Criminal Justice (CRJ)

Introduces the basic components of the criminal justice system in the United States. Concepts of crime, crime data, victimization, perspectives, and views of crime, theory, and law are discussed. Particular attention to the criminal justice process, interaction and conflict between criminal justice agencies, and current criminal justice issues are examined. This is a statewide Guaranteed Transfer course in the GT-SS3 category.

Covers constitutional and procedural considerations affecting arrest, search and seizure, post-conviction treatment, origin, development, philosophy, and constitutional basis of evidence. Focuses on degrees of evidence and rules governing admissibility, judicial decisions interpreting individual rights, and an analysis of case studies from arrest through final appeal.

Examines policing in the United States, including historical foundations, emerging issues, and the relationship between law enforcement and the community. The various types of law enforcement agencies, their administrative practices, and the behavior of those involved in the delivery of police services are examined from the perspective of democratic values, racial and ethnic diversity, and societal perceptions of police effectiveness. Career requirements, including current and future trends, are also presented.

Focuses on basic procedures in crime scene management to include photography and preparing initial reports and sketches. Includes processing evidence and related criminalistic procedures. Covers interviewing suspects, witnesses and victims to include the recording of identifications and descriptions. Incorporates lab and lecture.

Provides an overview of the structure and function of the dual American judicial system and the behavior of actors (judges/justices, lawyers, law clerks, interest groups, etc.) within the system. Emphasis is placed on the organization and administration of state and federal courts, criminal court procedures, juries, selection of judges, decision-making behavior of juries, judges and justices, and the implementation and impact of judicial policies

Examines the history of corrections in America from law enforcement through the administration of justice, probation, prisons, correctional institutions, and parole. This course examines the theories, rationales for punishment, and the political system in which corrections, as a component part of the criminal justice system, needs to operate. The course emphasizes legal, sociological, psychological, and other interdisciplinary approaches that affect the operation of a correctional system.

Focuses on common law and statutory law crimes, the Model Penal Code, elements defining crimes and penalties, defenses to criminal accusations, and definitions and distinctions between criminal and civil law.

Covers the function of the preliminary investigation at a crime scene to include securing the scene, crime scene searchers, police drawings, and recognition and collection of evidence.

Focuses on the powers of government as they are allocated and defined by the United States Constitution. The course includes intensive analysis of United States Supreme Court decisions.

Conduct an in-depth analysis of the socio-legal operation of the Juvenile Justice System emphasizing the substantive and due process rights of minors. Analysis of legal reasoning underlying the juvenile law as it operates all levels of government.

Exploration of the environmental, organizational and socio-psychological dimensions of social control. Includes the study of individual attitudes, beliefs and behavior involved in role conflicts, community relations and conflict management in the social structure.

Exploration of information and application of crisis theories in working with diverse populations. Understanding of the interventionist role with regards to the field of crisis intervention.

Provides an introduction to the study of crime, understanding the causes of crime, and examines, theoretical frameworks and theories to explain criminal behavior. Examination of the nature of crime, crime victimization, crime patterns, types of crime, crime statistics, and criminal behavior is also included.

Exploration of the fundamentals of forensic science that are essential for gathering evidence at the crime scene and analyzing it in the crime laboratory.

​Analyzes the nature and causes of delinquency, emphasizes the social and psychological factors influencing individual delinquent patterns, and explores the formation of juvenile law and the juvenile justice system.

Focuses on the formulation of research questions covering crime and justice, research designs, data collection, and the interpretation and reporting of these data in criminological and justice-system settings. Course content also includes experimental and non-experimental research designs, probability and non-probability sampling techniques, and construction of scales and indexes for research purposes.

Demonstrates to the student the role the crime victim plays in the criminal justice system. The traditional response that a crime victim receives from the system will be studied and the psychological, emotional and financial impact these responses have on victimization will be analyzed.

Examines the theories of crime causation in relationship to criminal profiling. Studies include the investigation of serial killers, their motivations, behaviors, and identification of psychological and sociological explanations related to criminal acts.

To be determined by the individual instructor. A Course Description will be developed for each course and documented within the course syllabus. Refer to the SFCC Style Guide for Course Description, Required Course Learning Outcome, and Topical Outline guidelines.