Criminal Justice

BY;R.MadhanRaj

What is Criminal Justice? The criminal justice system is the set of agencies and processes established by

governments to control crime and impose penalties on those who violate laws. There is no single criminal justice system in the United States but rather many similar, individual systems that have five components:

Law Enforcement Prosecution Defense Attorneys Courts Corrections

This offers extensive opportunities for jobs and careers of graduates who major in Criminal Justice that offer a substantial income starting from $38,000, and even more for those with a minor in other areas such as psychology and sociology.

The history of Criminal Justice

The basis of our Criminal Justice system is highly influenced by English law and customs that spread from the settlement people of Colonial America.

Modern police forces began with Alfred the Great, an English king who ruled within the seventh century. Families that swore their allegiance to Alfred organized patrols in their regions, and appointed an official to oversee them which was called the “reeve” of the shire, later called a sheriff as we know today. Later on, between the American Revolution and Civil Wars, population growth and industrialization spurred the development of metropolitan police departments.

The history of Criminal Justice (Cont.)

Modern-day courts can date themselves back to the Pre-Revolutionary courts of America, which followed the laws of Great Britain.

The American court system was plotted out by the U.S. Constitution that the states adopted in 1787.

Fifth Amendment Sixth Amendment Fourth amendment Fifteenth amendment.

The history of Criminal Justice (Cont.)

Apart from our current ways of corrections, during Colonial times, the British penal system was used, which relied heavily on punishment and execution.

During the 1800s, more states turned to imprisoning offenders rather than executing them or subjecting them to whipping, pillorying, or the stockade. Soon, the idea of reforming criminals took hold but was short lived as by the mid-1800s, reformers lost patience and focused on deterrence and rehabilitation. Many penitentiaries became reformatories. In time, Zebulon Brockway, created a system of inmate classification and parole. It was thought that criminals could be treated for their criminal habits with corrective therapies such as imposing total silence on the prison population and requiring inmates to wear striped uniforms.

Today’s criminal justice programs focus on rehabilitating offenders who will eventually be released. Rehabilitation services ranging from job training to housing assistance are provided to offenders as they near their release dates.

Major requirements

Course Number & Title Semester HoursCJ 205Issues in Criminal Justice 4CJ 301 Criminology 4CJ 350Introduction to Social Research 4CJ 387Criminal Law 4CJ 489Senior Integrative Assessment 4Six additional courses at any level, including one or two from the allied course list: CJ 210, 250, 300, 340, 348, 360, 385, 388, 389, 393, 400, 420, 460

24

Internship (optional)CJ 483Internship Preparation (2 sem. Hrs.) CJ 484Internship in Sociology & Criminal justice (8 semester hours)

10

Suggested Allied Courses (see advisor):SOC 270 Social ProblemsSOC 227 Social PsychologySOC 353 Applied SociologyPOLS 371 Constitutional Law II: Substantive RightsPSY 350 Psychology and the Law MBE 203 Accounting IIMBE 204 Accounting II MBE 216 Taxation SW 384 Drugs of AbuseSW 385 Substance Abuse & Chemical DependencyART 208 Photography ICOMM 222 Public Speaking SPAN 307 Topics in Advanced Conversation & CompositionMATH 210 StatisticsCHEM (any course)CS (any course)

Total W/ Internship

Total W/o Internship

54 hours 44 hoursA student majoring in

Criminal Justice at Virginia Wesleyan is required to complete a minimum of

39 credit hours in specified coursework, 24

of which must be in criminal justice courses. The remaining 15 hours

may be completed in areas of social science, humanities or natural

sciences and mathematics.

Class Choices

General Studies Requirements105 English or English 001

Fall 120 Chemistry IntroL

Spring of Odd Yrs 233 Religious Battles in CourtV

Aftr ENG 105 (Selctd Sem)

259 Literature of Mystery, Crime, & NiorT

Required Courses Of Criminal Justice Major All Year 205 Issues In Criminal Justice

Spring 301 Criminology

All Year 350 Introduction to Social Research

All Year 387 Criminal Law

Junior/Senior 489 Senior Integrative Assessment  I

Spring 385 Applies Criminal Profiling 

Fall of '15 & '17 388 Global Terrorism and Homeland Security (4)

 Spring (after 2 CJ

classes)389 Criminal Investigation (4)

 Fall 483 Internship Preparation

 All Year 210 Mathematics Statistics Intro

  QSpring 270 Social Problems & Social Solutions 

All year 100 Computer Concepts and Applications 

Required Courses of Sociology MinorAll Year 100 Introduction to Sociology  SSpring 270 Social Problems and Social Solutions

Spring after SOC 100 345 Foundations of Sociology (SAME as ENG 319) 319 Feminist and Gender Theory  W

Fall 311 Family  W

INTERNSHIP(s) Students may complete a 9-credit, 300-

hour internship during the course of the semester.

Examples of internship sites include: Local police departments State social services Probation/Parole District Corrections Courts U.S. Pre-Trial Services

Post-Grad acquired Skills

Skills You Will Gain as a Criminal Justice Major:

Mediating/negotiating conflicts Understanding complex

problems

Conceptualizing/implementing projects

Interpreting issues and data Listening critically Engaging in appropriate

ethical and professional behavior

Understanding and appreciating human, socio-economic, cultural, and intellectual differences

Beyond the Classroom In VWC: Close to a 100% retention rate Between 80 and 85 percent of seniors in internships

receive job offers upon graduation Employed in a number of fields and agencies, including: CIA FBI Secret Service Diplomatic Security Marshal’s Office Local and state government

A personal Perspective

Fully aware that solving crime in reality is no-where near as perfect as on TV, since I was a child I was always drawn to mystery. I enjoy analyzing things and having physical evidence, and logic in order to support a claim, not just theory. I also have a passion for fairness and justice. Too many people lose loved ones and have no answers as to why or how. I want to do something to my best abilities to help.

Necessary Values/Characteristics

Sociability

Honesty

Reasonability

Analytical Skills

Attention to detail

Resolution

Professors Point of View Do you think that this Criminal Justice major is distinctive? “It is very different, unique, just as any other major is. Because of this, there is

much effort to show that there is a separation from others while maintaining a pride in community. We focus on teamwork within the liberal arts for good training and making connections to other majors, not just within the Criminal Justice and Sociology departments. We promote diversity.”

Quote: “I am a proud recovering lawyer, I’m still sober.”

- Associate Professor Scott Liverman

Students Point of View - Khadijah Andrews: “What drew me in was the fact that I could help get the dangerous people

of this world off of the street, also watching the work of a detective and a CSI drew me in. A pro is helping the [innocent] citizens and a con is the stereotypical thoughts of people outside of the criminal justice [system] view.”

- Brittany Brandon: “I decided to venture off into another major because I decided to change

my career path and take more specific classes. What I did like about the Criminal Justice major is that the classes are easy, and the terms seem like basic information. What I didn’t like was that in order to start the career I wanted, I had to go to school for a lot of years.”