Criminology and Criminal Justice (CRIM)

Description: Provides an overview of the major dimensions of crime in the U.S. Content areas included are the epidemiology of crime, the costs of crime and typologies of crime and criminals.

Description: Designed to explore the role of the police in American society. Attention is given to the origins of policing, the nature of police organizations and police work, and patterns of relations between the police and the public. The values of a democratic society as they affect the law enforcement role are discussed.

Description: Designed to give an analytical perspective to the history, development, implementation and future of critical issues in the field of corrections. Primary focus will be directed toward an exploration of the various theoretical approaches to corrections and the research intended to support or refute these perspectives.

Description: This course is designed to provide a social science perspective on the role of the courts in the criminal justice system. The ideals of the system will be compared with actual functioning, and court reform programs and proposals will be critically examined.

Description: This course is designed to examine substantive criminal law as the basis of social control in our country. Contemporary issues such as the insanity defense, decriminalization of so-called victimless crimes, sexual assault and abortion, and current proposals to assist victims of crimes will be among the topics explored. In addition, current criminal procedure problems relating to right to counsel, search and seizure and interrogation will be examined.

Description: A study of the etiology of crime as a social phenomenon and an objective analysis of the historical influences and thought which molded its development into an accepted contemporary science.

Description: This course will deal with issues in the organization and administration of modern justice agencies. The students will be exposed to theories, concepts, and issues relating to the administration and organization of justice agencies.

Description: Provides an overview of key research areas on prevalence, predictors, and consequences of various forms of victimization. Develop a critical understanding and appreciation of the development and current state of theories of victimology, measurement of different types of victimization, and quantitative and qualitative results that have been used to inform research in the field. Learn how to critically analyze and interpret primary research regarding victimization.

Description: Explores the intersection of race and the criminal justice system. Considers how racism and racial discrimination remain central issues, evidenced by historical events like the Kerner Commission's assessment of 1960s riots and recent incidents such as the 2020 protests. Delves into the complex relationship between law enforcement and marginalized communities of color, where disproportionate offending and victimization strain resources. Covers the impact of policing approaches and mass incarceration on BIPOC communities, further exacerbated by segregation policies. Addresses historical inequalities tied to the death penalty's application to communities of color and explores the cumulative effect of a biased criminal justice system. Through this exploration of macro-structural conditions, community violence, role model depletion due to incarceration, and interactions with law enforcement, grasp the influences on young individuals in lower socioeconomic communities of color, including engagement in the juvenile justice system.

Description: This course focuses on the experiences of women in the criminal justice system. It will cover the history of criminological theory on women, application of mainstream criminological theory to women, and women as offenders, victims, and professionals in the criminal justice system.

Description: Designed to provide supervised individualized learning experiences in a selected criminal justice agency. The principal objective of the internship is to provide students with the opportunity to apply theoretical and methodological principles acquired in graduate courses to the analysis of problems in local criminal justice agencies.

Description: A course devoted to an exploration and analysis of contemporary special problems in the broad spectrum of law enforcement and corrections.

Description: This course is designed to provide an analytical perspective to the meaning of community, theories that explain community-level crime, and police decision-making at the community level. The primary focus will be directed toward an exploration of the various theoretical approaches to explaining community-level crime, with a special emphasis on police action. This course will enable students to become proficient in the topic of community-level theories of crime and determine whether communities perpetuate or prevent criminal behavior.

Description: This course examines the complex nature and dynamics of intimate partner violence (IPV). The course begins with a general presentation of IPV, such as definitions, characteristics, and the cycle of IPV. Then, theories of IPV are presented and various sources of IPV data and measurement issues are discussed. The majority of the course focuses on the historical development/evolution and current response of the criminal justice system to IPV including law enforcement response, the use of protection orders, domestic violence courts, and batterer intervention treatment programs. Additionally, the course examines "special topics" regarding IPV including teen dating violence, intimate partner homicide, and IPV within criminal careers.

Description: Designed to provide a systematic introduction to the study of human trafficking with a focus on the prevalence, predictors, and consequences of human trafficking. Includes a critical understanding and appreciation of the development and current state of theories, measurement, and quantitative and qualitative results that can be used to inform our understanding of the nature of these events, the victims who are harmed, the individuals who facilitate these crimes, and identification and response initiatives.

Description: Examines the complicated nature and dynamics of sexual violence (SV), beginning with a general presentation of sexual violence, such as definitions and the nature, characteristics, and extent of SV. Considers the impact of doing "sexual violence" work on criminal justice and victim service practitioners (e.g., vicarious trauma) and the importance of self-care. Next, various tools to measure SV, sources of SV data, and measurement issues will be discussed. The major focus includes the historical development and evolution of different legislative, criminal justice systems, and victim service system responses to sexual violence. Examine responses to sexual violence that have been generated outside of formal systems of care and discuss the need for primary prevention.

Description: Designed to provide advanced knowledge and understanding in the area of risk/needs assessment tools used in the juvenile and adult justice system.

Description: This is a required course which provides a foundation for the use of statistical methods in criminal justice and public affairs research. It will review fundamentals of research, showing the interplay between the theory, the research, the statistical method, and the interpretation.