Department of Criminal Justice Course Listings

An examination of the components of the criminal justice system and a review of the administration of federal, state and local criminal justice agencies, including a focus on criminal law and procedure. 

This course provides a detailed examination of the best known and most influential theories of crime causation. Topics include: theory construction, hypothesis testing, theory integration, and the links among theory, research, and policy. 

This course introduces the concept of white collar crime as an area of scientific inquiry and theory formation. It critically examines the latest scholarship on the subject by looking at white collar crime from a multiplicity of perspectives and reference points, ranging from a focus on the offense, offender, legal structure, organizational structure, individual and organizational behavior, to victimization and guardianship, with special attention on the interaction between these components. The course also pays special attention to definitional issues, typologies of white collar crime, and assesses the nature, extent and consequences of white collar crime nationally and internationally. To enhance the understanding of white collar crime in todays IT development and society, the course will pay a special attention to roles of information and technology and E-commerce within white collar crime. Finally, the course examines current criminal justice system efforts at controlling white collar crime. 

An introduction to research on the police, both basic research and applied, evaluative research. Since police discretion was discovered in the 1950s, basic research has focused on factors that explain the discretionary use (and abuse) of police authority, and particularly on factors that would signify bias in police decision-making, and also on the mechanisms by which police may be held accountable to the public. Evaluative research, beginning with the Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment in the 1970s, has been concerned with estimating the effects of programmatic and tactical innovations on social conditionssuch as crime, fear of crime, satisfaction with police services and quality of life. 

This course applies psychological theories, principles, and research to issues of concern to the criminal justice system with a special focus on the intersection of the mental health and criminal justice systems. 

This course is designed to address a broad range of topics relevant to criminal behavior and the development of the so called criminal personality. Factors that are considered to influence the evolution of criminal mentality are examined and the laws and the past and current response of the criminal justice system to repeat offenders are explored. 

In order to combat "terrorism" one must be aware of what it is and is not and this course will explore "terrorism" in its totality as it occurred in the past, is occurring in the present, and how it might occur in the future. Various dominant International Terrorist groups are examined relative to their ideology, organizational behavior, and method(s) of operation. There is a heavy emphasis on the impact terrorism has and will have on the criminal justice system relative to investigation. 

The implications of criminal laws, criminal justice practices and programs. Focus on inequalities based on gender, race and class. 

Examination of the interplay between gender, crime, and criminal justice. Since much of the information about crime and the criminal justice system is presented in relation to men, a course focused on women and crime fills a tremendous gap in the criminal justice discourse. The goal of this course is to provide an understanding o the unique ways that gender may affect crime and criminal justice experiences. 

This course examines the complex nature of key domestic and international security threats and responses. Topics include terrorism and insurgency, transnational organized crime, WMD proliferation, cyber-security, intelligence, national and homeland security strategies, critical infrastructure protection, and theories of international security. 

The course is an introduction to crime and the efforts to control crime through public policy. We explore the foundations of the policy-making process at the federal, state, and local levels. The course also considers broad theoretical applications pertaining to public opinion, national culture, and comparative analyses among Western democracies and their differing approaches to crime. This course employs a variety of learning tools, from roundtable discussions to policy cases. 

A survey of the nature and extent of criminal homicide. There will be five main components: statutory definitions of homicide; theories of homicide; homicide rates over time and across jurisdictions; trends and patterns in homicide characteristics; and cross-cultural comparisons. Homicide is an important topic in criminology for three reasons: (1) it is the crime of greatest severity in any penal code; (2) it is a fairly reliable barometer of all violent crime; and (3) at a national level, no other crime is measured as accurately, precisely, and comprehensively. 

Research design is a graduate-level introduction to methodology as used in criminology/criminal justice. The course surveys the research design enterprise and covers a host of issues on the measurement and collection of data, and other procedures that influence whether a research study will lead the investigator to scientifically rigorous information. This course explains various strategies for devising social science studies, compares the relative benefits of various designs, and identifies the tools necessary to conduct studies that will yield data worthy of analysis and interpretation. This material will be valuable for students who will conduct research and administrators who must evaluate the research of others. 

A primary function of law enforcement is the gathering of information. However, information by itself does little to support the law enforcement mission. Intelligence, in the context of law enforcement, is the outcome of rigorous analysis of information, and often generates key decisions and/or guides tactical strategies that help facilitate the enforcement mission. This course examines the role of information and intelligence in defining and achieving the law enforcement mission. Problem solving tools such as SARA, and management tools like COMPSTAT, which rely heavily on both information and intelligence, are discussed. In a world now confronted by the threat of terrorism, the course examines the sharing/lack of sharing of information and intelligence among local law enforcement and federal agencies and the impact of this contentious relationship. 

An examination of the nature and extent of intimate partner violence and an analysis of the causes and consequences of violence between partners as well as the latest research regarding the criminal justice response. 

This course provides an in-depth analysis of the causes, context, and control of a wide range of violent crimes. Topics covered in this class include: Murder, rape, robbery, assault, and violence in the helping professions, the workplace, school, gang violence, cult violence, and institutional violence. For each form of violence, we examine issues related to(1) the extent of the problem, characteristics of the crime, victim, and offender, (2) causation, (3) crime prevention, and (4)crime control strategies. 

This course presents a detailed examination of current theory, research, and policy development in the field of community corrections, both nationally and internationally. Topic areas include sentencing, probation, parole, fines, community service, and intermediate sanctions (intensive supervision, house arrest/electronic monitoring, boot camps). Issues include the punishment vs. control argument, community justice models, special offender populations (drug offenders, sex offenders, mentally ill offenders, AIDS), and the cost effectiveness of community corrections. 

Examines crime, crime control and crime prevention from a comparative perspective. A number of key countries are analyzed to identity innovative practices in policing, the administration of justice, and corrections, with an eye on their applicability, if any, to criminal justice practices in the United States. Developments in select countries are examined to learn critical lessons about the interplay between culture, types of government, quality of life, and levels and types of crimes. Islamic justice systems are explored to enrich our knowledge of cultural differences and their effects on crime control. Points of divergence between various countries and the United States are analyzed to assess differences in perception regarding the causes of crime and differences in the effectiveness of crime prevention, rehabilitation and punishment efforts. We will furthermore investigate transnational and international crime problems, focusing on terrorism, nuclear weapons, organized crime and drug smuggling. Finally, the course will examine current multi-national efforts in controlling crime problems. 

This course is designed as an independent study of a subject not offered in the standard curriculum.