Section outline

  • Hello and Welcome to Introduction to Criminal Justice!

    American flag, gavel and block and a pair of handcuffs

    Image description: American flag, gavel and block, and handcuffs
    Image credit: "American flag with handcuffs," 2023, accessed via Freepik | Free license

    Course Introduction 

    This course covers law enforcement, criminal courts, sentencing, penal institutions, juvenile justice, criminological theory, and community-based sanctions. It also includes historical and contemporary perspectives on components of the criminal justice system, as well as the legal and constitutional frameworks in which they operate.

    Video

    A brief video summary of the U.S. Criminal Justice System.      

    Video Transcript: SETexasCJ CriminalJustice System Transcript

    Video Credit:  SETexasCJ. (2016, January 1). Criminal Justice System [Video]. YouTube.

    Course Purpose

    The purpose is for students to gain an understanding of the American criminal justice system with a view to its social and institutional context and its structure and functioning.  Designed for the beginning student in law enforcement, criminology, corrections, sociology, social welfare, government and pre-law, this course is an overview of the criminal justice system.  

    Students are expected to develop the following skills and knowledge base by the conclusion of the course:

    • Able to demonstrate college level reading, writing, and oral communication skills.  
    • Possess adequate problem solving, creative reasoning, and critical thinking skills.

    Prerequisites

    This course has no prerequisites.

    Course Learning Objectives (CLO)

    Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

    1. Identify criminal justice as a system, process, and area of knowledge.
    2. Identify the major components of the criminal justice system: law enforcement, courts, and corrections.
    3. Differentiate the difference between the formal and informal processes of the criminal justice system.

    4. Analyze the various contemporary criminal justice perspectives on approaching the crime problem.

    Structure of the Course

    Adopting institution should describe course structure, such as number of modules, to allow the learner to understand how the learning process is structured and carried out.

    Navigating the Course

    Adopting institution should provide learners information on how to navigate the course. Consider adding an introductory navigation video. Text description could include, for example:
    This course is set up in Modules covering various topics which may be accessed from the course navigation menu on the left or by scrolling below. Modules may be collapsed in the menu and it the body of the course to minimize scrolling. Each module includes the relevant chapters followed by various activities, which may include discussion forums, listening activities and quizzes, practice quizzes, module tests, and other relevant activities as appropriate for each module. Many items are required and may be marked as completed automatically when the activity has been submitted (the broken check box), but others will marked as done by the student (the solid check box). 

    Please move through the items below and continue through the Learner Support and Getting Started modules before moving on to Module 1. Be sure to check for announcements and due dates to stay on track.

    Creative Commons attribution license This course and its contents are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network, except where otherwise noted. 
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