Criminal Justice (BA.CRJ)

in the BA.CRJ program, students will be able to:

1. Define and explain the meaning of "justice," describe the types of justice our society is supposed to provide, and discuss instances in which the criminal justice system specifically, has acted unjustly, and recommend reforms and policy changes to correct these injustices.
2. Define and explain the difference between the criminal justice system and process.  Students will also identify and explain the sources and purpose of various government methods of gathering data about crime, and evaluate the strengths and shortcomings of each data source.
3. Identify and describe the agencies that make up the criminal justice system, explaining the functions of each, and identifying and describing the roles/responsibilities of the criminal justice personnel who work in those agencies.
4. Name the specific stages of the criminal justice process, from arrest to appeal, determine the amount of proof required at each stage, identify who must offer that proof, and explain what happens at each particular stage of the process.
5. Identify and describe the various sources of law in U.S. society, explain the differences  between criminal and civil law, and identify and explain U.S. Constitutional Amendments most relevant to the criminal justice process.  Students will also identify, discuss, and evaluate how specific landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions have shaped and influenced the operation of the U.S. criminal justice process.
6. Name and summarize the theories/justifications for criminal punishment and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each theory.  Students will describe how our government imposes punishment on convicted offenders, explain the differences between institutional and community correctional practices and programs, and compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.
7. Explain the meaning and difference between organization and management, describe how various criminal justice agencies are organized and managed, and explain who serves as the chief managers of specific criminal justice agencies.  Additionally, students will explain how a criminal justice organization influences the behavior of its personnel, as well as analyzing how a criminal justice organization influences and is influenced by the environment in which it operates.
8. Name and explain the various normative theories of ethics, demonstrate why a commitment to ethics is important in the criminal justice field, and then apply that knowledge of ethics to evaluate and resolve dilemmas often faced by criminal justice professionals.
9. Identify and explain how government agencies use crime data to identify patterns of crime and victimization; they will also identify, summarize, and evaluate various theories of crime causation, and determine how well these theories can be adapted to develop programs/strategies to prevent or reduce crime.