Associates Degree in Criminal Justice

This program provides an education that is practical and relevant to the existing and emergin careers in the Criminal Justice field. Designed to provide students with a competitive edge to taking the next step in their careers - whether they choose to continue their education, enter into the field of criminal justice for the first time, or advance their current positions - this series of courses offers a comprehensive and complete introduction to the complexities of the criminal justice field.

• Instructional design by established experts in the field.
• Complete, detailed lesson plans & assignments and multimedia lectures.
• Direct student support from instructors including chat, forums, email & toll-free telephone
• Real world case studies, quizzes, final exams & more

Criminal Justice Courses
>Intro to Criminal Justice
>Principals of Criminal Law
>The Corrections Process
>Criminal Investigation
>The American Judicial Process
>Criminology
>Ethics in Criminal Justice
>EMT and Fire Services
>Victimology
>Juvenile Justice
>Police and Police Procedures
>Current Issues in Justice
>Tactical Communications
>Business and Industrial Security
>International Criminality

General Education Courses
>Research and Study Skills
>Practical Writing
>Language and Communication
>Critical Thinking
>Professional and Career Development
>General Psychology
>College Math
>Interpersonal Relations
>Applied Composition
>Introduction to Sociology

CRIMINAL JUSTICE COURSES

INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE

In this course, students will be introduced to the criminal justice system, including its historical and philosophical development. The primary components of this system will be introduced and their functions, responsibilities, and interrelationships will be examined. Other topics, such as crime and crime causality, deviance, and individual rights in a democratic society will also be discussed.

PRINCIPLES OF CRIMINAL LAW

Students will examine the laws in the United States, their components, their purposes, and the punishment of their violations. Topics include; historical foundations of criminal law, U.S. Constitutional law, the limits of the law, classification of crimes, parties to crimes, defenses, and other related topics.

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

This course is designed to familiarize students with the theories and fundamentals of criminal investigation. Topics covered will include; the history of criminal investigation, basic criminal investigative procedures and techniques, the collection and preservation of evidence, proper crime scene conduct, preparation of reports, and court presentation.

THE CORRECTIONS PROCESS

Students in this course will analyze the historical evolution, major philosophies, process, and administration of correctional institutions in the United States and abroad. Both institutional and community-based corrections will be covered. We will examine current practices and problems in the field of corrections, inmate control issues, prisoners' rights, alternatives to incarceration, treatment programs, and the processes of probation and parole. The perspectives of corrections employees as well as incarcerated persons will be considered.

CRIMINOLOGY

Students will analyze criminal behavior from legal, social, political, psychological, and theoretical perspectives, as well as the efforts of the criminal justice system to predict, prevent, and correct this behavior. Students will become familiar with various theories of crime causation, the different forms of crime, the nature and extent of the crime problem in the U.S., social control initiatives, and the interactive roles of the system, victim and offender.

ETHICS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

In this course, students will consider the need and influence of personal and professional ethics on the American criminal justice system. We will look at theories of morality and ethics from antiquity to the modern age, and how they apply to ethical/moral issues confronting legal professionals, policy makers, and professionals in law enforcement and corrections.

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE & FIRE SERVICES
- This course will be broken into two sections:

Section 1:
This section of the course will train students to recognize the signs and symptoms of illnesses and injuries and in the proper procedures of emergency care. Topics covered are patient assessment, airway, shock, wound management, full body immobilization, and initial treatment for other medical emergencies.

Section 2:
Students will be taught the proper use and care of firearms and chemical weapons. There will be no actual handling of firearms. Emphasis is placed on safety precautions, moral aspects, legal provisions, and restrictions covering the use of firearms . This course will cover basic shooting principles used by correctional officers and will include instruction in nomenclature, and handling. In addition the identification, delivery and decontamination of chemical agents, will be addressed.

VICTOMOLOGY

This course will introduce students to the theories of victimization; the roles and characteristics of victims, violent vs. non-violent victimization, victim interaction with the criminal justice system and society, contemporary victim assistance and victim compensation programs. An exploration of the historical trends that reflect the political and societal responses to the issue of crime victimization will be included.

JUVENILE JUSTICE

Students in this course will investigate the causation, rehabilitation and prevention of juvenile delinquency. Students will become familiar with the various activities and decisions involved in the processing and detention of young law violators, juvenile statutes and court procedures, trends in the treatment of juvenile offenders, juvenile justice reform, and the varied philosophies underlying the existence of delinquency and youth subculture.

POLICE & POLICE PROCEDURE

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of police, the meaning and functions of police work, and the services that police provide. The powers and duties of police, and the limitations of these powers, police community relations and interdependence, and interactions between police departments and other official organizations will be addressed. In addition, students will learn the details of police procedure, including patrol procedures, such as pull-over and approach methods, field interrogations, search of subjects and buildings, mechanics of arrest, and police report writing.

CURRENT ISSUES IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

We will concentrate, in this course, on contemporary issues and topics in criminal justice. Our main focus will be on:

Women and the criminal justice system: female criminality and treatment, domestic violence, sexual violence, the role of women as professionals working in the justice system, and institutional discrimination based on gender.

Minority Groups & the Criminal Justice System: racial profiling, hate crimes, impact of race and class on arrest, conviction, sentencing, and employment in the criminal justice system.

Narcotics and Drug abuse: study of drugs, their affects, laws attempting to combat or control drug use and their impact, the relationship between drugs and crime, the "War on Drugs", and analysis of alternative ways of dealing with the drug-crime problem.

TACTICAL COMMUNICATION & CRISIS INTERVENTION

This course will provide students with critical verbal and non-verbal communications skills that will aid them in defusing and arbitrating civil disturbances. Particular attention is paid to the areas of domestic violence, rape crisis, drug abuse, and other high stress and dangerous or problem-solving citizen contacts. Students will also learn how to apply successful coping strategies during stressful conflicts.

BUSINESS & INDUSTRIAL SECURITY

Students will explore the different forms of white collar crime, such as, environmental crime, securities fraud, and governmental crime, and look at the evolution of regulatory laws passed to combat these crimes, as well as the limits of these laws. Companies such as Enron and MCI WorldCom, will be discussed, as they relate to the issue of corporate responsibility. A special section of this course will be devoted to the subject of computer crime, and the current and future role of law enforcement in this area. We will study the different types of computer criminals, their motivations, and the methods they use to threaten, attack, and compromise or damage physical and cyber assets. Other topics, such as data encryption, laws affecting computer use, privacy and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, will be discussed.

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINALITY, NATIONAL SECURITY & TERRORISM
- This course will be broken into three sections:

Section 1:
In this section, students will study the development and current state of international criminal law, as it relates to issues such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The respective roles of domestic and international courts and tribunals commissions will be discussed.

Section 2:
Students will be introduced to the history, ideology, motives, and causes of terrorism, and the modern manifestations of international and domestic terrorism and terrorist organizations. Terrorism originating in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Latin America will be included, as well as domestic hate groups in the U.S.A.

Section 3:
Students will learn the principles and practices regarding the management of homeland security operations, including but not limited to emergency management and disaster planning, incident mitigation, coordination among federal, state, and local agencies, public affairs, etc.

THE AMERICAN JUDICIAL PROCESS

In this course we will examine the development, organization, structure, and operations of criminal courts, and analyze the major judicial decision-makers, i.e., prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges. Students will explore different types of evidence, as well as the rules governing admissibility of evidence, and search and seizure laws. Both the state and federal courts will be considered.

GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES

RESEARCH AND STUDY SKILLS

PRACTICAL WRITING

In this course the student will develop writing ability for study, work, and other areas of life. The course emphasizes writing in paragraph and essay form with some attention to occupational correspondence and reports. The course guides the student through the writing process: understanding audience and purpose, exploring ideas and information from traditional and popular forms of communication, revising, and editing.

LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION

In this course the student will cover content, form, and procedures for research writings, which may include reports, articles, summaries, essays, and correspondence. The course stresses editing, proofreading skills, sentence structure, and paragraph development. The course offers the student instruction and practice in oral communications and written assignments.

CRITICAL THINKING

Analytical thinking is explored. Students learn to apply reflective, logical analysis in order to understand what they read more clearly, identify flawed thinking, and find the logical fallacies in biased arguments. The course is designed to improve decision-making skills, interpersonal communication, and insight into the conflicts that occur in a pluralistic, multicultural society.

PROFESSIONAL AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT

The student will prepare a resume, cover letter, and thank-you letter. They will acquire the skills necessary to properly prepare typical pre-employment forms. Interviewing techniques are taught and practiced. This class will help to optimize a student's potential for employment by developing skills in communication, business etiquette, problem solving, critical thinking, time management and interpersonal skills.

GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY

Students are introduced to the field of psychology as the scientific study of the behavior of people and how to apply these principles in a variety of situations through a blend of application and theory.

COLLEGE MATH

This course is designed to develop mathematical and computational skills needed by college students. It aids students in making the transition from computational to application mathematics. The student gains practice in mathematical calculations including percent, ratio, proportion, measurement, evaluation of numerical expressions, and using charts, tables and graphs to solve problems. Emphasis is on solving for the unknown to help students become comfortable usinig variables to represent numbers.

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS

In this course the student will learn the ability to work effectively through and with other people. The student will gain an understanding of how people work together in groups. Topics covered include: human relations skills; communication and miscommunication; groups; team building; transactional analysis; organizational change; creativity; stress; and managing diversity.

APPLIED COMPOSITION

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop their writing skills with an emphasis on college-level expository and persuasive writing. Students will compose written pieces based on experience, observation, research, and reading of selected literature.

INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

This is an introductory course designed to acquaint the student with a working knowledge of the concepts used by sociologists and with the well-established generalizations in the field. Topics to be studied include socialization, culture, population, group processes social stratification, ethnic/racial stratification, gender stratification, and social change.