Undergraduate Certificate in the Fundamentals of Criminal Justice

3 Semester Units

Introduction to Criminal Justice aims to provide students with a general understanding of the criminal justice system’s response to crime in society. It is important to note that the general theme of this course involves the delicate balance between community interests and individual rights that criminal justice decision-making requires. This theme will be explored by examining the criminal justice process in some detail, focusing on how the system is structured to respond to crime.

Course Objectives

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

• Explore the history of crime in America and corresponding changes in the American criminal justice system.
• Explain how multiculturalism and diversity present special challenges to, and opportunities for, the American system of criminal justice.
• Examine the development of criminological theory including the role of social research in that development.
• Describe the development of American courts including the concept of the dual-court system.
• Consider the history of punishments and its impact on the modern philosophy of corrections.

Criminal Investigation is an overview of the criminal investigation field. To gain information related to crimes, course topics cover specific techniques for conducting a preliminary investigation, gather evidence and make arrests. Students also learn the procedures for interviewing witnesses and suspects, processing crime scenes and conducting a basic forensic examination of evidence. The course includes information on writing up reports from crime scenes.

Course Objectives

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

• Understand rules of evidence and arrest.
• Discuss the investigating of major crimes including crimes of violence, sexual assaults, robbery, arson, bombing, hate crimes, burglary and the drug scene.
• Discuss the process of basic investigative leads and informants.
• Know the process of control of a crime scene, crime scene investigation, recording the crime scene and locating witnesses.

This course is an overview of the criminal investigation field. To gain information related to crimes, course topics cover specific techniques for conducting a preliminary investigation, gather evidence and make arrests. Students also learn the procedures for interviewing witnesses and suspects, processing crime scenes and conducting a basic forensic examination of evidence. The course includes information on writing up reports from crime scenes.

3 Semester Units

Procedures in the justice system introduces students to the procedural aspects of the criminal justice system systematically, making the concepts easy to apply to any state’s specific procedural laws. Detailed coverage of the Exclusionary Rule and Miranda procedures will be presented, and a balanced coverage of consensual encounter, detention, and arrest will be explored.

Course Objectives

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

• Discuss the law of constitutional criminal procedures.
• Understand criminal procedures in its social, political, and historical contexts.
• Review the purposes and rules that emerge from cases.

3 Semester Units

Forensic Science is designed to make the subject of forensic science comprehensible to a wide variety of students who are, or plan to be, aligned with the forensic science profession.

Course Objectives

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

• Define and distinguish forensic science and criminalistics.
• Describe proper techniques for packaging common types of physical evidence.
• Understand the difference between qualitative and quantitative analysis.
• Understand the use of DNA computerized databases in criminal investigation.