) development and testing of a hypotheses (if applicable), 4) selection of the methodology (if applicable), 5) results of research, and 6) summary of the research findings and conclusions. Note: there will be an oral presentation of the thesis to faculty and students in the program. 3 credits

CJ 661 Thesis Project

Consideration of deviant behavior and crime as behavioral and social phenomena, with analysis of data and theories of the causation of crime. The effects of labeling deviants are also considered. P: CJ/SO 111 or permission of Program Coordinator. Generally offered every other fall semester. 3 credits

Correction Concentration Courses (12 credits)

CJ 521 Probation, Parole, and Community-based Corrections

More than 8 million adults in America (1 in 30) are under some form of correctional supervision, be it probation, jail, prison, or parole. Even those who are confined to high security prisons will eventually be paroled and supervised by professionals in the field of community-based corrections. This course examines the issues faced by correctional administrators seeking to punish and rehabilitate offenders, while trying to keep the communities in which they reside safe. (this course is also part of the corrections concentration) 3 credits CJ 521 Probation, Parole and Community-bases Corrections. 3 credits

CJ 530 Issues in Correctional Supervision

There are many issues facing correctional officers, including inmate mental health issues, use of force, sexual conduct, rape, narcotic abuse, inmate violence and gangs. Corrections supervisors, responsible for the conduct of their officers, need to understand the legal issues involved in supervising officers and inmates in the correctional setting. Students will confront the issues by examining real cases that led to allegations of federal civil rights abuses against officers and supervisors in the correctional environment. (this course is also part of the corrections concentration) 3 credits CJ 530 Issues in Correctional Supervision. 3 credits

CJ 535 The History of Corrections in America

The history of corrections in America began as soon as the first English settlers arrived in 1607. From the Jamestown settlement to today, correctional efforts have been marked by the best of intentions and the worst of abuses. Many different correctional techniques and facilities - shaming, whipping, branding, jails, prisons, and halfway houses - have been created in part, to punish, rehabilitate, or remove the poor and the criminal elements from urban streets. Even today, our nation struggles with rising incarceration rates, looking for new alternatives to incarceration. (this course is also part of the corrections concentration) CJ 535 The History of Corrections in America. 3 credits

CJ 537 The Future of American Corrections

As America enters the twenty-first century the prison industry, which had been a growing industry for decades, is shrinking alongside state budgets. The issue presented by this problem is how well corrections professionals can respond to the growing demand to tighten budgets while improving ways to supervise and control released inmates in the community, many of whom continue their criminal careers. (this course is also part of the corrections concentration) CJ 537 Future of American Corrections. 3 credits

Juvenile Justice Concentration Courses (12 credits)

CJ 538 Youth, Culture, and Crime

Although juveniles make up approximately 15 percent of the population, they account for almost 25 percent of all reported crime. Is there some facet of adolescent experience - a type of culture - that promotes the acceptance of deviant behavior and crime? This course examines the reasons behind the propensity for juveniles to commit crime far out of proportion to their percentage of the overall population. (this course is also part of the juvenile justice concentration) CJ 538 Youth,Culture,and Crime. 3 credits

CJ 539 History of Juvenile Justice

Long before the U.S. Supreme court transformed the juvenile justice system in 1967, the states were given wide latitude to mete out justice to juveniles. This course looks at the state of juvenile justice from the late 1700s through the 1960s. This course examines the court process and punishments to which juveniles were subjected, including the death penalty. (This course is also part of the juvenile justice concentration.) 3 credits

CJ 541 Juvenile Justice Process

The present state of juvenile/family courts in America can be traced back to the U.S. Supreme Court's 1967 In re Gault decision. That decision required that state juvenile courts recognize the need to treat juveniles more justly before the law, granting them many constitutional rights theretofore withheld. This course examines the court process to which juveniles are now subject (including removal to adult courts), seeking to determine if juveniles are indeed getting justice before the law. (this course is also part of the juvenile justice concentration) CJ 541 The Juvenile Justice Process. 3 credits

CJ 543 Issues in Juvenile Probation and Incarceration

Due to the belief that most all juvenile delinquents can be rehabilitated, family court judges seek to place most all juveniles on probation rather than incarcerating them. However, studies have shown that troubled juveniles often fail on probation and end up back in court facing the possibility of incarceration. This course examines the often-troubling dilemma faced by those criminal justice professionals working with juveniles as they try to ensure that juveniles who end up in juvenile court do not end up behind bars. (this course is also part of the juvenile justice concentration) CJ 543 Issues in Juvenile Probation and Incarceration. 3 credits

Electives (6 credits)

CJ 660 Criminal Justice Internship

This course allows students to use their theoretical knowledge in a practical environment. Students are required to spend 150 hours interning in a criminal justice agency, where they will maintain a log of their activities and confer with the faculty supervisor to discuss their individual progress. The student will also prepare a two-part paper, consisting of a literature review on a topic related to their internship (for example, a student doing an internship with a juvenile justice agency might consider reviewing the literature on some aspect of juvenile delinquency) and a description of their work experience. 3 credits

CJ 545 Victimiology

This course is designed to introduce students to the topic of victimology, the scientific study of victims. While criminologists have traditionally focused on the offender and the criminal justice system, it is only recently that they have begun to examine the victim, the forgotten member of the criminal process. In this course, we will examine the relationship between the victim and the offender, the victim and the criminal justice system, and the victim and society. We will also discuss various victims' "rights" policies that have resulted from society's increasing concern about victims. 3 credits CJ 545 Victimology. 3 credits