A survey course designed to familiarize students with the American system of criminal justice, theories of crime causation, and society’s response to crime. The course provides a general overview of the agencies responsible for the administration of justice by examining the history, structure, and functions of law enforcement, the judicial system, and corrections.

Prerequisite: CRIM 120. Considers social, cultural and political forces which influence the formation of laws and legislative processes. Theories of the origins of law are discussed and then applied to historical legal cases.

Responsibilities, powers and duties of the uniformed patrol officer, patrol procedures, mechanics of arrest and all other functions of the officer on patrol.

Analysis of major perspectives on victimization. Emphasis is on the role of the victim in the generation of crime, experience of the victim in the criminal justice system and on patterns of victimization.

Designed to acquaint the student with procedures utilized in the investigation of a crime. It considers theories of physical sciences as they apply to the investigative methodology of a crime. The process is examined within the context of the most recent technological advances in criminal investigation.

Intensive study of crimes committed by people or corporations during the course of legitimate work.

Prerequisite: CRIM 120. An intensive study of different theories explaining why people violate the law. Special consideration will be given to applying theories of crime.

Prerequisite: PSYCH 120 or CRIM 120 or SOCI 120. A systematic analysis of theories of juvenile delinquency and how the juvenile justice system manages delinquents. Consideration is also given to solutions of delinquency.

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the social, political and historical forces that have helped shape the practice of the death penalty in America and the international community. Emphasis will be placed on the
relationship between race, class and gender and imposition of capital punishment as well as the influence of U.S. Supreme Court rulings on the administration of the death penalty.

Provides a basic framework for understanding crime and criminal justice. Topics include: community-based treatment programs, correctional treatment institutions and civil rights of offenders.

An in-depth look at the judicial branch of government, emphasizing the state and federal judicial systems. The role of the prosecution, defense, judge and jury are examined, as well as judicial procedure.

Prerequisite: PSYC 120, PSYC 222, SOCI 120, or CRIM 120.
This course introduces the language of research, the elements of quantitative and qualitative approaches, and ethical principles and challenges. Consideration is also given to techniques for collecting data and factors that influence the reliability and validity of findings.

Prerequisites: CRIM 120, PSYC 120, or SOCI 120 and a college-level math course. This course provides a general overview of descriptive and inferential statistical techniques behavioral researchers use to analyze data. Topics will include frequency distributions and graphing, measures of central tendency, variation, and relative standing, simple linear regression, and hypothesis testing. Should be taken before a student accumulates 60 credit hours (junior status).

Prerequisite: Senior Status, BSCI 272, and BSCI 274.
The senior capstone is designed to be the culminating course for the major. It provides an opportunity for students to re-examine principal theories and methodologies in their disciplines and write a well-researched review paper on a topic relevant to their personal interests, professional goals, or occupation.