Course
Descriptions
CRJS
101 - Introduction to the Criminal Justice System
To provide the
entry level student with an orientation to the
roles and functions of the Criminal Justice
System, and with an appreciation for the context
within which these governmental functions are
provided. Curriculum provides the student with a
frame of reference for understanding the legal,
administrative, social control, human interaction
and human behavior, and ethical and moral concepts
focused around the criminal justice system. The
Course also provides the entry-level student with
an introduction to the specialized language and
standards of the police, courts and correctional
systems. Students completing this section of the
curriculum will have a common reference point for
the remainder of the entry-level courses
associated with this curriculum, as well as a firm
foundation for the furtherance of their
professional careers.
CRJS
103 - Police Human Relations
This training
provides the student with a set of expectations
about the interactions that her/she will have with
the general public and the need to maintain high
standards of personal and professional ethics.
This training focuses on establishing effective
police and community relations, understanding the
human relations dimensions to police and citizen
encounters, and establishing an effective personal
and professional code of conduct. Collectively,
these topics address the qualitative dimensions of
police and citizen interaction.
This training
anticipates that police students will need to
continually assess their interactions with the
public. By developing an understanding of the
interactional process and the values and ethics
that guide police and citizen behaviors, the
police student will be in a better position to
evaluate these encounters and reduce the potential
for conflict.
CRJS
105 Constitutional Law I
A comprehensive
study and analysis of the United States
Constitutional with special emphasis on those
amendments to the Constitution that affect the
administration of justice; a study review of court
decisions which interpret the Constitution,
especially those decisions of the Supreme Court of
the United States. An intensive analysis of the
principles and theories which limit the authority
and powers of state and local governments; and, a
consideration of the specific guidelines which
must be followed by those involved in the criminal
justice process.
CRJS
107 Constitutional Law II
This course is the
second of two parts. Because the scope of the
topic area Constitutional Law is so broad,
emphasis in this course will be on the
Constitutional issues surrounding other rights,
such as personnel rights, wiretapping activities,
right to counsel, etc., and their impact upon the
criminal justice system. Further emphasis will be
an in-depth analysis of the amendments and the
most current court cases which interpret the
amendments. In the second part of the
Constitutional Law course CRJS 202, a review of
CRJS 201 will be completed, then emphasis on
practical applications of the law, such as,
completing affidavits of probable cause, search
warrants, arrest warrants, etc.
CRJS
109 Juvenile Justice
This course will
provide the student with an analytical look at the
history, current trends and theoretical approaches
to the broad concept of juvenile delinquency and
juvenile justice. Emphasis will be on the United
State Supreme Court decisions and how these
decisions molded the way for our current juvenile
justice system. Students will also look at the
various controversies surrounding the issues of
juvenile delinquency, especially on the treatment
of delinquency in our society. Modern conceptions
of Juvenile Justice are captured by four main
themes. First, children should not be held
accountable or liable in the same way as adults
given their minority status (defined as under 18
years of age in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania).
Second, the philosophy guiding the juvenile
justice system should be one of providing
assistance, treatment, and/or rehabilitation.
Third, the individualized needs and/or
circumstances of a child should dictate an
appropriate disposition and, moreover, every
effort should be expended to maintain the
integrity of the family. Finally, to the greatest
extent possible, the juvenile justice system
should be non-adversarial, non-punitive, and
informal. Procedural rules, therefore, should be
capable of relaxation in order to accommodate the
differing needs of the juvenile offender.
CRJS
111 Introduction Corrections
Corrections is a
system composed of large and small organization,
administered by various levels of government,
seeking to achieve complex and sometimes competing
goals through professional and nonprofessional
employees who are put in contact with one another
in direct authority over offenders. The course
will examine the framework as we discuss each
element of the subject. Diverse aspects of this
complex yet dynamic field are unified for
students, later as correctional researchers or
practioners, and as citizens. Academically,
corrections is interdisciplinary. Sociology,
psychology, history, law and political science
contribute significantly.
CRJS
201 - Introduction to Criminology
Criminology
encompasses the study of crime, a social problem
of wide interest and concern. Although the nature
of the crime problem may seem apparent,
perspectives are varied and divers among
criminologist, as well as the public. Students
will study the historical and current perspectives
of criminological theories, which will form the
basis of independent thought processes thereby
expanding their perception of the causes of crime
and why people commit crime.
CRJS
203 - Criminology II
This course is
designed as a continuation of the Introduction to
Criminology course. New areas of study are
predicated in topics of crime reporting,
criminological research methodology, the future of
crime, and specific criminological typological
studies. The student must have already completed
the Introduction of Criminology to better
understand the concepts and theoretical
applications presented in this course.
CRJS
205 Criminal Investigations
This course is
devoted to orienting the student to the roles and
functions of the criminal investigation process
and the police patrol officer's role in this
process. It includes a discussion of the
objectives of criminal investigations, the types
of investigations that may involve patrol
officers, an overview of basic investigation
techniques, and crime scene security, a
consideration of crime scene searches, and an
overview of the police officer's handling of
evidence. Each of these topics calls attention to
the legitimate and important role that police
patrol officers play in the criminal
investigations process.
CRJS
207 Evidence
A thorough study of
the evidence rules with specific emphasis on the
application of these rules in preparing and
presenting evidence. This includes a discussion of
the history and approach to the study of evidence;
proof by evidence and substitutes; general
admissibility tests; evidence by the way of
witness testimony, documents, and real evidence,
and exclusion of evidence on constitutional
grounds. For a better understanding of the
evidence rules, judicial decisions are cited, and
students are required to brief cases.
CRJS
209 Handling the Emotionally Disturbed and Custody
The scope of the
material presented in this section encompasses the
legal and administrative aspects of custody,
including a presentation of practical techniques
for safe supervision. Each stage of the custody
process from arrest through search,
transportation, booking and lock-up pending
arraignment and bail or transfer to a detention
facility is considered. Many circumstances that
involve high emotions that are similar however
there are real differences in the situations and
factors that have caused the emotional upset.
Landlord tenant disputes require different
considerations than domestic disturbances; persons
afflicted with mental illness who are confused and
frightened and acting "strangely" are
different than those who, for criminal or
terrorist purposes, take a hostage. Yet all can
represent a threat or potential for violence or
dangerousness either to themselves or others.
Students should have the opportunity to try and
demonstrate some of the skill learned and apply
the knowledge acquired.
CRJS
211 Issues in Criminal Justice
This course is
designed to explore the most controversial issues
facing the Criminal Justice System. Students will
be subjected to thought provoking concepts to
which they may or may not personally agree, such
as capital punishment, police discretion and court
philosophy. Emphasis will be on the individual
case studies and papers presented in the course
text, and students will be required to complete
the scenarios that are part of each chapter.
CRJS
212 Introduction to Community Policing
This course
explores community policing: a revolutionary
movement, a philosophy and an organizational
strategy that has changed the face of law
enforcement. It expands the traditional police
mandate and broadens the focus of fighting crime
to include solving community problems, urging
police to form a partnership with the people in
the community so average citizens can contribute
to the police process in exchange for their
support and participation.
Community policing
has evolved considerably in the last 10 years, and
these extensive changes are reflected on managing
community policing, crime prevention and community
policing, strategies and tactics for community
policing, drugs and community policing, and the
past and future of community policing.
CRJS214
Constitutional Rights in Corrections
This course details
the significant changes in recent years in
judicial policy toward prison litigation.
Significant new Supreme Court cases such as Sandin
v. Conners and Farmer v. Brennan are discussed,
along with materials and information on frivolous
claims, access to the courts, good-time credits
and the current trend in reducing prisoners’’
benefits.
CRJS216
Correctional Counseling
This course
presents the foundations of correctional
intervention, including views of the major systems
of therapeutic intervention, diagnosis of mental
illness, and correctional assessment and
classification, treating sex offenders and
treating substance abuse in offender populations.
The course provides detailed descriptions and
cross-approach comparisons which can help
policymakers and facilitators better determine
which of several techniques might be especially
useful in their particular setting.
CRJS218
Critical Incident Management
This course pulls
together everything that has been learned about
negotiation and goes a long way toward making it a
legitimate field of study for a wide range of
scholars. It effectively combines the principles
and applications from criminal justice,
psychology, sociology, communications, business
and other disciplines into a conceptual framework
for the hostage negotiation. Ideas and concepts
are explained so that the practicing negotiator
(or negotiator-to-be) can apply the course
principles.
CRJS220
Prison Violence
While looking at
the many facets of violence in American prisons
today, this course provide remedies as well as
insights into this problem. Areas covered include
riots, sexual violence, effects of determinate
sentencing, prison size and overcrowding, and
prison societies.
CRJS222
Issues in the Privatization of the U.S.
Correctional Industry
This course sheds
considerable light on the controversial subject of
privatization of corrections, and clarifies some
of the mystery surrounding it. Challenging
arguments are raised by privatization’’s
proponents and opponents, as many of the relevant
issues are examined.
CRJS224
Case Management for Correctional Personnel
Correctional case
management has evolved from a more traditional
counseling and rehabilitative model to a
contemporary process that requires helping
professionals take on broader, more eclectic roles
that include assessment, referral, intervention,
evaluation and, on occasion, advocacy roles. This
course provides a thorough introduction to the
history and current state of the process, focuses
on the importance of communication skills, the
nature of offender/counselor interactions, the
uses of transference, and professional paradoxes.
Tables, examples and case studies are used amply
and effectively to demonstrate the practice of
correctional case management.
CRJS226
Issues and Theory of Capital Punishment
This course
explores the issues surrounding the death penalty,
providing an exhaustive introduction to the
subject, starting with its history and taking the
student through the facts, issues, opinions and
controversies surrounding capital punishment.
CRJS228
Report Writing for Correction’s Managers
This course
provides practical advice on report
writing––with specific writing samples and
guidelines included for law enforcement, security,
corrections and probation personnel. The course
textbook goes beyond the routine English-grammar
approach to deal with the difficult but
often-ignored problem of documentation that will
hold up in court. Important concepts are
emphasized with related checklists and forms.
CRJS230
Issues in Corrections
This course
presents an incisive discussion of diverse issues
in corrections today. Examining contemporary
challenges facing corrections, such as fiscal
limitations, AIDS in prisons, and prison gangs,
this course also explores such prevailing topics
as ethical issues, women in prison,
professionalism among correctional officers, shock
incarceration, probation, the use of technology
and community rehabilitative options.
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