CRJU 1101: Foundations of Criminal Justice

3 Credit Hours

This course provides an overview of the American criminal justice system including law enforcement, the court system, and the correctional system. Emphasis is placed on crime in the U.S., the criminal justice process from arrest through sentencing, and the roles and responsibilities of criminal justice actors. Current topics in the criminal justice system are addressed such as the death penalty, offender treatment, and criminal justice reform among others.

Course Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

Identify the purposes and goals of the U.S. Criminal Justice System.
Discuss the legal, social, and behavioral perspectives of crime and criminal behavior.
Interpret crime rates and trends and explain the causes and correlates of crime.
Describe each of the three components of the criminal justice system (law enforcement, courts, and corrections) and its role in the criminal process.
Analyze the complexity of criminal behavior and recognize how social forces (e.g., economic, political, geographic) influence crime across time.
Explain the roles and responsibilities of criminal justice actors (police, prosecutors, judges, defense attorneys, correctional officers, etc.).
Discuss current issues in the criminal justice system (e.g., death penalty, police training, legalization of substances, etc.).