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COURSE OUTCOMES
The basic course to provide the student with an orientation to the
criminal justice system. The course is the backbone of the criminal
justice curriculum that shows the relationship of the administration of
justice system with the community. It orients the student to a potential
for all persons to have a better understanding of the law and the function
and complexity of the system.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. Demonstrate knowledge of the evolution of the administration of
justice system.
2. List the objectives of the system, the crime
problem and role expectation of criminal justice personnel.
3. List the system's responsibilities to the community,
some general concepts in crime causation, and the social implications
of crime on society.
4. Demonstrate knowledge about the various agencies, their organizational
structure, and roles of each subsystem within the criminal justice
system.
5. Identify through affective senses an appreciation of education,
training, and professionalism in the system.
6. The student will learn concepts of the Criminal Justice System
identified in Learning Domain 2 (min. 8 hrs.) of the Basic Law
Enforcement Course Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training
(P.O.S.T.) Objective numbers covered: 1.7.1, 1.7.2, 1.8.1, 1.9.1,
1.9.2, 1.10.7, 3.37.1 (Refer to course outline for specific content).
Describe the values, themes, methods, and history of the discipline and
identify realistic career objectives related to a course of study in the
major.
Perform research specific to the discipline and use appropriate citation
style, if different than MLA.
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1. Organization and operation of law enforcement
A. Identification of principal local, state, and federal law
enforcement agencies (1.7.1 & 1.8.1)
2. Innovations and role expectations for law enforcement personnel
A. Constitutional provisions - Effects of legal interpretations
(search and seizure, Miranda, use of force).
B. Emphasis upon order maintenance.
C. Concepts in patrol and investigative methodology (community-
oriented policing; use of computes; scientific innovation in
the analysis of evidence).
D. Overseeing the police - citizen complaint investigation,
civilian review, ombudsman.
E. Equal opportunity employment and the changing faces of the
police department.
3. Structure and Role of Courts
A. Federal (United States Supreme Court, U.S. Circuit Courts
of appeal, U.S. District Court).
b. California Appellate Courts (District Court of Appeals and
Supreme Court (1.9.1).
C. County Trial Courts (Justice, Municipal, Superior (1.9.1)
D. Court officers - roles and expectations (1.7.1).
4. Key Steps in the Judicial Process (1.9.2)
A. Arraignment
B. Bail
D. Indictment
D. Preliminary hearing
E. Pre-plea conference
F. Trial
5. Constitutional Law in the Judicial System
A. Key U.S. Constitutional rights protected by the 1st.
4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 14th (Due Process and Equal Protection)
Amendments.
B.
6. Prosecutor's Role in the Judicial System
A. U.S. Attorney
B. State Attorney General
C. District and City Attorney
D. Prosecutor's use of discretion: legal sufficiency, system
efficiency, trial sufficiency.
7. Defense Attorney's Role in the Judicial System
A. Public Defender
B. Private attorney and appointed counsel
C. Defense counsel as an "agent-mediator"
8. Real vs. Ideal System of Justice
A. Due process model and crime control model
B. Plea bargaining - role and purposes
C. "Going rate", pre-plea conference, "copping out".
9. Purpose and Structure of the Correctional System
A. Contemporary correctional philosophy (warehousing v. rehabilita-
tion, 8th Amendment issues, recidivism, increased commitment
rates,inmate code, special population problems,"shock probation"
B. California Department of Corrections overview.
C. County and local corrections
10. Probation and Parole
A. Probation definition and purposes
B. Probation functions - investigation, supervision, institutions.
C. Parole definition and purposes
D. Parole functions - supervision
11. Special Issues Affecting the Criminal Justice System
A. Social change and challenge (hate crimes, gangs)
B. Role and impact of changing demographics & cultural diversity in
the justice system.
12. Career Paths for Criminal Justice Employment
A. Role of education & training
B. Job Preparation
C. Employment detractors (background, use of drugs, etc.)
D. Pre-employment testing procedures and hiring process (local,
state, federal).
13. Review of Course Objectives & Final Examination
Introduction to discipline-specific research tools, including seminal
books, important periodicals, major indexing sources, professional or
trade organizations, standard reference tools, discipline specific tools,
and major web sites.
Orientation to the values, themes, methods, and history of the discipline
and identification of realistic career objectives related to a course of
study in the major.
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California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training,
California Dept. of Justice, Basic Law Enforcement Course Unit
Guides 1 and 2. (1996)
N.C.J.R.S. MONTHLY ACCESSIONS LIST. Contact: Teresa Turner, National
Institute of Justice/NCJRS, Box 6000, Rockville, MD 20850.
Newman, Donald J., Patrick R. Anderson, INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL
JUSTICE, 5th ed., Random House, Inc.:Westminister, MD, 1995.
Cole, George and Christopher Smith, CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN AMERICA,
Wadsworth Publishing Co., San Francisco, 1996.
