1.

TITLE OF COURSE:

INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE

2.

PREREQUISITE:

None

3.

RESOURCES NEEDED:

TEXT:

SUPPLIES:

4.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Introduces a study of the agencies and processes involved in the criminal justice system:  the legislature, the police, the prosecutor, the public defender, the courts, and corrections.  Includes an analysis of the roles and problems of the criminal justice system in a democratic society, with an emphasis upon inter-component relations and checks and balances.

5.

COURSE GOAL:

6.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

By the end of the course, students will:

Through assigned readings, class participation, writing assignments, projects, dramatization, debates and examinations, the student will be given the opportunity to:

(A)

Examine the components and procedures followed in the administration of law enforcement, adjudication and post conviction processes and strategies in U.S. society. (analysis level: academic - general - specific skill)

(B)

Compare and contrast the interaction and organization of federal, state and local agencies that are components of the criminal justice process.
(analysis level: academic - general - specific skill)

(C)

Analyze the historical evolution of the components of the criminal justice process from the 1800’s to today.
(evaluation level: academic - general - specific skill)

(D)

Definitions:

1.

Academic Skills: the reading, writing, computational and communication skills that are applied in and necessary for success in the technical specialty.

2.

General Occupational Skills: the general, foundation skills that are necessary for success across occupational disciplines. These include reasoning, problem solving, contributing as a team member, creative thinking, personal responsibility, acquiring and applying new knowledge, and awareness of cultural diversity.

3.

Specific Occupational Skills: the competencies that must be mastered by the student to obtain and maintain employment in the specialty area or discipline.

LEARNING FOUNDATIONS:

The above competencies are designed to address basic learning foundations.  Students shall be evaluated by the instructor in:

(A)

BASIC SKILLS

1.

Reading - the ability to locate, understand and interpret written information.

2.

Writing - the ability to communicate thoughts, ideas, information and messages in written form.

3.

Arithmetic/Mathematics - the ability to perform basic computations and solve practical problems.

4.

Listening - the ability to receive, attend to, interpret, and respond to verbal messages and other cues.

5.

Speaking - the ability to organize ideas and communicate orally.

(B)

THINKING SKILLS

1.

Creative Thinking - the ability to generate new ideas.

2.

Decision Making - the ability to specify goals and constraints, generate alternatives, consider risks, and evaluate and choose best alternatives.

3.

Problem Solving - the ability to recognize problems and devise and implement action plans.

4.

Seeing Things in the Mind’s Eye - the ability to organize and process symbols, pictures, graphs, objects and other information.

5.

Knowing How to Learn - the ability to use efficient learning techniques in order to acquire and apply new knowledge and skills.

6.

Reasoning - the ability to discover a rule or principle underlying the relationship between two or more objects and to apply it when solving a problem.

(C)

PERSONAL QUALITIES

1.

Responsibility - the ability to exert a high level of effort and to persevere towards goals attainment.

2.

Self Esteem - the ability to believe in one’s own self-worth and to maintain a positive view of self.

3.

Sociability - the ability to demonstrate understanding, friendliness, adaptability, empathy and politeness in group settings.

4.

Self-Management - the ability to assess one’s own self accurately, to set realistic personal goals, to monitor own progress, and to exhibit self-control.

5.

Integrity/Honesty - the ability to choose and follow ethical courses of action.

7.

EVALUATION PROCEDURES:

Student evaluations will be based on numerical points awarded for assigned readings/writing assignments/projects/debates/examinations/class participation, or other factors as determined by the instructor.

The final grades will be determined by totaling the assigned grade points for all assignments and converting the result to a corresponding letter grade.

Grading Scale
Raw Score Range

Letter Grade

90 to 100

A

80 to 89

B

70 to 79

C

60 to 69

D

0 to 59

F

Special Remarks:

1.

Attendance: College policy states that students may be dropped from enrollment when absent 20% of the scheduled class meetings. If enrolled from the beginning of the term, 15 hours will usually constitute 20% of a four-credit semester course which meets five hours per week. Reinstatement procedures are described in the PCC catalog.

2.

Tardy Policy: A student who is late three times (enters classroom after the instructor has taken roll) will be charged with one full absence unless the student can provide valid reasons for one or more of these tardies.

3.

Assignments/Missed Exams: It is the student's responsibility, whether present or absent, to obtain all material presented and to complete all course assignments. If prior arrangements are made or extenuating circumstances exist, makeup of tests may be allowed. Late homework papers will not be accepted unless those same extenuating circumstances exist. Makeup of quizzes is to be at the instructor's discretion.

4.

STUDENTS MUST RECEIVE A GRADE OF “C” OR BETTER IN ALL CRIMINAL JUSTICE REQUIRED AND ELECTIVE COURSES.

5.

Only those students who have officially enrolled in this course on either a credit or audit basis will be permitted to attend class.

6.

It is the responsibility of the student to drop a course. Students who register and do not want to be held liable for tuition and fees and/or have a transcript record created must drop the course before the last day to drop, whether or not they have attended class.

8.

COURSE OUTLINE:

Tentative Schedule

I.

ORIENTATION AND INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE. REVIEW U.S. CONSTITUTION: PG. 409

II.

CHAPTER ONE: WHAT IS CRIMINAL JUSTICE? - PG 3 CHAPTER TWO: THE CRIME PICTURE - PG 31.

III.

CHAPTER THREE: CRIMINAL LAW - PG 69

IV.

CHAPTER FOUR: POLICE MANAGEMENT- PG 107

V.

CHAPTER FIVE: POLICING: LEGAL ASPECTS - PG 129

VI.

CHAPTER SIX: ISSUES IN POLICING - PG 169

VII.

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE COURTS - PG 207

VIII

CHAPTER EIGHT: THE COURTROOM WORK GROUP AND THE CRIMINAL TRIAL - PG 234

IX.

CHAPTER NINE: SENTENCING - PG 278

X.

CHAPTER TEN: PROBATION, PAROLE AND COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS - PG 321

XI.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: PRISONS AND JAILS - PG 350

XII.

CHAPTER TWELVE: PRISON LIFE - PG 371

9.

METHODS OF INSTRUCTION:

To be successful in this course, students are expected to participate in discussions, readings, in-class writing, and peer review activities. The instructor may assign point values to such activities.

10.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

The very nature of higher education requires that students adhere to accepted standards of academic integrity. Therefore, Pueblo Community College has adopted a policy of academic conduct as described in the Student Handbook. Violation of academic integrity may be defined to include the following: cheating, plagiarism, falsification and fabrication, abuse of academic materials, complicity in academic dishonesty, and personal misrepresentation. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the behaviors that constitute academic dishonesty. Sanctions for violating the standards of academic integrity may include warning, probation, suspension, and/or failure of the course or assignment at the discretion of the instructor.

11.

ADA NOTICE:

Students who have a documented disability may be eligible to receive accommodations for this class. Please contact the Disability Resources Center at 549-3446 for further information.