Criminal Justice

CJ 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice (4)

Provides an overview of the field of criminal justice, including the history, theory, and structure of the criminal justice system, with an emphasis on substantive and procedural criminal law, policing, prosecution/defense, the courts, and institutional and community corrections.

CJ 204 Ethics in Criminal Justice (4)

Introduces the Criminal Justice student to ethical decision making in the criminal justice system.

Explores ethical dilemmas and challenges in policing, criminal courts and corrections, using both philosophical principles/theories and hands-on criminal justice issues and applications. Prerequisite: CJ 101.

CJ 210 Crime Investigation (4)

Develops a general understanding of the fundamental components of crime investigations. Provides a presentation of various techniques, skills, and limitations of modern crime investigation. Covers investigative practices in apprehending suspects and preparing criminal cases. Includes an in-depth examination of the science and art of gathering and analyzing evidence. Stresses overall management of major cases. Examines concepts and methods of investigation of specific forms of crime (homicide, rape, robbery, theft, etc.). Prerequisite: CJ 101

CJ 290 Selected Topics in Criminal Justice (1-4)

Provides the opportunity to study criminal justice topics not normally covered in the existing curriculum.  Students may receive credit in future semesters for different topic areas. Prerequisite: CJ 101.

CJ 310 Explaining Crime (4)

Presents an overview of the sociological study of crime and criminal justice, primarily in the contemporary United States. Material is broken down into four major topics: 1.) types and categories of contemporary criminal behavior; 2.) myths and facts about contemporary crime patterns; 3.) theories about why crimes are committed; 4.) how known crimes are dealt with by the U.S. criminal justice system. Prerequisite: CJ 101.

CJ 322 Police and Society (4)

Introduces the functions, roles, and services of the various policing agencies in the United States. This includes the history, development, and role of the police as a component of the justice system, with particular attention to the relationship of the police to community, society, and related institutions of social control; societal control of the police as well as the influences of social change and urban decay and disorder on methods of policing. Prerequisite: CJ 101

CJ 350 Sexual Offenders (4)

Introduces the criminal justice student to the causes and treatments of sexual offending behavior and the ways the criminal justice and mental health emerging issues of tracking monitoring persistent offenders.  Prerequisite:  CJ 101.

CJ 456 Crime Mapping Technologies (4)

Examines geographic concepts and techniques as they apply to the study of crime. Uses sociological theories of spatial relations and urban studies (especially social ecology) to examine patterns of offending and victimization. Uses a range of data sets and computer applications, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map criminal behavior at the local, regional, state, and national levels. Explore policy implications of crime mapping capabilities. Prerequisite: CJ 101 and STA 100.

CJ 460 Technological Surveillance and Constitutional Rights (4)

Provides an intensive survey of surveillance technologies and their use in crime prevention and prosecution.  Examines the legal and ethical issues of privacy, and how changes in technology are changing privacy debates and laws.  Prerequisites:  CJ 101 or equivalent, one 200 or 300 level criminal justice course, restricted to Juniors and Seniors.