Criminal Justice
The criminal justice major is designed to educate students to be critical thinkers, ethical problem solvers, and effective communicators. The program offers a comprehensive study of the criminal justice system, including law enforcement, criminal law and the judiciary, and corrections. Moreover, students will understand how these complex and interrelated systems relate to the total society.
Students graduating from the program pursue diverse paths. Students have advanced to graduate and law schools. Other graduates have pursued careers in law enforcement, judicial administration, corrections, juvenile justice, and private security. Regardless of a student’s orientation to the study of criminal justice, the program provides a unique blend of required and elective courses taught by experienced faculty. Students will be provided with a balanced and broad program of study, rooted in the liberal arts and social sciences. In addition, the curriculum offers opportunity for learning about practical applications in criminal justice, particularly through field trips and internships.
Criminal Justice majors are also encouraged to supplement their education with studies in others areas. The major is structured to facilitate a student’s ability to pursue a double-major or minor, which allows students to extend their knowledge as well as their flexibility with future career options. Students have pursued additional studies in business, psychology, political science, and social work, for instance. Students interested in forensic work may want to consider a double-major or minor in biology or chemistry. Courses in computer science or accounting may be particularly relevant for students interested in careers combating white-collar crime. The legal studies minor is also available for pre-law students and/or those interested in learning more about the U.S. legal system
The criminal justice major consists of 10 required and 3 elective courses, which provide students with a comprehensive understanding of criminal justice. All majors, including transfers, must complete CJ 299 Criminal Justice Information, Communication and Ethics (with a grade of C- or higher) as a prerequisite for 300 and 400 criminal justice courses.
Upon graduating, Criminal Justice majors should be able, for example, to: integrate and synthesize various content areas of criminal justice; critically analyze ethical dilemmas and make principled choices; and recall and demonstrate knowledge of the scientific approach.
Career Opportunities
Law enforcement, legal and judicial administration, corrections, juvenile justice, private security.
Major
| CJ 101 | Introduction To Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJ 154 | Criminal Justice Theory | 3 |
| CJ 203 | Policing | 3 |
| CJ 244 | Corrections | 3 |
| CJ 297 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| CJ 299 | Criminal Justice Information, Communication and Ethics | 3 |
| CJ 302 | Criminal Justice Research Methods | 3 |
| CJ 305 | White Collar Crime | 3 |
| CJ 365 | Diversity and the Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| CJ 410 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| Juvenile Justice | ||
| Criminal Investigation | ||
| Trial Evidence | ||
| Criminal Procedure | ||
| Drugs and Crime | ||
| Special Topics in Criminal Justice | ||
| Victims of Crime | ||
| Women and Crime | ||
| Media and Crime | ||
| Internship | ||
| Total Hours | 39 | |
Academic Requirements
Transfer students must take a minimum of 15 semester hours in their criminal justice major or minor at Mount Mercy. A grade of C- or better is required for each course in the major and minor. A student may enroll in and complete a maximum of 6 semester hours for CJ 428 Internship, although only 3 semester hours may be counted toward the major. Majors should follow a sequence of completion in order:
| CJ 101 | Introduction To Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJ 299 | Criminal Justice Information, Communication and Ethics | 3 |
| CJ 302 | Criminal Justice Research Methods | 3 |
| CJ 410 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
In addition, criminal justice majors and minors must complete CJ 101 Introduction To Criminal Justice before enrolling in other criminal justice courses.
Criminal Justice Minor
| CJ 101 | Introduction To Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJ 203 | Policing | 3 |
| CJ 244 | Corrections | 3 |
| CJ 297 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| CJ 299 | Criminal Justice Information, Communication and Ethics | 3 |
| One additional course from the criminal justice major curriculum | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 18 | |
(Students still must meet semester hour requirements and course prerequisites).
Courses
CJ 101 Introduction To Criminal Justice: 3 semester hours
This course is a review of the delivery of criminal justice services in the United States. Particular attention will be devoted to a modeling of the criminal process, the control of discretion within the various sub-processes, and the role of criminal justice in a democratic social order that emphasizes public accountability and the rule of law.
CJ 154 Criminal Justice Theory: 3 semester hours
This course is the study of crime control. In contrast to traditional criminal justice courses which mainly focus on the study of how crime is defined and the strategies use by the criminal justice system to control crime, this course will examine various orientations that focus on how the criminal justice system behaves instead of how it works. This course will cover such topics as the behavior of law, the behavior of criminal justice organizations, historical trends in crime control, the social construction of crime, oppression, the growth of the criminal justice system, and consequences of crime control practices.
CJ 203 Policing: 3 semester hours
This course includes an examination of the role of police and law enforcement strategies in a free society. The goals of this course include an understanding of the concept of the rule of law, police behavior and subcultures, enforcement strategies, and relevant procedures dealing with the police, including arrest, interrogation, and search and seizure of evidence. Ethical issues related to the police and law enforcement will include case histories and current events.
CJ 228 Juvenile Justice: 3 semester hours
This course includes an examination of juvenile delinquency and the juvenile justice process. The study includes an analysis of the evolution of parens patriae, and case law of the juvenile process from taking into custody through disposition.
CJ 244 Corrections: 3 semester hours
This course is the study of the history, philosophy, and practice of corrections. This course will include an analysis of corrections history and philosophy along with an examination of jails, prisons, probation, intermediate sanctions, and parole. The course will also cover legal developments in corrections, correctional trends, management and treatment of correctional populations, and problem facing correctional systems.
CJ 246 Criminal Investigation: 3 semester hours
This course includes a survey of the theory of scientific crime detection, investigation, interrogation, case presentation, and problems in criminal investigation. The content will include coverage of recent developments in forensic investigation such as DNA fingerprinting.
CJ 297 Criminal Law: 3 semester hours
This course includes an analysis of criminal law from a social science perspective. Emphasis will be upon historical development, strictures on criminalizing in light of constitutional guarantees, and a review of the classification of crimes through an analysis of selected criminal offenses. The content includes criminal jurisprudence, the historical origins of key criminal law concepts, constitutional structures on lawmakers, relevant social scientific research on the criminal process, and a review of the traditional categories of crime.
CJ 299 Criminal Justice Information, Communication and Ethics: 3 semester hours
This course is an opportunity for students to improve and apply critical thinking skills in the criminal justice context, establishing a foundation for upper-level coursework. The course requires students to refine writing, oral presentation, and information research skills. Students will become adept at finding, evaluation, and properly crediting research materials for the field of criminal justice. Likewise, students will demonstrate their learning through writing and oral presentation, which will be refined throughout the course. Special attention will also be given to ethical issues faced in criminal justice. For criminal justice majors, CJ 299 is a prerequisite for all 300 and 400 level criminal justice courses. All majors, including transfer students must receive at least a grade of C- in this course before taking criminal justice courses at the 300 level or above. Prerequisite: Grade of at least C- in core curriculum writing course.
CJ 302 Criminal Justice Research Methods: 3 semester hours
This course will consist of an examination of qualitative and quantitative research in the field of criminal justice. Specifically, the course will include, but is not limited to research design, data collection, secondary data analysis, levels of measurement, and hypothesis testing. Students will also learn how to read and interpret empirical criminal justice articles and SPSS output. Prerequisites: CJ 154 and CJ 299. A course in basic statistics is also suggested, but not required.
CJ 305 White Collar Crime: 3 semester hours
This course is a general survey reviewing both the nature and scope of white-collar crime. This course will explore crimes upon which society has placed little focus, yet at the same time have significant physical, fiscal, and social costs. The primary emphasis of this class will consist of an examination of carious forms of the elite deviance. Particular attention will also be given to applicable theories of elite deviance. Prerequisite CJ 299.
CJ 340 Crime & Punishment in England 1550-1875: 3 semester hours
The course explores crime, policing, and punishment in England, 1550-1875. Major topics include the use of public shame, professionalization of police, abstacles to prosecution, and the evolving use of prisons. Changes in penal culture are studied in relation to England's transformation from a rural kingdom into an urbanized and industrial center. Cross-listed with HI 340.
CJ 350 Trial Evidence: 3 semester hours
This course is a study of the law governing the presentation of evidence at trial. Focus will be upon the various types of evidence, questions of competency, relevancy, and materiality, with special emphasis on the hearsay rule and its exceptions. The content will include the role of evidence in striking a theoretical balance between the defendant and the state in the pre-trial and trial adversary process. Prerequisites: CJ 297, CJ 299 and suggest CJ 355.
CJ 355 Criminal Procedure: 3 semester hours
This course is an examination of constitutional criminal procedure related to arrest, search and seizure, and pre-trial and trial processes. Special emphasis will be upon the role of criminal procedure in controlling discretion. A survey of social scientific research related to criminal procedure will be included. The content includes an analysis of the role of procedure in a democratic social order. Government accountability and the control of discretion in light of Bill of Rights guarantees are constant topics. The fourth, fifth, and sixth amendments will be analyzed in some depth. Prerequisite: CJ 299, suggest CJ 297.
CJ 365 Diversity and the Criminal Justice System: 3 semester hours
This course explores relationships between society and the criminal justice system. Particular attention is given to both past and contemporary relationships between the criminial justice system and historically marginalized groups (e.g. based upon race and ethnicity, gender,sexual orientation). Issues of dissent and divergent perspectives on the role of the criminal justice system will be explored. The changing policies and practices of criminal justice agencies in a diverse and democratic culture will also be examined. Prerequisite: CJ 299.
CJ 372 Drugs and Crime: 3 semester hours
This is a course which focuses on the relationship between legal and illegal drugs and crime. This includes an examination of different perspectives on drug use and an examination of the historical characterization of legal and illegal drugs. Students will also examine how illegal drugs, legal and illegal drug use and crime are correlated. The extent of drug use, including types of drugs and patterns of drug use within the constructs of criminal offending will also be covered in the course. Students will also learn about the enforcement of drugs and the control of drug users including correctional programs offered within the criminal justice system, specifically for drug offenders and drug users. Prerequisite: CJ 299.
CJ 380 Sex Offenders: 3 semester hours
This course is a seminar on the contemporary topic of sex offenders. We will explore what constitutes a sex offense, examine different types of sex offenders, and study how society responds to these acts, victims, and offenders.
CJ 390 Special Topics in Criminal Justice: 3 semester hours
This course provides the opportunity for a study of a significant topic, problem, or issue in criminal justice. This course may be repeated once for credit when content varies. Prerequisite: CJ 299.
CJ 410 Senior Seminar: 3 semester hours
This course is a study of select and highly contemporary criminal justice issues. The course format allows students to draw upon and integrate knowledge gained from previous courses and apply it in an area of individual, intensive research. The content will vary. Prerequisites: CJ 154, CJ 299, CJ 302.
CJ 420 Victims of Crime: 3 semester hours
This course focuses on the study of crime victims including the types, extent, patterns, and consequences of victimization. This will include an introduction to victimology and the victim right's movement. Students will learn about the role(s) of the victim in the criminal justice process and policies and programs designed to address the needs of crime victims. This will include a focus on local victim service agencies. Special attention will be paid to "special classes" of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and hate crimes. Prerequisite: CJ 299.
CJ 422 Women and Crime: 3 semester hours
This course is the study of women as criminal offenders, victims of crime, and workers in the criminal justice system. The course content will include an examination of female offending patterns and explanations for those offending patterns, along with an examination of the treatment of female offenders and female crime victims by the criminal justice system. The course will also focus on women as criminal justice professionals working in law enforecement, the courts, and corrections. Prerequisite: CJ 299.
CJ 426 Media and Crime: 3 semester hours
This course will focus on the interrelationships among media, crime, and the criminal justice system. Particular attention will be given to the construction of crime in the news and entertainment media, and how those constructions affect citizens' perception of the crime and the criminal justice system. Policy and legal implications of these perceptions will also be considered. Prerequisite: CJ 299.
CJ 428 Internship: 3 semester hours
This is an academically oriented practical experience gained through supervised work assignments with various governmental and private criminal justice-related agencies. The student will have the opportunity to contrast theory and practice. The internship is open to criminal justice majors of junior or senior status and with the consent of the internship coordinator. A student may enroll in and complete a maximum of six (6) semester hours for CJ 428 although only three (3) semester hours may be counted toward the major. Applications for summer and fall semesters must be submitted to the department by February 15. Applications for winter and spring semesters must be submitted to the department by September 15. Prerequisites: CJ 299, junior or senior in good standing, approved application, and consent of the internship coordinator. (1-6 semester hours).
CJ 445 Independent Study: 3 semester hours
Independent study courses are specially designed by the student and the instructor. This allows criminal justice majors to pursue research and/or study of a specific area of interest in criminal justice. Prerequisite: CJ 299 and instructor permission.